About the SAS Metadata Server Backup and Recovery Facility

A schedule of daily backups is configured by the SAS Deployment Wizard. Therefore, daily backups are taken without the need for administrator intervention. In addition, unscheduled backups are launched automatically in certain situations, such as after the SAS Deployment Wizard configures the metadata server.

Administrators can use SAS Management Console to change the schedule and the configuration options, including the backup directory location and the backup retention policy. Backups can also be run on an ad hoc (unscheduled) basis from SAS Management Console, from the operating system command line, from SAS, or through third-party scheduling software.

When repositories are restored in the event of a metadata server failure, transactions recorded in the journal file can be used to perform roll-forward recovery to a specified point in time after the last backup was taken.

SAS Management Console displays detailed backup and recovery history. The history includes all backups that are run using the server’s backup facility, regardless of how the backup was invoked (from the server’s own scheduling facility, from SAS Management Console, from the command line, from SAS, or from third-party scheduling software).

The backup process is a “hot” backup that executes in a separate thread while the metadata server is running. Therefore, the server does not need to be paused during the backup, and all transactions, including updates, continue to be processed. If journaling has been disabled or if the Reorganize Repositories backup option has been selected, the server is paused for Read-Only use, so that queries (but not updates) can continue to be processed.

The metadata server runs its own backup and recovery processes. These processes do not rely on any other servers, such as workspace servers, DATA step batch servers, or scheduling servers. Because the metadata server has permission to access all of the needed files, there is no need to set up a host account with special operating system rights and permissions.

Backups are performed daily (seven days a week) at 1:00 a.m. server local time.

The backup that is performed on Monday uses the Reorganize Repositories option.

Backups and their associated journal files are stored in the following location: SAS-configuration-directory/Lev1/SASMeta/MetadataServer/Backups. (If you select the Custom option when installing SAS 9.3, the SAS Deployment Wizard enables you to specify a different location.) Within the backup location, each set of backup files is stored in a directory that is named based on the date and time that the backup was started (for example, 2011-06-06T01_00_01-04_00). Do not change this directory name, because the recovery facility requires the name to be in this format.

Backups are retained for a period of seven days. Each time a backup is successfully completed, all previously created backup files that are more than seven days old are deleted from the backup directory. A record of the deleted backups is retained in backup history. (When a backup is attempted but not competed successfully, no backup files are deleted.)

all of your metadata repositories, regardless of their access state (Online, Read-Only, Administration, or Offline).

the repository manager.

all of the files in SAS-configuration-directory/Lev1/SASMeta/MetadataServer, including metadata server configuration files, INI files, SAS programs, scripts, and backup history files, as well as any additional files that you might have stored in this directory. These files are backed up to a ConfigurationFiles subdirectory within the backup location.

A backup is run automatically after the SAS Deployment Wizard configures the SAS Metadata Server.

A backup is run automatically after you complete a successful recovery of the metadata server. (Backups that are completed in this situation are not deleted when they are older than the retention period.)

If you change the JOURNALTYPE option in the omaconfig.xml file to NONE or SINGLE (which is not recommended), and you later change the option back to ROLL_FORWARD, a metadata server backup is run automatically when you restart the server.

The SAS Deployment Wizard sets the JOURNALTYPE option to ROLL_FORWARD. This option creates a linear journal file that permanently stores all transactions that have occurred since the most recent backup. The journal file is written to the same location as the associated backup files. Each time a new backup is executed, journaling stops and a new journal file is started in the new backup location.

If you change the JOURNALTYPE option to SINGLE (which is not recommended), the roll-forward option is unavailable in the event of a metadata server failure. This setting creates a single circular journal file of a fixed size at the location that is specified in JOURNALPATH. Journal entries are appended to the file until the file grows to the size that is specified in JOURNALSIZE. Subsequent entries overwrite previously written entries starting at the beginning of the file.

If you change the JOURNALTYPE option to NONE (which is not recommended), then no journal file is created and the roll-forward option is unavailable in the event of a metadata server failure. In addition, the metadata server cannot be backed up while the server is in an ONLINE state. The server will pause itself to a READONLY state each time a backup is executed, and any update transactions that are issued during the backup will fail.

pauses the server, placing it in a READONLY state

copies the metadata server files to the backup destination

re-creates the repository data sets in place, eliminating unused space in the process

resumes the server to an ONLINE state