Backup Exec 2010 backing up to NDMP tape target

[rablack]

Hi,

I have a Windows Server 2008 machine and an iSCSI SAN powered by the free NexentaStor OS. This provides NDMP functionality, including presenting an LTO-3 tape drive attached to the SAN as an NDMP target to Backup Exec.

One backup scenario would be to backup files on the Windows server to the tape attached to the SAN.

A second scenario would be to backup a VMware datastore on the same SAN to the tape drive attached to the SAN via Backup Exec, using the VMware Agent.

Do either of these scenarios NOT need a license for the NDMP option? The documentation is worded in such a way that it seems to imply a license is needed is you wish to backup FROM and NDMP server, not TO it.

Thanks,

Richard

[Colin_Weaver]

Firstly have you checked the NDMP section of our Hardware Compatibility List for your device

However we do not support writing Windows based data to a tape library that is ONLY connected to an NDMP device - in practice although we did not do any design work on doing this it can be seen to work - it is just incredibly slow and therefore unusable. (see http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH71379 )

Unfortunately using a supported filer/NAS we can snapshot the complete volume on the filer/NAS and back it up with the NDMP option - this backup is independent of the AVVI option and therefore cannot provide granular recovery of data held inside the VM and will therefore really limit your restore options for your VMs.

As such neither of your scenarios will really work.

You can share your library between the NDMP device and your Windows server by using the NDMP option  but if the only data on your SAN device is a VMware datastore then I wouldn't bother and would just connect the library to your windows server and buy the Agent for VmWare instead (possibly using iSCSI on the media server and the SAN Transport mode)

[rablack]

Hi,

Thanks for the speedy reply. This answers my question quite neatly. I had hoped to use this to effectively create something like a networked tape drive so that I could virtualise my backup server, but it seems this will not work in either of the scenarios I had imagined, however backing up the VMware datastore using the VMware Agent seems like a viable option. I just need a way of connecting a virtual backup server to a physical tape drive even if it moves hosts.

Any ideas?

Richard

[Colin_Weaver]

Sorry but at this current time the server hosting the tape drive has to be physical and has to be the Backup Exec media server.

The current exceptions are

1) The NDMP option and connecting the device to the filer (which we have already discussed cannot meet your VMware requirements)

2) The RMAL Remote Media Agent for Linux (that allows a tape devcie to be connected to a Linux system) - Then RMAL rproduce was designed to allow Lunix based data to be backed up to an attached tape device or via a 3-way from another Linux system. Our Admin guide seesm to imply you can send Windows based remoeta gent datat to an RMAL - however does not discuss AVVI data - whcih I suspect might have not been considered as part of the product design.

That said if you write AVVI data directly to tape then to do granular Restore you need a staging location on disk for the complete VM - so to get the GRT functionality you are going to need disk space inside the VM anyway - and storing your backup data inside the same environment that you are backing up is perhaps not the best in terms of DR capability.