Unlinking active and replica instances
In the event of a disaster scenario or after a migration, you can unlink the active and the replica instances. The replica instance becomes a separate, standalone instance. Once the instances have been unlinked, you cannot link them again, and you must choose one to use as your primary server going forward.
Use the following procedure to unlink an active and a replica instance.
To unlink an active and a replica instance
- Sign in to the Flex Appliance Console on either appliance.
- Navigate to the Remote replication page. Locate the instance that you want to unlink. Under Replication status, click Unlink from replica or Unlink from active instance.
Alternatively, you can navigate to the Application instances section of the System topology page. Click Actions > Unlink from replica or Unlink from active instance.
Note:
If you unlink from the active instance, the instance must be stopped.
You are redirected to the Activity Monitor to view the progress.
- When possible, the replication settings are removed from both appliances as part of the unlink operation. However, in some cases, the settings may remain on the paired appliance. If the settings remain, perform the unlink operation again from that appliance.
- If you use DNS and want to use the instance that was previously the replica, update your media servers and clients as needed with its settings.
- Start the instance that you want to use. Do not start both of the unlinked instances.
- If both appliances are still accessible, delete the instance that you are not using. See Deleting an application instance.
Note:
Depending on the application version and the lockdown mode of the appliance, the instance may need to be running before you can delete it. If you used the same IP address for the active and the replica instance, you must first change the IP address to a different, temporary address before you can start the instance that you want to delete. See Editing instance network settings.
Once you have unlinked the instances, Cohesity strongly recommends that you create a new replica as soon as possible.