Need ideas for on-site hot spare or failover server

timeshifter

timeshifter

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Small business with one server with about 20 stations all running a database LOB app, database server component runs on server (Advantage Database). In case the main server falls down for whatever reason we'd like to have another machine ready to step in, hopefully with downtime of less than 30 minutes.

The main server is being replaced with a new one, Windows Server 2016 Standard will be running inside a Hyper-V VM. The old server was running Windows Server 2012 Essentials bare metal. That old server has all the horsepower needed to run everything.

Also, I know there's a lot of buzz these days about disaster recovery as a service (DraaS). I get that we could periodically or continuously trickle out to the cloud a copy of the VM and then spin up a remote server. What I don't get is how you bridge the gap between local and remote, assuming you lose just the server and want the local PCs to keep going and access the cloud server - or maybe the practice is you spin up remote desktops too.

I have a couple of ideas on how to set this up for local, but I'd like to take the pulse of the experts here and see what you all recommend.
 
One option is hyper v replica, VPN tunnel, and then change DNS name or use DNS failover. Maybe a GRE tunnel would let you keep the same server IP @NETWizz ?
 
Stonecat can explain better as he uses this a lot but Datto has NAS like units that can backup to a VM that can take over for you should your server fail. They even can run the VM in the cloud. Once your server is repaired they can restore only the changed data files and get your production unit back in line with whatever changes happened to data while the server was belly up. Between that and getting 4-hour/NBD response times on extended warranty from Dell/HP/Lenovo you have your 30 minutes cut over solution.
 
You can take care of a good portion of that with Hyper-V or VMWare with failover. Basically you setup twin servers...different locations. Kind of almost like a RAID1 of servers. If one dies, the other is ready to step into action. Same building..but a fire or flood could take 'em down. Spread across a CAN (campus area network) is quite common.

However, cost of standing up 2x identical bare metal setups..and cost of the licensing and connection 'tween the sites and maintenance.

We are big fans of Datto, it's our tier-1 "business continuity" product for our clients.

To keep it simple, they have 2x appliances (they have more but lets keep it simple)

*Alto..entry level. Small appliance that sits on a network, takes frequent backups if the server. Uses StorageCraft combined with a custom image manager. It stores backups locally (typically up to 1 months worth, give or take depending on volume of servers and your retention and consolidation policies). It also maintains a copy offsite in geo redundant data centers. If the servers needs a data restore, you can export a VMDK or VHD file from the Alto from a selected point in time...and restore your server to the hypervisor. If your office burns to the ground...and the Alto unit went up in smoke...you can "boot up" a recent backup at a data center, and access it via RDP, or setup a VPN to it...to keep the office going in some fashion until a replacement server arrives.

*Siris...higher level. These take the Alto..and they add local virtualization abilities. More horsepower under the hood, it's like an Alto..combined with VMWare ESX. If a clients server caught fire and melted down, you can remote into it..select the more recent backup of the server like from 15 or 30 minutes ago...mount it and spin up a virtual guest instance of it..turn on the virtual network card and "BAM"...the server is up and running on the clients network. Now you can take your time ordering a replacement server. If a server caught fire, you can remote into the Siris appliance and have a backup up and running in the network in as little as 15 minutes or less.

Restores to bare metal is supported.

Fantastic..fantastic MSP service, Datto is "channel only". It is a huge money maker, one of our more profitable services...we've been Datto partners since their first year and made to "Elite Partner" status a couple of years ago. Great people, based in Connecticut...I've been down to their HQ a few times.

The units test the backups each day, they boot up a virtual instance..take a "screen shot" of the ctrl+alt+del screen, and e-mail it to you (and your clients if you opt) as proof the backups are good. Gives your clients a good warm 'n fuzzy.

I tell ya, I've been doing SMB consulting for a long long time...and 20 or 15 or 10 years ago...if a client calls with a down server and you know you'll be restoring it...you'd drive onsite starting to sweat.....it would get you nervous.
But since we've been doing this product, I don't get all nervous if a clients server is crashing, I have faith I'll quickly and easily have 'em up and running in some fashion.

It's a great too for doing migrations and P2V too.
And we've used it during long term outages such as if a clients main office was down after some major storm....and people worked from home. We have a large jet engine manufacturing client that had their HQ impacted by a major storm, no power for about a week. We spun up their servers, including Exchange, up in Dattos data centers...pointed the MX records and related stuff, and gave the head guys access to their servers like they were at the office.
 
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Was going to mention Datto as well. Thought of them right away when reading the OP. Doing a trial with them right now and they've got pretty much exactly what you're asking for with their Siris line. Gave them a look since @YeOldeStonecat always recommends them highly and I've been quite impressed even with high expectations.

They've got a free trial with the alto device if you're interested, it does most of the stuff Siris does, just not the local virtualization (but it does cloud virtualization). They even have a "disaster scenario simulator" that you can set up to see how it actually works if a situation were to happen.
 
OK, you've all sold me on Datto. I just emailed the sales rep who had previously contacted me from Datto and will see how it goes. It sounds like exactly what they need.

If for whatever reason they don't go for Datto I'd like to have a feel for other options.

A few months ago I set up my first customer with Veeam backup. Their one and only server runs in a Hyper-V VM. We have a small box running Veeam that backs up their server. Their eight PCs also backup to that box using the Veeam Endpoint Backup free edition. Backup copies of those backups are hauled off-site on a regular basis on hard drives.

The Veeam guys first put the thought in my head of having a current copy of the VM sitting on another PC somewhere that could be instantly spun up to take over. So using their product is one potential option in this scenario.

Hyper-V replication is another option.

The new server is being installed later this week. The customer is expecting to soon-after be able to "fail-over" to their old server. I just haven't decided on the exact mechanism.
 
Question: can the free Hyper-V server from Microsoft be used on the old server for my hot spare? Would like to avoid buying another Windows Server license if possible.
 
timeshifter said:
Question: can the free Hyper-V server from Microsoft be used on the old server for my hot spare? Would like to avoid buying another Windows Server license if possible.
Click to expand...

Yep, and you don't need a licence for the replica. By default the replica will have the same IP as the server it is replicating, so no need to think about anything else if it is on the same network
 
We use Solar Winds Backup & Recovery (formerly Max Backup). It offers a continuous recovery feature where your backups can be continuously restored to another server to act as a standby. It can also save a vmdk/vhdx of the backup to a local drive, network share, etc so that it can be easily spun up on another box if the server goes toes up.
 
uprighttech said:
We use Solar Winds Backup & Recovery (formerly Max Backup). It offers a continuous recovery feature where your backups can be continuously restored to another server to act as a standby. It can also save a vmdk/vhdx of the backup to a local drive, network share, etc so that it can be easily spun up on another box if the server goes toes up.
Click to expand...

We have started to utilise this as a hot spare setup. Our idea is to setup a HP Desktop with lots of ram and good size SSD running Windows 10 and HyperV. We then use the continuous restore feature to keep a VM up to date, if the Server goes down for whatever reason we can boot the VM and get them up and running within 10-15mins until we manage to fix the Server. Yes the solution doesn't have Raid or ECC memeory but as a quick temporary solution it will work for a couple of days.
 
So I talked to Datto extensively today and color me impressed!

I'm still going to explore the other options so I can have a range of choices. Going to see if I can setup another server running the free Hyper-V tonight and see if I can make it replicate. Will also check out Solar Windows.
 
timeshifter said:
So I talked to Datto extensively today and color me impressed!

I'm still going to explore the other options so I can have a range of choices. Going to see if I can setup another server running the free Hyper-V tonight and see if I can make it replicate. Will also check out Solar Windows.
Click to expand...

If you do end up giving them a quote for a Hyper-V solution make sure you price it appropriately. With Datto you would basically be outsourcing part of the technical part, so your indepth knowledge isn't as important. If it's going to be in a contract for you to support businesses using Hyper-V replica, expanding your business and hiring staff becomes more expensive because you may have to hire staff with more experience or have to train them. Or else they become the PITA client because your the only one who knows how to work with their equipment/solutions.
 
If you want to look at the web admin of a Datto appliance...let me know, I can do a remote session with you, let you cruise around the admin pages, run through a restore, etc. Shoot me a PM with your e-mail addy and I'll reply with more details about it.

And no matter what solution you go with, don't forget when you think about DR services like this, you do not do OEM server licensing. This is one of the many reasons to always use Volume Licensing for your clients servers. Because OEM licenses are tied to the server it was purchased with..just like desktop licensing. When you boot up a VM from a backup service of some Dell PowerEdge with an OEM Server license....BOOM..activation issues. Because once you virtualize a backup instance, that first time it boots up..it detects new hardware. Sure newer OS's are easier to trick with pizza tech approaches, or you can call Microsoft and ask for a special in place licensing upgrade or some grace period with some explanation of urgency...but when disaster strikes at a client, do you really want the client seeing you panic and spend extra hours trying to get past an activation? I doubt it, you want to be able to have that DR server instance booted up and available to the client in 15 minutes!
 
Thanks, I might take you up on that test drive some time.

Regarding the licensing... IIRC, when I install Windows Server 2016 into a Hyper-V VM it asks me for the Windows product key. In fact, I'm positive it did because I had to do a "lottery scratch-off" to reveal the key on the sticker on the server to see the key. First time I've seen that. So I don't think Windows is activating in the VM like it would activate in the traditional sense on an OEM PC, where you have to install with the correct OEM media and then Windows sees a signature in the BIOS and just blows by any product key or other activation questions and just does it.

Last fall I built a Windows Server 2012 R2 VM in Hyper-V on a Lenovo server, used the OEM key off the Dell server. When it was ready for production I moved the VM onto that Dell server. Don't think I had any activation issues when I moved the VM over. Maybe I might escape that situation on this one? If not, I've got the product key. If it cries about it would I be able to enter that key and be OK?
 
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