Prepare SAP HANA scale-out instances for Backup and DR Service

Before you can back up SAP HANA scale-out instances and data, you must add the database server as a host to Backup and DR Service. Before you begin, be sure to follow these preparation steps. It's also a good idea to review Backup and DR for SAP HANA.

Prerequisites

Before you begin:

  • All the configured services—see SAP Note 1697613 and SAP Note 1649519— such as nameserver and indexserver. must be running. You can check this in the Overview of SAP HANA studio > Operational State > Confirm all services are started.

  • To allow the Backup and DR agent to perform host-side operations, use an SAP HANA hdbuserstore key instead of a username and password to communicate with HANA database using the SAP HANA secure userstore. See Configure the HANA userstore key.

  • Database log_mode must be set to normal under the HANA Studio configuration tab. See Set up the log mode and log backup in HANA Studio.

  • All SAP HANA servers that have HANA data to be protected by Backup and DR Service must have been onboarded to Backup and DR Service.

  • All SAP HANA servers that have data to be protected by Backup and DR Service must have the Backup and DR agent installed.

  • If the underlying data volumes for SAP HANA are protected as SAP HANA database backups using LVM snapshot with CBT or file-based backup integrated with backint, and if you are also protecting file systems on the same host, in the file system app, you should set /hana/log & /hana/data in an exclude path. See Linux file system.

  • HANA Archive log backup recommendation:

    • Make sure to set the HANA Archive log backup path as the basepath_logbackup and basepath_catalogbackup in global.ini.
    • Don't use HANA Archive log mount to store files other than HANA Archive log backup.
    • By default, archive purge runs with every database backup. To achieve best recovery RTO, keep the default setting.

Configure the HANA userstore key

Use the following instructions to configure the HANA userstore key:

  1. Create the database backup user from HANA Studio.
  2. Get the instance and SQL port numbers.
  3. Create the SAP HANA hdbuserstore key for system DB backup users.

Step 1: Create the database backup user from HANA Studio

Choose a database username based on the company's standard. Make sure to create this user account under SYSTEMDB.

  1. Create the user under SYSTEMDB:
    • From SAP HANA Studio SYSTEMDB, go to System > Security > Users > New User.
    • Assign a username and a password.
    • Set Force password change on next logon to No.
    • HANA 2.0 (SPS01 to SPS04): Click the System privilege tab and assign privileges by selecting the following:
      • Backup admin
      • Catalog read
      • Database admin
      • Database start
      • Database stop
    • HANA 2.0 (SPS05 and later): Click the System privilege tab and assign privileges by selecting the following:
      • Backup admin
      • Catalog read
      • Database backup operator +. Database recovery operator
      • Database admin
      • Database start
      • Database stop
  2. Deploy the newly created system user by clicking the green arrow.

Step 2: Get the instance and SQL port numbers

You need the HANA instance and SQL Port numbers for system DBs.

To get the instance and SQL port numbers from HANA 2.0 studio:

  1. Go to System.
  2. Click the Landscape tab.
  3. Click the Services tab.
  4. Under the Service column, navigate to the nameserver.
  5. Get the value of SQL port. The instance number is the second and third digits of the SQL port number.

Step 3: Create the SAP HANA hdbuserstore key for system DB backup users

Use this naming convention for the userstore key name: For SYSTEMDB, set the key name to (Database backup username). For example, for database backup username (Actbackup), set SYSTEMDB—key_name— (ACTBACKUP).

Procedure

  1. Connect to the HANA database system using SSH and log into (sid)adm: su - (sid)adm
  2. Change directory: cd exe

  3. Create entries in hdbuserstore using command hdbuserstore: ./hdbuserstore SET (key_name) (host name):(port) (DB_user_name) (DB_user_password)

    In this example: `./hdbuserstore SET ACTBACKUP s4hana:30013 ACTBACKUP (DB_user_password)

  4. Check the keystore: ./hdbuserstore list

Set up the log mode and log backup in HANA Studio

Using the HANA Studio set the HANA log mode and log backup location for Backup and DR to take backups of HANA DB transaction logs:

  1. In SAP HANA HDB studio, make sure log backup is set correctly under DATABASE (SYSTEMDB FOR HANA 2.0) > Backup > Configuration page:
    • Destination type is File.
    • Destination is set to a local file system mount path.
    • Backup interval is set to required RPO.
    • Automatic log backup is enabled.
    • Database log_mode must be set to normal.
  2. Check under Database configuration: DATABASE (SYSTEMDB FOR HANA 2.0) > Configuration page. In the filter, type basepath.
  3. Verify that basepath_logbackup is set correctly:
    • Set the basepath_catalogbackup to the same as basepath_logbackup.zz.
    • Open the basepath_catalogbackup edit page and set the New value. to the same as basepath_logbackup. Click Save. This ensures the backup of the catalog with log backup for point in time recovery.
  4. On the HANA database server, run the re-config for the values to take effect: hdbnsutil -reconfig.

Clean up SAP HANA Backint Backup

If SAP HANA Backint is protected already with Compute Engine or any other third party, perform the following cleanup steps on the SAP HANA host before assigning a backup plan:

  1. Delete old Backint symbolic files from /usr/sap/(HANA SID)/SYS/global/hdb/opt.
  2. Clean up all the backint parameters from global.ini.
  3. Uninstall and reinstall the Backup and DR agent (see next section).

Install the Backup and DR Agent on the host

The Backup and DR agent connects the Compute Engine instance to the backup/recovery appliance. To install the Backup and DR agent, see Install the Backup and DR agent on a Linux host.

Create a backup plan for the SAP HANA databases

The backup plan is how Backup and DR Service schedules backup jobs and manages storage for the backup images.

You created a backup plan for the Compute Engine instance in Get started with Backup and DR: protect and recover a Compute Engine instance. Now you must create a backup plan for the HANA database that is running inside the Compute Engine instance. See Create and apply a policy template.

Advanced Policy Settings specific to HANA databases on Compute Engine Persistent Disks

The policy template needs these specific advanced settings.

  1. In the management console under Backup Plans, select Templates.
  2. Select the policy template for the HANA database and click Edit.
  3. At Policies, click the arrow beside Snapshot, then click Edit Policy.
  4. At the bottom of the Create/Edit Policy section, click Advanced Policy Settings.

  5. Within the Advanced Settings dialog, find and set the following advanced settings:

    Snapshot location: Select the region where the Persistent Disk snapshots are to be stored. By default, Multi-regional is selected (based on the source disk location). You can also change the snapshot storage location to a different region than the source disk region. When storing snapshots in a location that is different from the location of your source disk, the data travels over the network between those locations and may incur network fees. Snapshots incur the same fees as Cloud Storage egress. Learn more about the Persistent Disk snapshot.. To learn the pricing details, see disk pricing.

    Snapshot type: Select the Persistent Disk snapshot type to be used for SAP HANA backups. Snapshots incrementally back up data from Persistent Disks. During backups, a new snapshot is created to capture the current state of the Persistent Disk. This can later be used to create a new disk for mounts or restores. Compute Engine stores multiple copies of each snapshot across multiple locations with automatic checksums to ensure the integrity of your data. Learn more about the Persistent Disk snapshot. To know the pricing details, see disk pricing..

    • Standard snapshot: By default, the standard snapshot type is selected. Use the standard type if you want to retain the backups for less than 90 days.
    • Archive snapshot: Select the archive type if you want to retain backup images for a long duration. Note that the minimum billing period for the archive snapshot is 90 days irrespective of the retention period defined in the policy and that an archive type snapshot also has an additional retrieval charge if it is used in a mount or a restore job.

    Truncate (Purge) Log After Backup: Specify whether to truncate (purge) the HANA archive logs after backup. When Truncate Log after Backup is enabled, HANA archive logs are truncated. By default archive purge runs with every database backup. Use the default to achieve best recovery RTO. If production log retention is set, then purge runs based on the Retention of production db logs in hour setting under Application Details & Settings.

    • Do not truncate/purge log after backup: This is the default. In this mode the archive log won't be purged.
    • Truncate/purge log after backup: Select this option to enable archive log purge.

    Enable Database Log Backup: Set this option to "Yes". The Enable Database Log Backup option allows the backup plan policy to backup a database and all associated transaction log files. The logs are backed up when the log snapshot job runs. When set to Yes, the related options are enabled.

    RPO: Specify the database log backup in minutes. When Enable Database Log Backup is set to Yes, RPO defines the frequency for database log backup. Frequency is set in minutes and must not exceed the database backup interval. The smallest value that can be set (in minutes) is 15.

    Log Backup Retention Period (In Days): When Enable Database Log Backup is set to Yes, log retention is defined separately from the retention of the snapshot policy. Having a separate retention period lets you use logs in conjunction with copies of the database stored in the snapshot pool.

    Replicate Logs (Uses Streamsnap technology): Set this to No. This does not apply to SAP HANA Persistent Disk snapshot protection. This function is enabled (set to "Yes") by default. Not setting it to "No" will result in template creation error.

    Send logs to OnVault Pool: Set this to No. This does not apply to SAP HANA Persistent Disk snapshot protection. This function is enabled (set to "Yes") by default. Not setting it to No will result in template creation error.

What's next

Add an SAP HANA database host, and discover and protect its databases

The Backup and DR Service SAP HANA DBA guide

This page is one in a series of pages specific to protecting and recovering SAP HANA databases with Backup and DR Service. You can find additional information in the following pages: