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Performing a firedrill

Firedrill is a process of bringing up the application on the Secondary using the replicated data. This data is then used to perform some processing in order to validate the consistency and correctness of the data.

To test the failover you can use a point-in-time image of the data on the Secondary data volumes. VVR provides you with the option of creating instant full and space-optimized snapshots. For any information on the methods to create snapshots see section Creating RVG snapshots. You can use the appropriate type of snapshot method to create the snapshots. The instant space-optimized snapshot has much lesser space requirement compared to the instant full or plex-breakoff snapshots. These space-optimized snapshots are used to test the Secondary failover.

Points to note

• A firedrill cannot be performed using the Secondary volumes therefore the snapshots must be used.
• The secondary must be in a consistent state when the snapshots are taken.
• When performing a firedrill no IBC messages are required to be sent so that a failover scenario similar to a real one is simulated.

Automating the firedrill procedure

The firedrill procedure is most effective only when it is performed on a regular basis. The above method requires you to test the Secondary failover, manually, at frequent intervals. However, in case VVR is used in a VCS setup where the appropriate agents are installed, then the firedrill procedure can be automated using the RVGSnapshot and RVGPrimary agents that VCS provides. For more information on how you can use these agents to automate the firedrill testing, refer to the VCS Documents.