Advice on Backupexec Setup Shared Storage

[TechOps_BMETC]

Here is the scenario:

Current Setup is:
Server: Dell PowerEdge R720xd
CPU: Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2660 0 @ 2.20GHz (2 Processors)
Memory: 65470MB

Storage:
DataDomain DD640
Quantum Scalar i500 Tape Library with 2xLTO4 & 2xLTO6
Local DisktoDisk Folder on 11TB Partition
Local DeDuplication Folder on 22TB Partition

The server is running Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise with BackupExec 2014

We currently have a VMware environment which is going to be migrated to Hyper-V  Hosts using Datacentre 2012-R2 and at the same time the servers will be migrated to Windows 2012-R2.

So the dilema I am faced with is that the BE server will need to have an in-place upgrade to Windows 2012-R2 and we propose to also update to BE2015 at the same time. The spanner in the works is that our exchange environment is on Exchange 2007; the tools required for backup are not a supported on that version of Windows.

In order to continue to be able to backup the legacy exchange environment we are pondering what the options are.

We have the Capacity Licence for BE2014 and we have an older Server that was running BE2012 on Windows 2008-R2 so one option is to re-utilise the older server just for the exchange backups as it has all the required elements installed for these. However,  the problem is how do I give the old server access to the Tape Library and Datadomain, for its backups, whilst retaining the other backups on the existing server using the same resources.

So basically trying to have two media servers(BE2015 and BE2012) attaching to the same storage.

[pkh · Accepted solution]

You cannot do what you want because in order to share storage, you need to implement CASO. However, CASO requires that all the servers be on the same version of BE

[Larry_Fine · Accepted solution]

You could partition the i500 tape library into 2 logical libraries.  Either 2 drives in each partition/logical library or create a 3 drive library and a 1 drive library, all based upon if you think the Exchange server needs 1 or 2 tape drives available.  When creating the logical libraries (ie partitions), you would also determine how many tape storage slots are allocated to each partition.

A drawback (to some scenarios) is that if server A backs up to Partiton A, then Server B has no access or knowledge to the tapes in Partition A, unless you phyusically move them.  But since your scenario wants partitioning specifically to keep the tapes separate, that is not an issue for you.

To further clarify, you would be "sharing storage", but NOT using the Shared Storage Option (SSO/CAS) since your BE servers are different versions.

[TechOps_BMETC]

Thanks both, it is as I suspected but wanted to pose the question in case I had missed anything.

We could uplift both to BE2015 that is not necessarily a problem, though we have not touched CASO before so not familiar with the requirementss to properly implement that scenario.

The Library split whilst interesting would present us with a backup window issue giving the spread of jobs and the time they take to complete reducing the available tape drives may have an adverse effect on our schedules. A lot of work has already been done to reduce those post a server upgrade the previous year.

We will have to investigate further and look into other potential options.

[pkh]

In your original post you stated that you cannot upgrade totally to BE 15 because of your Exchange environment

[TechOps_BMETC]

I'm sorry  to clarify the problem with Exchange Tools 2007 is that it is not supported on Windows Server 2012 R2.

Because we need to upgrade our main backup server to 2012 R2 in order to backup the proposed new Hyper-V environment that will be all 2012 R2 the exchnage backup will no longer work. Hence the need to move it to another server running 2008-R2, the old backup server fits that bill but currently has the older version of BE but that could be upgraded if needed.

[Larry_Fine]

If partitioning the tape library is not practical as the loss of a tape drive from your main system will have performance and job capacity implications to your environment, might a single LTOx stand-alone drive in your old BE server be sufficient for your Exchange backups?  Or an economical 1x8 autoloader dedicated to Exchange?