Deployment Plan Checklist and Roadmap

Applies To: System Center Data Protection Manager 2010

This checklist includes the planning tasks necessary to prepare to deploy System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2010.

Task Reference

Identify each data source to be protected, including the following information:

  • Data source type (file server, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services, Microsoft Virtual Server, system state)

  • Data source size

  • Any folders or file name extensions to be excluded from protection

  • Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of computer

  • Cluster name (if applicable)

What Do You Want to Protect?

Identify one of the following methods for each protection group:

  • Short-term disk-based protection

  • Short-term tape-based protection

  • Long-term tape-based protection

  • Short-term disk-based protection and long-term tape-based protection

  • Short-term tape-based protection and long-term tape-based protection

Selecting a Data Protection Method

For each data source, determine the recovery goals for each data protection method that you will use.

For short-term disk-based protection, identify the following information:

  • Retention range

  • Synchronization frequency

  • Number of recovery points

For short-term tape-based protection, identify the following information:

  • Retention range

  • Backup schedule

  • Type of backup

  • Number of backup copies

  • Tape labeling scheme

For long-term tape-based protection, identify the following information:

  • Retention range

  • Backup schedule and scheduling options

  • Number of backup copies

  • Tape labeling scheme

What Are Your Goals for Recovery?

Defining Recovery Goals

Organize the data sources into protection groups.

Selecting Protection Group Members

Determine your storage needs, based on your information about the protected data sources and recovery goals.

Allocating Space for Protection Groups

If you are using tape-based protection, decide if you want to compress or encrypt the data on tapes.

Specifying Tape and Library Details

Decide which method of replica creation you will use for each protection group.

Choosing a Replica Creation Method

Identify the DPM server configurations necessary, including the following information:

  • The number of DPM servers

  • Where to locate each DPM server

  • Which instance of SQL Server each DPM server will use

Planning the DPM Server Configurations

Determine the disk configurations each DPM server will require to meet the storage needs of the protection groups. Include any custom volumes that specific data sources will use.

Planning the Storage Pool

Identify the DPM servers that require tape libraries and the capacity of each library.

Planning the Tape Libraries Configuration

Identify the DPM servers for which end-user recovery will be enabled and which clients will require installation of the recovery point client software.

End-User Recovery Considerations

See Also

Concepts

Introducing Data Protection Manager 2010
Planning for DPM Deployment
Planning Protection Groups