Allowing virtual BE2012 to access Tape library connected to a remote server.

[Nene]

Hello People,

i have a quick question. I went through the forum some time ago on BE 12.5 and 2010 SBS installed on a virtual machine not supporting the tape drive connected to the host server.

Now my customer is on my neck with his Capacity Edition license.

He wants to know if the installed virtual BE 2012 can access the tape library connected to a remote server not on the same host as the BE.

I just need a confirmation that it cannot. I already told him that it will not work.

Please some1 tell me i'm right.

[ZeRoC00L]

You are right, this will not work. "Sharing" a tape device is only possible with fibre connected devices and requires a SSO (San Shared Option)  license for each Backup Exec Media server.

[CraigV · Accepted solution]

SAN SSO as a license no longer exists on its own. You need the ESO (Enterprise Server Option) license installed on the media, and full BE on each server.

Check below for additional information:

http://www.emea.symantec.com/beguide/en/options/storage_and_infrastructure/enterprise_server/index.h...

[Nene]

hi CraigV,

Are u saying that the ESO will enable media server in the virtual environment to backup to the tape drive on the remote server?

Please note this server is not a media server. Only one BE is installed by the customer at the moment.

[CraigV]

If you mean from a RAWS (Remote Agent for Windows Servers) installed on a remote server...then the answer is no.

The RAWS agent is solely for comms between the target server to be backed up and the media server.

You need to have a fully installed media server on the server you want to access a shared tape library.

Also, having a media server on Site A with a WAN connection to Site B where you have a media server with a SAN and SAN-attached library will not work. Unless you're creating a stretched SAN, and have fibre channel switches on the remote site to accomplish this with the target server also connected to the SAN.

[Colin_Weaver]

I hope the remote server is not also virtualized as if it is we don't officially support direct access to tape with a virtualized media server so the ESO suggestion won't really help you.

[Nene]

Hi CraigV,

I appreciate your response.

Presently, the customer has a media server running on the AD server which is giving them issues.

The IT guy says since he installed the media server, the users' computers that gets locked and displays screensaver from not being in use, usually require a restart before they can start again.

I am yet to verify this. I had initially told him that his decision of installing the media server on the domaon controller is not very good.

So he wants to move the media server to a virtual environment.

Now, i was going to advice him to install another media server on a physical server.

I need to verify, does the BE 2012 capacity license allow him to have another media server?

If yes, then he needs to purchase a new server for the BE media server.

What do you think?

[Nene]

Hi Colin,

Thank you for your response.

The present media server is on AD. the IT guy is planning to move it to a virtual server.

I plan to advice him to install a new media server if his capacity license will support addititional media servers. then probably one will be the CASO.

Will the media server in the virtual environment (if made the CASO) be able to use the media server on the remote server?

[CraigV]

Hi,

A capacity license would allow you to backup x-amount of TB...not have x-amount of media servers. So you would need a new media server license if you intend to continue using the current media server. If you're uninstalling BE off the current media server, you're entitled to install it on another server. You own 1 license...

I've had BE run on an all-in-one server (and by this I mean: file/print, DC and Exchange) with no accounts being locked out. You need to check your DC's logs to verify where and how the accounts are bing locked out, and why the domain policies don't work.

THanks!

[Nene]

Hi Colin,

Please I need your response on the customer request.

Will the virtual server be able to access the tape library on the second media server using the SSO. There is no SAN in this environment.

I urgently need to confirm this to the customer.

thanx for your support.

[CraigV]

OK, think of it this way, and not to be funny...you have 2 servers, 1 with a shared drive and not connected to any network. Will you be able to access the share from the server that is?

A SAN (iSCSI or traditional fibre channel SAN) is required for SAN SSO to work. If no SAN is in place, and if an FC-attached library is simply direct-attached to a media server, you can't access it from anything else. It is essentially like a SCSI/SAS-attached library.

Thanks!

[Colin_Weaver]

Well you could install a full media server inside a virtual server that uses Deduplication, then have another physical media server attached to a tape drive also using Deduplication and then used Optimized Duplication between the media servers and then duplicate to tape afterwards (this also needs ESO but does not need a SAN). However you cannot have BE running in a virtual server either directly driving a tape device or using a tape device only attached to another server.

If your servers are all at one location it would however be like using a sledgehemmer to crack a nut, when you could just use one Physical Server with the tape drive attached.

Basically the requirement to have a virtual Backup Exec server needs to be dropped and you should implement a physical media server if you need tape drive/tape library access and as already advised by someone else in this thread, the tape drive it MUST be connected to a media server (Can be shared with ESO but then every server using the drive MUST be a media server.)

[Jeff_Foglietta]

Virtual Media servers are have NEVER been a recommended practice... Support for that configuration may be an issue as well.

[Nene]

Hi Colin,

I really appreciate your response.

I have gained additional knowledge from all the responses here. I already advised the customer against his plan.

Thanx for confirming.

[Nene]

Hi CraigV,

Thank you for your response.

I appreciate your help.