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Version: 2.15.0

Execute a DR Rehearsal with the Failover Wizard

Introduction​

DR Rehearsal Mode is not a separate Failover Wizard workflow — it is a Mode you choose on step 3 of 6 (Configure Failover Settings) of the same Failover Wizard used for a full failover. Three Mode cards sit side by side on that step: Failover / Failback, Enable Rehearsal, and Revert Rehearsal. It is not a failover — it does not complete all of the steps needed to redirect users and applications to the target cluster. Instead, it allows you to test write access to data at the DR site while leaving production largely undisturbed, then revert the target cluster back to its pre-test state.

For a full production failover, see Execute a Failover. For an end-to-end uncontrolled-failover test that also exercises client redirection using non-production Runbook Robot resources, see Simulated Disaster Event Procedure.

Considerations Before Using DR Rehearsal Mode​

  • Not recommended for production data. Use a dev/test data set, or use LiveOps DR Test Mode instead if you need to test against production data without exposing it.

  • Data on the source cluster is not protected while DR Rehearsal Mode is enabled, since SyncIQ replication is paused for the duration of the test.

  • Eyeglass blocks uncontrolled failover attempts while DR Rehearsal Mode is enabled, to avoid compounding a real DR event with an in-progress rehearsal.

  • The longer DR Rehearsal Mode stays enabled, and the more data is modified during testing, the longer it takes to exit and revert the file system on the DR target back to its pre-test state.

    important

    Before starting a DR Rehearsal, increase the failover timeout to a minimum of 3 hours so the revert step does not time out at the 45-minute default. SSH to the Eyeglass appliance as the admin user and run:

    igls adv failovertimeout set --minutes 180

  • Access Zone, IP Pool, and SyncIQ type rehearsals do not redirect DNS or SPNs, and do not require a production maintenance window.

    warning

    DFS type rehearsals do redirect users' DFS mounts to the target cluster, and require an outage and maintenance window, unlike the other failover types.

What Happens When DR Rehearsal Mode Is Enabled​

  1. The SyncIQ policy runs one last time to sync outstanding data.
  2. DFS type: SMB shares are renamed to the failover DFS folders so write-access testing can occur.
  3. Access Zone, IP Pool, and SyncIQ type: No client redirection occurs — SmartConnect names are not redirected to the DR cluster.
  4. The selected policies complete the allow-writes step on the target cluster.
  5. The source cluster's SyncIQ policies are disabled so they cannot run while the rehearsal is active.
  6. The DR Dashboard shows DR Rehearsal Mode as active for the affected policies.

What Happens When DR Rehearsal Mode Is Reverted​

  1. The target cluster runs the disallow-writes step, blocking further writes on the target.

  2. DFS type: SMB shares are renamed again, redirecting client connections back to the source cluster.

  3. Access Zone, IP Pool, and SyncIQ type: No redirection occurs, since SmartConnect names and SPNs were never redirected when the rehearsal was enabled.

  4. The source cluster's SyncIQ policy is re-enabled, but resumes on its existing schedule — it is not run immediately.

    note

    To force the source cluster's changes to sync to the DR cluster immediately, an administrator must manually run the source cluster's policy. This discards any test data written to the target cluster during the rehearsal.

  5. To monitor the progress of the disallow-writes step, log in to the DR cluster, open the SyncIQ menu, and check Local Targets for the policy path — the status should show as running. A job report only appears once this step completes.

How to Enable DR Rehearsal Mode​

  1. Open the Failover Wizard, and on step 3 of 6 (Configure Failover Settings) select the Enable Rehearsal Mode card, then click Next.
  2. Acknowledge that you have reviewed the support process.
  3. Review the recommended best practices shown on screen.
  4. Select the Access Zone, IP Pool, or SyncIQ policies to include in the rehearsal, depending on your environment's failover type, then click Next.
  5. On the validation summary screen, acknowledge the specific DR Rehearsal warning confirming that you understand this stops data sync between the clusters, then click Next.
  6. Review the final confirmation screen and click Run Failover (labeled the same as a standard failover start) to begin entering DR Rehearsal Mode.
  7. Monitor progress using Watch, and use Copy to Clipboard if you need to provide the log to Superna Support.
  8. Once DR Rehearsal Mode is active, a pop-up window links to next steps for testing write access at the DR site.

How to Revert DR Rehearsal Mode​

  1. Open the Failover Wizard.
  2. Select the same source cluster that was selected when DR Rehearsal Mode was enabled.
  3. On step 3 of 6 (Configure Failover Settings), select the Revert Rehearsal Mode card.
  4. Complete the validation and acknowledgment steps.
  5. Start the revert job.
  6. Review the failover log using Watch and Copy to Clipboard if needed.
  7. Once complete, the source-to-target cluster policies are re-enabled to resume syncing data on their previous schedule.

See Also​