Update Rollup 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Data Protection Manager

Features that are implemented in this update rollup

• Scalable VM backup
  
  This update rollup improves the reliability at scale for Virtual Machine (VM) backups on Hyper-V and Windows Server 2012 R2 infrastructures. This feature is supported on both Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) and scale-out file server (SOFS) storage configurations for VMs.
  
  Prerequisites
  • You must apply the following Windows hotfix:
    
    
    Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 Update: April 2014
  • You must upgrade the DPM 2012 R2 agent to DPM 2012 R2 UR3 on all nodes of Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V clusters.
  • You must restart the cluster nodes.
    
    
• Backup and consistency check window
  
  Important This feature is supported only for disk protection for VM data sources.
  
  This feature, configured through Windows PowerShell, enables specific time windows to restrict backup and consistency check (CC) jobs. This window can be applied per protection group and will limit all jobs for that protection to the specified time window.
  
  After the backup job has ended, all in-progress jobs can continue. Any queued jobs outside the backup and consistency jobs will be automatically canceled.
  
  This feature affects only scheduled jobs and does not affect specific jobs that are triggered by the user.
  
  Windows PowerShell script examples are available on Microsoft TechNet. These examples show how to use PowerShell cmdlets to create the backup and consistency window.
  
  Notes
  • This feature is not supported for tape or cloud protection jobs.
  • This feature is not supported for non-VM data sources.
  • Setting these windows is the same as running a Modify Protection Group workflow.
  
  
  
• Support for synthetic fiber channel-to-tape
  
  This update rollup introduces support for the synthetic fiber channel-to-tape process. Follow the tape certification process for third-party tape devices when you use Data Protection Manager 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

Issues that are fixed in this update rollup

• A backup of a mirrored SQL instance fails if the principal SQL instance that was first backed up is now the mirror.
• DPM console crashes while a recatalog or "mark as free" operation is performed on an imported tape.
• The MSDPM service crashes when protected data sources have long names.
• The DPMRA service crashes during replica creation when the database name on one of the SQL instances matches or is a substring of a SQL instance name that is hosted on the protected server.
• This update lets administrators configure the DPMRA port and select a nondefault port by following these steps:
  1. Install UR3 for DPM 2012 R2.
  2. Run Setagentcfg.exe by using the following command:
     
     

     setagentcfg.exe s <protected_server_FQDN> <alternative_port> 

     
     Notes
     • In this command, <alternative port> represents the nondefault port.
     • By default, this command should be located in the following folder:
       
       
       %PROGRAMFILES%/Microsoft System Center 2012 R2/DPM/DPM/Setup
  3. Verify that a new entry is created in the following registry subkey:
     
     
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Data Protection Manager\Agent\2.0\PsPortConfig
     
     
  4. Copy the setagentcfg.exe file from the DPM server to the following folder on the protected computer:
     
     
     %PROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft Data Protection Manager\DPM\bin
  5. Run the following command on the protected server:
     
     

     setagentcfg.exe e DPMRA <alternative port> 

     Note Use the same port number that is specified in step 1.
  6. Restart the DPM server.
  7. Restart the DPMRA service on the protected server.

How to obtain and install Update Rollup 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Data Protection Manager

Download information

Microsoft Update

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, double-click Windows Update.
3. In the Windows Update window, click Check Online for updates from Microsoft Update.
4. Click Important updates are available.
5. Select the Update Rollup packages that you want to install, and then click OK.
6. To install the selected update packages, click Install updates.

Manual download of the update packages

Download the Data Protection Manager update package now.

Installation instructions

1. Before you install this update, make a backup of the Data Protection Manager database.
2. Install this rollup package on the server that is running System Center 2012 R2 Data Protection Manager. To do this, run Microsoft Update on the server.
   
   Note Before you install this update through Microsoft Update, the Data Protection Manager Administrator Console should be closed. You may have to restart the Data Protection Manager server after you install this update rollup package.
    
3. In the Data Protection Manager Administrator Console, update the protection agents. To do this, use one of the following methods.
   
   Note This UR3 agent update requires you to restart protected servers in order to create or change protection groups. VM backups may fail in Windows Server 2012 R2 until the server is restarted.
   
   Method 1: Update the protection agents from the Data Protection Manager Administrator Console
   1. Open the Data Protection Manager Administrator Console.
   2. Click the Management tab, and then click the Agents tab.
   3. In the Protected Computer list, select a computer, and then click Update on the Action pane.
   4. Click Yes, and then click Update Agents.
   
   
   Method 2: Update the protection agents on the protected servers
   1. Obtain the update protection agent package from the following directory on the System Center 2012 R2 Data Protection Manager server:
       
      Data_Protection_Manager_installation_location\DPM\DPM\Agents\RA\4.2.1254.0
      
      
      The installation packages are as follows:
      • For x86-based updates: i386\1033\DPMProtectionAgent_KB2966014.msp
      • For x64-based updates: amd64\1033\DPMProtectionAgent_KB2966014_AMD64.msp
         
   2. Run the appropriate DPMProtectionAgent.msp package on each protected server, based on the architecture of the agent.
   3. Open the Data Protection Manager Administrator Console on the System Center 2012 R2 Data Protection Manager server.
   4. Click the Management tab and then click the Agents tab. Select the protected server, update the information, and then verify that the agent version number is 4.2.1254.0.
   
   
   Method 3: Update the protection agents on Windows Server 2003 servers
   
   Install the Windows Server 2003 agent to protect Windows Server 2003 servers by using Update Rollup 3 for Data Protection Manager 2012 R2. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable on Windows Server 2003 servers, if it is not already installed.
      • Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package (x64)
      • Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service pack 1 (Full Package)
      
      
      Note You receive the following error message if the C++ redistributable is not installed:
       
      Data Protection Manager Setup
      
      Could not load the setup launch screen. Please contact Microsoft Product Support.
   2. Copy the Windows Server 2003 Agent installer from the DPM server to the Windows Server 2003 server, and then install the agent.
       
      • 64-bit: DPM_Installation_Location\DPM\agents\RA\4.2.1254.0\amd64\1033\DPMAgentInstaller_Win2K3_AMD64.exe
      • 32-bit: DPM_Installation_Location\DPM\agents\RA\4.2.1254.0\i386\1033\
        DPMAgentInstaller_Win2K3_i386.exe
   3. Run the following command at an administrative command prompt:
       

      cd DPM Agent Installation Location\DPM\bin setdpmserver.exe –dpmservername DPM_Server_Name

   4. Run the following Windows PowerShell cmdlet to establish a connection to the DPM server:
       

      Attach-ProductionServer.ps1 DPMServerName ProductionServerName UserName Password Domain

   5. On the DPM server, click Refresh two times on the agent that is connected to the management UI. Then, validate that the Health Service state is initialized.

Important information

1. We recommend that you restart the protected computer after you apply the Update Rollup 3 Agent update.
2. If Protected Computers are not restarted after you apply Update Rollup 3, the following things can occur:
   • On Hyper-V/Windows Server 2012 R2 infrastructure, restart the computer (Protected_Computer) or other cluster nodes if VM backup jobs fail and generate either of the following error messages:
      
     Protected_Computer needs to be restarted. This may be because the computer has not been restarted since the protection agent was installed. (ID 48 Details: The parameter is incorrect (0x80070057))

      

     DPM failed to communicate with Protected_Computer because of a communication error with the protection agent. (ID 53 Details: Not implemented (0x80000001))
   • When you select a data source from the Protected Computer that was added after you apply Update Rollup 3, the Create Protection Group action may fail and generate an error message that resembles any of the following.
     
     Note To avoid this problem, restart the computer (Protected_Computer).
     • FileSystem or Hyper Datasource
       
       
        
     • SQL Datasource
       
       
     • SharePoint Datasource
       
       
        
     • Exchange Datasource