AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

1/13

Vault GPS: Make All the Right Turns During Your VaultUpgrade

Irvin Hayes Jr. – Autodesk, Inc.

PL5843-P Upgrading your replicated Vault software environment to a new release of Vault software shouldn’tbe an intimidating endeavor. Building an understanding of what actually happens when clicking the install button

is crucial to having condence in your upgrade plan. This class will cover existing and newly supported methods

for upgrading your replicated Vault software installation, and you will leave armed with the knowledge of what is

actually happening in the background with SQL so that you can proceed with condence.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this class, you will be able to:

• Understand the importance and role that SQL plays in a Vault software upgrade

• Understand the out-of-the-box procedure for Vault software upgrades of replicated environments

• Understand the alternate snapshot procedure for Vault software upgrades of replicated environments

• Learn how to set yourself up for a successful migration

About the Speaker

Irvin Hayes Jr. is a product manager for the data management group at Autodesk in Novi,Michigan. Irvin has worked at Autodesk for seven years starting in product support and as auser experience designer. Irvin is a Microsoft® Certied Professional, and has been working inthe information technology eld for more than 21 years.

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

2/13

Table of Contents

Learning Objectives .................................................................................................... 1

About the Speaker ....................................................................................................... 1

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3

What happens with a normal vault upgrade? .................................................... 3

How it works ...................................................................................................................................... 3

Understanding the obstacles ....................................................................................................... 5

Planning to overcome the obstacles .......................................................................................... 6

Using Alternate Snapshots ...................................................................................... 8

How it works ...................................................................................................................................... 8

Understanding the obstacles .....................................................................................................12

Planning to overcome the obstacles ........................................................................................12

Setting yourself up for success ..............................................................................12

Closing ...........................................................................................................................13

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

3/13

Every Silver Lining Has a Vault in the Cloud

3

Introduction

Upgrading your replicated Vault software environment to a new release of Vault softwareshouldn’t be an intimidating endeavor. Building an understanding of what actually happenswhen clicking the install button is crucial to having condence in your upgrade plan. This classwill cover existing and newly supported methods for upgrading your replicated Vault software

installation, and you will leave armed with the knowledge of what is actually happening in thebackground with SQL so that you can proceed with condence.

What happens with a normal vault upgrade?

How it works

Some of the information in this section is taken from the Autodesk Vault Upgrade guide. Pleaserefer to the guide for additional information as this class will not cover everything in the guide.

As called out in the guide, the upgrade process for an Autodesk Vault environment is comprisedof 5 steps:

1. Validating a Backup

2. Upgrading SQL

3. Upgrading Vault Server

4. Upgrading Clients

5. Creating a Backup

Autodesk recommends that every Vault upgrade starts with a validated backup. This validationwill ensure that if the upgrade process fails, there is a backup that can be restored. It is also

recommended that you have a test environment that is close to your production environment aspossible. The reason for this is to allow you to better estimate how long the actual migration maytake. You should add a buffer to the migration time so that you can report back your estimationof downtime to the reset of the business. Also, testing your backup and migration will help youidentify potential pitfalls prior to executing the migration in the production environment.

Prior to the upgrade, you may want the various business units to sign-off on the migration. Itis recommended to create a document containing the key features that the business uses.Testing workows, customizations and integrations should all be done the test environment tomake sure that everyone understands the changes and can be trained prior to upgrading theproduction server.

Using the test environment provides a safe option to experience the migration process and

discover unexpected hurdles. Although this process takes time it can, in the long run, save timeand stress by avoiding impact to the production environment. You can use this environmentto create documentation that is necessary for a successful migration. This can come in handyin case something happens to any of the key players involved with the migration. This will berevisited later.

http://help.autodesk.com/view/VAULT/Help/ENU/?guid=GUID-F7C93287-98E9-4950-93A0-E7A3BC96181Ehttp://help.autodesk.com/view/VAULT/Help/ENU/?guid=GUID-F7C93287-98E9-4950-93A0-E7A3BC96181E

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

4/13


4

Now let’s move on to the Upgrading Vault Server step. Before we can look at a replicatedenvironment, we rst must understand the single site environment. This single site environmentis made up of the database (SQL), Autodesk Data Management Console (ADMS) and the

Autodesk Vault File Store (AVFS).

As called out in the Autodesk Vault Upgrade guide, you need to pay attention to how manyreleases you are skipping over in your migration. For example, if you are going from 2011 to2015, you will need to go to some intermediate release. In the example, you would need togo from 2011 to 2013 followed by 2013 to 2015. Autodesk doesn’t allow you to migrate morethan 2 releases apart. I would recommend getting to the appropriate service pack or hotxlevel prior to opening up the ADMS Console during the migration process. Once you open the

ADMS Console, the migration will begin. What is going on at this phase is that the databaseis being prepped for the current release. This involves updating stored procedures, tables and

restructuring data where necessary.

Now let’s look at a replicated environment. It does consist of the same pieces that a singleenvironment entailed. However, it allows for multiple SQL locations which are known asConnected Workgroups. Believe it or not, upgrading a replicated environment isn’t that difcult.You must rst upgrade the main Workgroup, also known as the Publisher Workgroup, byupgrading an ADMS machine within the workgroup. This starts the process of migrating thePublisher SQL databases. Once the SQL databases is properly updated, snapshot are created.

A snapshot is a read-only view of a database at the time the snapshot was taken. This snapshotis then consumed by the SQL subscriber machines. Once the snapshot is consumed by thesubscriber, the environment is now ready for use once all the ADMS / AVFS machines withinthat workgroup have been updated accordingly with the appropriate software release. It is best

to upgrade all the ADMS machines in the subscriber workgroup rst prior to moving onto the AVFS machines.

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

5/13


5

Understanding the obstacles

We recently worked closely with a customer to help them through a rather large migrationprocess. Our goal was to help identify problems that may arise during the migration and alsoto ensure that the migration completed in a timely manner. In order to have success with thisventure, we needed to collect various information from them. In particular, we needed thefollowing:

• Their databases

• A detailed mapping of their network

• Hardware specications

Once we had this information, we set up a lab environment close to what they have so that wecan better understand the pitfalls. Along with us running a series of tests in our lab they wererunning similar tests in their lab. This was benecial since it allowed us to compare notes andfocus on various differences within the environment.

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

6/13


6

This is a smaller example of their Vault environment.

During our rst couple migrations we noticed that there was considerable differences in thetimings between the environments. This made us focus on the hardware. Since the migrationprocess is very read/write intensive, we started to focus on the hard drives. We needed to lookat what partitions the database were on and the type of RAID conguration. Another area offocus was on memory since SQL utilizations as much as it can (you can limit the amount withinSQL itself). We monitored both of these activities use Performance Monitor to help us get abetter understanding of what is going on. We also utilized a utility called Wireshark to get anunderstanding of how much data was going over the network. Upon investigating all avenues, itwas determined that we were sending too much data over the network in terms of the snapshot.Remember the snapshot is the data that the publisher creates post migration and is updatedfrom time to time based on the SQL schedule. There was obstacles with the hard drive andmemory but they did not impact the total migration time as much as the network trafc did.

Planning to overcome the obstacles

Now that we understand the obstacles of the migration we were able to come up with solutionsto get around them.

The main obstacle was the network. We were able to overcome this obstacle by using the“Alternate Snapshot” solution which will be discussed in the next section.

The hard drive can be handled by purchasing additional partitions or recongure the existingpartitions. If you are going to recongure the RAID partition, it is highly recommended copying

all data off the entire drive to another location prior to beginning the operation. As mentioned inthe previous section, a migration has intense read/write operations. If you are setup up a RAIDconguration, you need to make sure that it can handle a lot of read/write operations. You willwant to pull out SQL’s temp database and log les to a separate partition. The main databaseshould be on a partition that can handle a lot of read/writes. You will want to have the log leson a separate partition as well. Once you are satised with your conguration, restore your dataaccordingly. NOTE: The le store is not impacted by a migration and if you are running it on theSQL machine as well you will want it on its’ own partition.

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

7/13


7

Depending on your current system, you will want to have a sufcient amount of memory in thesystem. If more memory is determined to be needed, prior to the migration may be the besttime to upgrade it. This way it can be fully utilized during the migration process itself. Thememory / processor upgrades is something that the business unit will need to determine if it isworthwhile now or if the budget is even there for the upgrade.

We found that having the issues documented prior to the migration made the actual migrationrun smoothly. If you are working with Autodesk or a reseller during your testing phase andhave issues, they can help you solve this problems in the test environment prior to migratingthe production environment. A documented process also allows the migration process to beexecuted by anyone on the team.

NOTE: Please contact your reseller or Autodesk to make sure that whatever is being deletedcan be deleted. Autodesk or the reseller may have to create a special script in order to makethe migration run smoothly.

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

8/13


8

Using Alternate Snapshots

How it works

Since we determined that the network is a problem for the size of the database we need tomigrate, we need to look at the Alternate Snapshot method. The point of this solution is toallow you to move the snapshot from the publisher to the subscribers in a manner that you ndconducive to your environment. For example, you do not want to have a 500GB snapshot goingover a network that has bandwidth of 1mbs with a 200ms latency. Here are the steps for usingthe alternate snapshot:

1. Wait for the migration and snapshot to be created on the publisher. This can view thestatus by opening SQL Management Studio, launch the Replication Monitor and select thedatabase that you want to see the status on. You should see a dialog as shown below.

2. Immediately after the snapshot is created, turn off the SQL job on the remote SQLservers using the SQL Management Studio

3. Move the snapshots to the subscriber location

4. Modify the agent to point to the Alternate Snapshot location. At the end of the commandline remove “ -Continuous” and add “ -AltSnapshotFolder D:\VC_Replication_Share\” where“D:\VC_Replication_Share\” is the local path of the “unc” folder.

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

9/13


9

5. Reinitialize the Subscriber

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

10/13


10

Select YES to this dialog.

6. Restart the Job

7. Wait until the snapshot consumption completes. The status of this can be viewed in thedialog above and when it shows that it is complete.

8. Stop the SQL job

9. Set the synchronization setting back to Continuous

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

11/13


11

10. Start the SQL job

11. Wait until replication to get into steady state. The replication status on a database will

show “Waiting 60 second(s)”.

12. At this point, your subscriber is ready for use

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

12/13


12

Understanding the obstacles

The reason why we are doing the Alternate Snapshot is that the network has some sort ofissues with it whether it is bandwidth, latency or both. This obstacle will still be there. Otherobstacles could be around the delivery method used to get the data to the subscribers. Thedata could arrive and be corrupt. Maybe you sent someone on a plane to the location and

somehow the drive was wiped. We will need a plan to overcome these.

Planning to overcome the obstacles

Ways to get around this would be use multiple methods to assure that data will arrive in a timelymanner. If you decide to go with a zip method, you would want to test that the zip is indeedworking properly prior to sending it via a device.

Setting yourself up for success

Before we do the migration we denitely want to remember that we need to have a good

solid backup plan which includes a backup and several test iterations in a non-productionenvironment. You will want to make sure that your backups are proper and indeed covereverything in your environment. You never know what could go wrong during the migration.To quote Jonathan Landeros of Inventor Tales, “Should the worst happen, have a backup planthat includes having a backup to restore, instead of slipping out the back door before anyonenotices!”. I cannot iterate this enough that you want to run multiple migrations prior to the dayof the actual migration. Write out a preliminary migration plan. Take notes during your testmigrations. Combine your initial plan along with your notes to create robust document in whichanyone can use in case the need arises.

Remember, you are the expert of your environment. If you are doing the migration yourself orare getting outside resources to help out, it is best to make sure everyone is aware of the detailsof the environment. You will be the best to predict slowness at particular workgroups. Thisknowledge can be used during the testing phase of the migration. Again, your environmentshould be as close to the production environment as you can make it. You can set up networkemulators and such to give you a better idea on what will go on during the migration day. Justremember that during this process there will be down time. Your system will be unavailableto the business units while it is executing. But, you can limit the down time and impact to thebusiness by planning accordingly.

Have a plan for migration day. Make sure you have the who, what, where, when & how’s allin order prior to that day. Make sure that the team involved in the migration is lined up. It isworth mentioning that you may want to have backup people ready to go in case somethinghappens on the day of migration. They need to know where they are going to meet (online / atthe ofce). They need to know when to start. This could be during business hours or off hours

depending on what your plan yielded. Make sure that everyone understands what their role isduring the migration. Who is updating what servers and when are they being updated. With agood predictable plan your team will know where they are at during the entire migration process.This will lead towards a smooth migration.

8/9/2019 AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS

13/13


13

Closing

Now that we know what to expect during a migration we can go forward and have a successfulmigration.

Documents

AU-2014_5843_Vault_GPS