Methods for using a test environment for Backups

[tahdesign1]

In the process of upgrading to Pro I will be having a duplicate VM server to use as my test environment.

My intent is to use this as a platform to develop our Pro use and as a method for checking the validity of backups.

So when using it to check backup validity is this all that is involved?

1. Restore backup from production server
2. Let Test server go through the File Store Validation
3. If Validation is successful with no errors then the Backup is good

This seems awful simple.

What else would you check about a backup with a test server to make sure it is valid

[mark.cloyed]

This is not guaranteed, but I try to verify the number of files in the filestore, the number of current files in the vault, the number of items if used.  All these are likely to not match exactly unless the vault is not being used during your restore and testing.  In some cases, I would also spot check a few folders to make sure they show the right number of files.

Thanks,
Mark

[tahdesign1]

So a couple of those thing you can check from the ADSK console and couple from Vault Explorer.

Are you using both here?

[Neil_Cross · Accepted solution]

The feedback you get via ADMS during the restore is pretty reliable, in all the years I've been doing this I've never had an instance of a restore (with no errors) being different to the source/original content of the Vault where the backup was taken from.  

Autodesk would be playing a very dangerous game if their validation feedback wasn't accurate on a restore.  Just in addition to the good advice above:

As a quick sanity check I normally do the following after a restore:

1) Go to the ADMS and make sure I can in it (verifies SQL is ticking over nicely)

2) Open the settings in ADMS, Tools > Administration, this verifies that IIS is OK

3) Look at the filestore count for the Vault, verify that's the same as the source Vault

4) Log into Vault Explorer (verifies authentication and licensing is working), see the same number of Items, ECOs, list folders OK.

5) Final check is to open Inventor/AutoCAD, log into Vaultvia the CAD client and check in an empty part.  This verifies that the impersonation account is working OK and can write to the filestore.

As long as the above seem OK, I conclude a successful restore.