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Adlin's avatar
Adlin
Level 2
11 years ago

Need Remote Backup Solution

Hi,

I am trying to solve a remote backup issue and I need some help. We have a fileserver that needs to be backed up on site and have another backup offsite. Our onsite solution is currently covered by Backup Exec 2012 and works fine but sending our current job over WAN is too costly in resources. Therefore, we purchased Enterprise Server Option for the Synthetic backup thinking that we would only need to have an initial full backup then only incrementals thereafter. However, we did not know that the Synthetic full backup happens in memory of the media server then sends the full back over putting us back to square one. My objectives are not to spend more than I have to and have a current full backup offsite using the least amount of network resources as possible.

From what I can tell, I see two solutions:

1) Have the media server offsite on the remote unit pulling over incrementals and doing a full Synthetic backup offsite. Buy another Backup Exec 2012 license for the onsite backups.

2) Buy the deduplication option and have the backups deduplicated offsite (because from what I understand there is optimization in deduplication that will only send over the differential information to the remote storage unit).

I am considering the first option as best because it will be less expensive to buy another BE2012 license than a Deduplication Option license.

Should I go the first, second, or an unmentioned third route?

 

Thank you for your time.

2012
Backing Up
Backup and Recovery
Backup Exec
Best Practice
Performance
Tip-How to
Windows Server (2003-2008)
  • pkh's avatar
    pkh
    11 years ago

    You can only avoid licencing your DR environment if you bring up the media servers during an emergency when your main site is down.  What you are trying to do means that you have an active installation at the remote site and this requires the necessary licencing.

    To avoid licencing at the DR site, backup to either tape or a removable disk drive and store these at the DR site pending a disaster.

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  • pkh's avatar
    pkh
    Moderator
    11 years ago

    The recommended way to send backup sets over a WAN link is to have a media server with the dedup option. You also have the dedup option for the media server on the main site and CASO, so you are all set to go.  You need to share the remote dedup folder with the media server on the main site and you can then duplicate backup sets from the main site to the remote site.  This is optimised duplication which will only ship the changed data blocks over the WAN link and minimise the WAN bandwidth required.

  • Adlin's avatar
    Adlin
    Level 2
    11 years ago

    I read the requirements for the deduplication option here: http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO23357 

    Do I apply those requirements to the media server onsite or the remote storage unit offsite? (Where is the deduplication processing done?)

  • CraigV's avatar
    CraigV
    Moderator
    11 years ago

    ...you're looking for BE Optimized Dedupe. Read below, and although for BE 2010, it should still be relevant for BE 2012:

    http://eval.symantec.com/mktginfo/enterprise/white_papers/b-backup_exec_dedupe_optimized_2010_WP_21158107.en-us.pdf

    Thanks!

  • pkh's avatar
    pkh
    Moderator
    11 years ago

    The requirements are valid for any media server with the dedup option.

  • Adlin's avatar
    Adlin
    Level 2
    11 years ago

    So after reading pkh's response: 

    The recommended way to send backup sets over a WAN link is to have a media server with the dedup option. You also have the dedup option for the media server on the main site and CASO

     And then the requirment's documentation posted by CraigV's response:

    The Deduplication Option license must be installed on each media server that is involved in the transfer of data. It also requires the Backup Exec Central Admin Server Option (CASO) or Shared Storage Option (SSO) to be licensed on the second media server. 

    What I gather is that I need my main site (Site A) to have Media Server, Dedup Option, and Enterprise Option then on the remote site (Site B) I need to have Media Server with Dedup Option to be able to do an optimized dedup operation. Is that correct?

    I'm asking because I don't have the need to backup anything on the remote site. All I need is for the remote site to store duplicate backup's from the main without using unnecessarybandwidth. I would like to only have the main site licensed and send the data to the remote site in an optimal way but what I've seen so far says I need to buy more licenses..

  • CraigV's avatar
    CraigV
    Moderator
    11 years ago
    Yes. I haven't seen anything with BE's licensing that states if you have a DR environment you don't need to license it. You need ESO because it enables wyat you want to do; a media server license because it is needed to host the device you want to backup too, and a dedupe license because if you duplicate from a dedupe store to another non-dedupe target, it will rehydrate the data to the original size. This means your duplication will not be optimal at all. Thanks!
  • pkh's avatar
    pkh
    Moderator
    11 years ago

    You can only avoid licencing your DR environment if you bring up the media servers during an emergency when your main site is down.  What you are trying to do means that you have an active installation at the remote site and this requires the necessary licencing.

    To avoid licencing at the DR site, backup to either tape or a removable disk drive and store these at the DR site pending a disaster.