Backing up a remote location

[Gil_Gross]

Hi,

I have a client with 2 sites that are connected with a site to site VPN.

The remote site has just one server that is used as a file server.

If I place a NAS device in the remote site can I use BackupExec 2012 in the main site to backup the remote server to the remote NAS device?

Or will this cause or the data to be "pulled" over the VPN link to the media server and then back over the VPN link to the NAS device?

Thanks

Gil

[CraigV]

Hi Gil,

Your best bet here is to put BE 2012 on a server on the remote location and then backup to the NAS locally. This saves network bandwidth.

If your NAS is capable of iSCSI, then you can carve out iSCSI LUNs on the NAS, present them to the file server, and back up the data on a "local" drive. This will get around any potential compatibility and permission issues.

If it isn't capable of iSCSI, check the BE 2012 HCL below and make sure your NAS is listed. If not, it can still work, but you'd be running an unsupported solution:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH175582

NAS complaince with BE:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH14963

...and my article on using iSCSI to backup to with Backup Exec:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/using-iscsi-backup-your-environment-nas-backup-exec

Thanks!

[Gil_Gross]

Hi,

The NAS is Iscsi capable.

However I wanted to know if I could save the purchase of a media server for the remote site and just purchase agents.

However in this scenario I requirw direct to target backups. And I want to know if when backing up to NAS device the agents writes directly to the NAS or if all data passes through the media server.

Thanks

Gil

[CraigV]

...I suspect that if you had the dedupe license you could redirect the backup of that server to the NAS.

However...if you don't, you'd create a B2D on the NAS (either via a CIFS share or iSCSI LUN). All your traffic would then run across the WAN from your server being backed up, through the media server, and then back across the WAN to the NAS...

[Gil_Gross]

Right,

So basically my best bet is to install a dedicated media server at the remote site and run the backups from there.

Thanks.

[CraigV · Accepted solution]

Quite right Gil...you're eliminating ANY backup traffic across the WAN this way.

I've been enabling iSCSI on the Iomega NAS's that have been rolled out in our environment and it works really well. I don't get any credential errors, and all the requirements to backup to a NAS (it must emulate Windows etc.) are circumvented.