Question

Migrating an Index Cache from One Media Agent to another?

  • 13 February 2023
  • 3 replies
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Userlevel 2
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We had a media agent that was recently decommissioned. The location in which the media agent was located was shut down. The server was shipped to our site where we have it ready to be cabled up and redeployed. The initial thought from my colleagues is that we had to get this media agent back online in order for index cash on that server to be used again. But my management is asking whether or not we can just transfer the media agents index cash from that server to another media agent?

So instead of having to rehook up this media agent in order for the tapes that came from this location to be read, that we can move the index cache that was on this server to another media agent, and then any tapes that came from this site would then just read from a current active media agent for its index cash?


3 replies

Userlevel 3
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Hello @TP_Erickson 

Please put the MA in “offline for maitenance” mode 

Putting a MediaAgent into Maintenance Mode (commvault.com)

Shutdown MA does not need to be spin up for index cache recovery. 

Attaching the old index cache disk/vmdk/ copying over the index cache will not help.  Index has pointers to internal CV metadata which would be invalid without proper index regeneration. Index restore is the best way forward. 

 

Userlevel 2
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So are you saying to take the Media Agent that was decomissioned, bring it back online, but in maintenance mode, and then whenever a tape is needed that used to talk to this media agent is needed, that the index will be read from this offline media agent, and rebuilt to a new media agent that is active within our environment?

So my management wants it in a simple terms for their question, is it a yes or no, that the index cache can be taken from this offline media agents, and attached to another media agent without spinning up the decomissioned media agent? if yes, what is the proper way of doing it?

 

 

Userlevel 3
Badge +9

Hello @TP_Erickson 

Please put the MA in “offline for maitenance” mode 

Index data should be available with Job (with valid retention). If you browse the job, Media request for mount will be generated. Once you insert the requested media. Index of the client for the job should be restore on an active media agent. If restore is triggered, if should run fine.

Here the issue that needs to be looked into would be getting the tapes to be available for read when request on one of the configured DM media agents.

Let us know if that helps!

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