Backup Exec - LAN Free

[Backup_Admin2]

Hi All,

In Backup Exec can setup a deduplication storage ,and then access this storage direct from SAN (LAN Free ).

what are the requirments and how to configure this design??

Many thanks to all

[pkh]

No.  This is not possible.  You cannot backup through the SAN directly to a dedup folder.  All data has to pass through the LAN and the media server.

[Vishal_Shinde]

Hello,

As long as the SAN presented LUN appears as a local drive, it should work.

However it is recommended to have deduplication on a local drive connected to the Media server.

please ref. Admin guide / HCL for supported Deduplication destination with Backup Exec

Regards,

[Vishal_Shinde]

It appears, we need further clarity on your question, are you trying to backup to SAN, with Dedupe folder hosted on it?

or

Do you intend to backup data from a resource to a dedupe folder over SAN?

Kind Regards,

S

[pkh]

If you forgot something, do edit your previous post and add it in.  Avoid using multiple posts.

[Backup_Admin2]

Exactly, I need to backup data from a resource to a dedupe folder over SAN.

[pkh]

See my answer above.

[Colin_Weaver]

In that case pkh's original answer applies

i.e you cannot backup data from a remote server to a dedup folder without going over the LAN.

However you can setup client side dedup which means the calculations of what to store in the dedup folder are also done on the remote side thuis reducing the amount of data transferred over the LAN and you can setup a backup LAN by adding extra network carsd to the servers concerned as well.

The SAN bit that is possible is have the disk array that contains the Deduplication Stotrage Folder connected to the media server over SAN technology. Of course you could make the server that  holds that data you are trying ot backup into a media server, although this would not be recommended due to the overheads involved where media servers run duplication.

[Khalid_Mashaykh]

Colin Weaver , "i.e you cannot backup data from a remote server to a dedup folder without going over the LAN."

What about if you install MMS on that remote server and share the de-duplication folder among (i.e. Direct access sharing) , is this will allow the data trafic from the remote server direct to the dedupe folder?

in this case , we need to map (zone) the dedup LUN to both CAS and MMS (remote server) and enable SSO and share the dedupe folder, is this correct approch to have LAN free backup setup from the remote server to the dedup folder?

[Colin_Weaver]

Hi Khalid - please see the last paragraph of my presvious post where I indicated that he could make the server that holds the data being backed up into a media server but that it is resource intensive and the dedup folder itself still has to be locallly (or directly SAN sttached to that media server) so the direct access setup you talk abouth still goes over the LAN.

BTW you can't share a dedup folder in the SSO style where the LUN of the dedup folder disk system is presented to two media servers at the same time that is not how dedup folder sharing (with CASO setup) works (and in fact not how Windows servers handle shared disks either as it would need a cluster setup in Windows to do this). Dedup folder sharing is done between a CASO and a MMS (usually for optimized duplication purposes but the traffic stuill goes over the LAN to get to the shared dedup folder.) SSO sharing is for Fiber Channel or iSCIS tape libraries and not disk or dedup storage.

[Khalid_Mashaykh]

Thanks a lot for this clarifications Colin :)

[CraigV · Accepted solution]

Presenting a LUN from a SAN, be it SAS, FC, or iSCSI does not make the backup LAN-free. The fact that the data still flows from the RAWS agent on the source server to the media server means the LAN is involved. If the dedupe folder could be targetted by multiple servers, each with a full version of BE installed, and the primary server is configured with SSO/ESO, only then would is be LAN-free. Since this is not possible, you are incorrect in your statement unfortunately. Thanks!