Merge pull request #4408 from SkylineCommunications/swarming-update

Swarming - small changes

Author: MariekeGO

release-notes/General/General_Feature_Release_10.5/General_Feature_Release_10.5.1.md

@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ Note that when Swarming is enabled, this will result in some major changes to th
 > [!IMPORTANT]
 >
 > - Swarming cannot be enabled on DataMiner Main Release 10.5.
-> - Once the element configuration has been moved from disk to database, there is no good way to revert this change, which means that if you were to disable Swarming again, you would lose all your elements, leaving your DMS with a lot of lingering references to non-existing elements. For instructions on how to disable Swarming and **partially** recover your elements, see [Partially rolling back Swarming](xref:SwarmingRollback).
+> - If you decide to [roll back Swarming](xref:SwarmingRollback) again, you will need to restore a backup to get the element XML files back. Any changes that have been implemented to elements after you enabled Swarming will be lost. As a consequence, the sooner you decide to roll back, the smaller the impact of the rollback will be.
 
 ##### Capabilities
 

release-notes/General/General_Main_Release_10.6/General_Main_Release_10.6.0_new_features.md

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ Note that when Swarming is enabled, this will result in some major changes to th
 > [!IMPORTANT]
 >
 > - Swarming cannot be enabled on DataMiner Main Release 10.5.
-> - Once the element configuration has been moved from disk to database, there is no good way to revert this change, which means that if you were to disable Swarming again, you would lose all your elements, leaving your DMS with a lot of lingering references to non-existing elements. For instructions on how to disable Swarming and **partially** recover your elements, see [Partially rolling back Swarming](xref:SwarmingRollback).
+> - If you decide to [roll back Swarming](xref:SwarmingRollback) again, you will need to restore a backup to get the element XML files back. Any changes that have been implemented to elements after you enabled Swarming will be lost. As a consequence, the sooner you decide to roll back, the smaller the impact of the rollback will be.
 
 ##### Capabilities
 

user-guide/Advanced_Functionality/Swarming/EnableSwarming.md

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ uid: EnableSwarming
 
   Swarming [will eventually support automatic switchover](xref:Swarming#upcoming-features) of elements in case issues are detected, so that it will replace Failover functionality.
 
-- No [data offloads](xref:Offload_database) are configured.
+- No [data offloads](xref:Offload_database) are configured (note that this prerequisite will no longer be needed soon).
 
 - The [*LegacyReportsAndDashboards* soft-launch option](xref:Overview_of_Soft_Launch_Options#legacyreportsanddashboards) is not enabled.
 
@@ -94,6 +94,8 @@ To enable Swarming using SLNetClientTest tool:
 
    During DataMiner startup, the existing element XML files will be moved from the disk to the database. This can take several minutes. While this is happening, a message will be displayed on any clients that are trying to connect.
 
+   ![Swarming message](~/user-guide/images/Swarming_message.jpg)
+
    > [!TIP]
    > In case you encounter DataMiner startup issues after you have enabled Swarming, refer to [Troubleshooting - DataMiner startup issues](xref:Troubleshooting_Startup_Issues#swarming-issue).
 

user-guide/Advanced_Functionality/Swarming/RollbackSwarming.md

@@ -2,16 +2,17 @@
 uid: SwarmingRollback
 ---
 
-# Partially rolling back Swarming
+# Rolling back Swarming
 
-> [!IMPORTANT]
-> When you roll back Swarming, your data will only partially be recovered. The more time has passed since Swarming was enabled, the more information may be lost. If you are using a test system and you do not need to keep your data, a clean reinstall is advised.
+When Swarming is enabled, the element config XML files (e.g. `Element.xml`, `ElementData.xml`, `Description.xml`, etc.) are moved from disk to the database. There is currently no procedure to move them back to disk, so you will instead need to [restore the files from a backup](#restoring-the-element-xml-files-from-a-backup) from before Swarming was enabled. Any **changes that happened to elements or redundancy groups after Swarming was enabled will be lost**. As a consequence, if you enabled Swarming but want to switch back, e.g. to temporarily go for a Failover setup and only enable Swarming later when failure detection has been implemented, the sooner you roll back Swarming again, the better.
 
-When Swarming is enabled, the element config XML files (e.g. `Element.xml`, `ElementData.xml`, `Description.xml`, etc.) are moved from disk to the database. There is currently no procedure to move them back to disk.
+The longer you wait, the greater the impact will be. Any modifications to existing elements or redundancy groups since the backup and any new elements or redundancy groups created since the backup will be lost, and any reference to them could become invalid. This for example means that services, redundancy groups, etc. could have references to elements that no longer exist.
 
-However, there are some things you can do partially recover some data.
+For a small system, instead of restoring a backup, you can [restore elements using an export and import](#restoring-elements-using-an-export-and-import).
 
-## Partial rolling back Swarming from a backup
+If you are using a test system and do not need to keep your data, we recommend doing a clean reinstall instead.
+
+## Restoring the element XML files from a backup
 
 When DataMiner is moving the XML files from disk to database, it will take a backup first. This migration happens during the first DataMiner startup after the Swarming feature is enabled.
 
@@ -28,12 +29,15 @@ To restore this backup and roll back Swarming:
 
    This will restore both the elements and redundancy groups to be back as they were at the time of the backup, meaning that any changes or additions since the backup will be lost.
 
-1. [Manually disable Swarming](#manually-disabling-swarming-in-the-config-files).
+1. Manually disable Swarming:
 
-1. Restart all DMAs.
+   1. Shut down all DMAs in the DMS.
+
+   1. On every DMA, delete the file `C:\Skyline DataMiner\Swarming.xml`.
 
-> [!IMPORTANT]
-> When you restore the backup, any modifications to existing elements or redundancy groups since the backup and any new elements or redundancy groups created since the backup will be lost. Any reference to these elements could become invalid.
+   1. Restart all DMAs.
+
+1. Restart all DMAs.
 
 ## Restoring elements using an export and import
 
@@ -43,17 +47,12 @@ For small systems, an alternative is to export the latest version of the element
 
    Do not include any data from the database in the export. Only the element configuration should be included.
 
-1. [Manually disable Swarming](#manually-disabling-swarming-in-the-config-files).
+1. Manually disable Swarming:
 
-1. [Import the elements](xref:Importing_elements_services_etc_from_a_dmimport_file) again.
+   1. Shut down all DMAs in the DMS.
 
-## Manually disabling Swarming in the config files
+   1. On every DMA, delete the file `C:\Skyline DataMiner\Swarming.xml`.
 
-> [!IMPORTANT]
-> This is not advised and can have big consequences for the system. For example, services, redundancy groups, etc. can have references to elements that no longer exist.
+   1. Restart all DMAs.
 
-1. Shut down all DMAs in the DMS.
-
-1. On every DMA, delete the file `C:\Skyline DataMiner\Swarming.xml`.
-
-1. Restart all DMAs.
+1. [Import the elements](xref:Importing_elements_services_etc_from_a_dmimport_file) again.

user-guide/Advanced_Functionality/Swarming/Swarming.md

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Swarming can be enabled from DataMiner 10.5.1/10.6.0 onwards.<!-- RN 41490 --> N
 - Element configuration will be stored in the cluster-wide database instead of in the element XML files on the disk of the DataMiner Agent hosting each element.
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
-> Once the element configuration has been moved from disk to database, there is no good way to revert this change, which means that if you were to disable Swarming again, you would lose all your elements, leaving your DMS with a lot of lingering references to non-existing elements. For instructions on how to disable Swarming and **partially** recover your elements, see [Partially rolling back Swarming](xref:SwarmingRollback).
+> If you decide to [roll back Swarming](xref:SwarmingRollback) again, you will need to restore a backup to get the element XML files back. Any changes that have been implemented to elements after you enabled Swarming will be lost. As a consequence, the sooner you decide to roll back, the smaller the impact of the rollback will be.
 
 ## Upcoming features
 

user-guide/Advanced_Functionality/toc.yml

@@ -635,7 +635,7 @@ items:
         topicUid: SwarmingElements
       - name: Swarming bookings
         topicUid: SwarmingBookings
-      - name: Partially rolling back Swarming
+      - name: Rolling back Swarming
         topicUid: SwarmingRollback
       - name: Tutorials
         items: