Advice on multi server backup

[Jennings]

We have been approached by a company looking for a solution.

They have 4 windows servers

1 x SBS2003 (with 350GB Data)

2 x Windows 2008 (with 800GB Data each)

1 x Windows 2008 (With 200GB)

They have made the following stipulation.

Each server must do a full backup once a week and that backup be taken off site.

Then each server do a incremental for the other 4 days of the week.

They did not say that the full backup of each server be done on the same night.

Is the only answer BE on each server and 4 suitable SAS Tape drives ? (Expensive)

Or is there a shared tape option.

Many thanks.

PS we would like to use Backup Exec as the customer is familiar with this product already.

Any thoughts greatly recvd

[CraigV · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Unless those servers are on different sites then there is no need for multiple drives. Like you said, it becomes expensive, but another important consideration is multiple points of management, where you'd probably require the CASO license (licensed with the Enterprise Server Option license).

I'd go with the following:

1 x BE 2012 media server license with a tape drive/autoloader/library. If you have budget for multiple drives, this makes things a bit easier with the way BE 2012 does backups currently. You'd need an extra Library Expansion Option license per drive after the first.

3 x Remote Agent for Windows Servers licenses to backup the other servers.

You don't say if your SBS server is running Exchange as you'd need application agents for these. Just specify that.

However, with the issues regarding BE 2012, Symantec have announced that the Beta for BE 2012 R2 will begin some time soon, so it may be worth your while to wait for this, and then recommend it for the client. BE 2012 doesn't allow multiple backups at the same time for instance where this is addressed with BE 2012 R2.

Check the link below for further information, and wait for R2 to be launched if you can:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/blogs/new-beta-program-backup-exec-2012-r2

But multiple backup servers and multiple drives on the same site aren't required at all.

Thanks!