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TR-BE2014's avatar
TR-BE2014
Level 5
11 years ago
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Client deduplication question

I need to make sure I understand the ramifications of client-side deduplication. That process is deduplicating before sending data over the wire for the backup, but it is not actually deduplicating the data on our EQ storage array, right? In other words, if our dedup device bites the dust, it only affects the backups and doesn't have any effect on the data sitting on the EQ?

For context - we recently got a Dell DR4100 and I'm using Backup Exec 2014 to back up our Windows server data to it using OST. The server data is all on the EQ. Before getting the DR4100, we would back up everything to tape - full over the weekend and diffs during the week. We keep our end of month full backups for one year and our end of year backups for several years.

I want to keep the backup schedule but have all backups go to dedup instead of tape. Every month, I'll duplicate the end of month full job to tape for our archives. So I'm just trying to make sure we don't lose a month's worth of work for several hundred users if the DR4100 has a problem right before the tape backup job.

Thanks.

2014
Backing Up
Backup and Recovery
Backup Exec
Best Practice
Windows Server (2003-2008)
  • pkh's avatar
    pkh
    11 years ago

    When I said outside the scope of BE, I meant protecting the DR device from failure and its recovery.

    When you backup anything, normal or dedup, the source is never touched.

    When you do client-side dedup, the dedup processing is done on the client rather than the media server and only the changed data blocks are sent to the dedup device.  For server-side dedup, the dedup processing is done on the media server.

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  • pkh's avatar
    pkh
    Moderator
    11 years ago

    Did you define a dedup folder on the EQ or are you using an OST plugin?  From your description it is the former and you are storing your backup data and other data on the same device.

  • TR-BE2014's avatar
    TR-BE2014
    Level 5
    11 years ago

    Thanks. I have not defined a dedup folder or any other type of backup to disk folder on the EQ. The EQ has all of the production data (which is what I referred to as the server data in the first post), and it is being backed up to the DR4100 using the OST plugin.
     

  • pkh's avatar
    pkh
    Moderator
    11 years ago
    O.k. You got to check with Dell as to how you protect yourself against a failure of the dedup device. This will be outside the scope of BE. BE can only help if you increase the rate at which you duplicate to take
  • TR-BE2014's avatar
    TR-BE2014
    Level 5
    11 years ago

    Thanks, but how is it outside the scope of BE? I'm asking about the BE option of client side deduplication. The dedup device is only aware of the production data on the EQ through BE and the BE agents on the terminal servers.

    My guess is that the actual production data on the EQ is not touched and that BE client side dedup is using a buffer or cache to deduplicate before sending it across the wire. But since I like my job, I really don't want to guess. :-)

  • pkh's avatar
    pkh
    Moderator
    11 years ago

    When I said outside the scope of BE, I meant protecting the DR device from failure and its recovery.

    When you backup anything, normal or dedup, the source is never touched.

    When you do client-side dedup, the dedup processing is done on the client rather than the media server and only the changed data blocks are sent to the dedup device.  For server-side dedup, the dedup processing is done on the media server.

  • TR-BE2014's avatar
    TR-BE2014
    Level 5
    11 years ago

    OK, I understand. Sounds like the data is cached on the client before being sent to dedup. Thanks very much.