UBSi – Commvault uses a custom maintenance window to avoid overlapping with other maintenance activities.
Regular Backup Window
10 pm – 10 am
It is our expectation that most backups will occur during this period of time. We intend to avoid interrupting backups during this window whenever possible.
It is our expectation that users may need to perform manual backups or restores during the 5 am – 7 am maintenance window as part of their own changes. Therefore we will avoid scheduling maintenance or otherwise interrupting user activity during the 5 am – 7 am window whenever possible.
Maintenance Window
Monday – Friday, 10 am – 10 pm
All maintenance work will occur during this time window. We recognize that users will periodically need to perform manual backups or restores, or other tasks, during this window. Wherever possible, we will attempt to avoid interrupting running restore jobs.
Regular Maintenance
Commvault Maintenance Releases
Commvault releases a new minor version (a “Maintenance Release”) approximately once per month. These releases often contain patches for security vulnerabilities or other notable bugs. We will determine whether to install each version on a case-by-case basis. However, we intend to install these updates at least once every two months.
We will announce these updates in our Teams Channel before they occur.
At the beginning of the update, we perform a “maintenance” fail-over of the Commvault web interface. This causes a brief outage of the web interface (~15 minutes). The UBSi – Commvault environment then begins running from our off-site infrastructure in “read-only” mode. While in this more, restores can still be performed, but backups and other “write” activity pause. The upgrade of this component typically takes less than 30 minutes. Then we perform a fail-back, which causes another brief outage (~15 minutes). After these steps are performed, we rotate through the remaining infrastructure components. The web interface will remain accessible during the remainder of the process, but backups and restores may pause as the related storage components are updated. The entire update is typically complete within 4 hours.
Windows Updates
Microsoft releases new Windows operating system patches periodically. We intend to install these updates at least once every two months.
We will announce these updates in our Teams Channel before they occur.
At the beginning of the update, we perform a “production” fail-over of the Commvault web interface. This causes a brief outage of the web interface (~15 minutes). The UBSi – Commvault environment then begins running from our off-site infrastructure in “production” mode. All functionality remains available while in this mode. Once the updates are complete, we perform a fail-back, which causes another brief outage (~15 minutes) and returns us to normal operation.
Commvault Storage Updates
Commvault releases storage cluster updates once every few months. We intend to install these updates at least twice per year.
We will announce these updates in our Teams Channel before they occur.
These updates do not affect the web interface. However, they take an extended period of time; up to 10 hours. While the update is being performed, backups and restores will be unable to use the affected storage pool. It will remain possible to perform restores from the redundant storage pool if needed, but users will need to select appropriate settings when performing the restore.
Commvault Platform Releases
Commvault releases a new major version (a “Platform Release” or “Feature Release”) approximately twice per year. These releases alternate between an “Innovation Release” (in winter or spring) and a “Long-Term Support Release” (in summer or fall). These releases add new functionality and in some cases may include significant updates to the look of the user interface. We intend to install Long-Term Support Releases only, approximately once per year.
We will announce these updates in our Teams Channel before they occur.
The upgrade process is identical to the one used for Commvault Maintenance Releases, except that the update may take a little longer to complete.
Communication
For planned maintenance that is expected to cause a disruption to user access or a significant impact to performance, we will communicate about the change via our Teams Channel, UBSi – Commvault.
For unplanned outages and disruptions, we will communicate about the issue, as time permits, via our Teams Channel, UBSi – Commvault.
For major changes to the service, we will communicate both via our Teams Channel, UBSi – Commvault, and via our Listserv email list, L-UBSI-COMMVAULT.
As always, users can report issues to us by sending email to backup@psu.edu or via our other contact methods.