Backup To Disk (to Media Servers' local Backup to Disk folders) over a SAN

[Thorsten_Bocks]

Hello,
I have the following question:
We have a SAN structure with some servers and a HP MSA1000 Drive Array connected to it.
What I like to do is, adding a fibre card to the backup server und backing up data over the SAN to a local "Backup To Disk" Folder on the Backup Server and then do a Backup to tape, (B2D2T). My library is still attached over SCSI to the Backup Server. So it's just the "Backup to Disk"- Job i'd like to do over the SAN.

It it possible? I think what i need is Shared Storage Option but i'm not sure if the local Backup to Disk-Folder will be awailable as a shared storage device..

Thanks for your input!!!

ThorstenMessage was edited by:
Thorsten Bocks

[James_Hamrick]

You will not need a shared storage option. The SAN will present the logical volume as a local drive, and BE will not be able to tell that it is a "SAN" drive. With your current setup, you should be good to go! We have the same setup here.

You need Shared Storage Option if you backup directly from the SAN to Tape over Fiber. That is not what the scenario you described.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

[Thorsten_Bocks]

"The SAN will present the logical volume as a local drive"
--> which logical volume do you mean? we have to use HP's selective storage presentation which just lets one single host see a volume on the MSA1000 Drive Array...otherwise you get data loss...so I think that can't work !? :(

[James_Hamrick]

Hello Thorsten,

Just set up your logical drive in the MSA 1000 and use Selective Storage Presentation to present the drive to your backup server. Then you will have the drive available to use in Windows. From there, use Disk Manager to initialize the disk, assign a drive letter, etc. This procedure is the same as what you would do when presenting a logical drive from the MSA to any server.

One you have that done, Backup Exec will see that as local drive. It will not care that it is actually over a SAN or not. So you will set up your Backup To Disk Devices, and perform your backups to disk (to the SAN). Then you just set up a tape job, and point to that local drive (which is connected to the SAN), and it will backup the data to the tape. What is happening here when you do a backup is just as if it was internal storage, BackupExec will read the data off the drive locally and then pass it to the tape drive via your SCSI connection. I think you will find the speed to tape very acceptable.

However, if you want to back everything up over Fiber, then you will need the Shared Storage Option. I don't have this configured at the time, so I don't have all the answers on this. But basically, your tape library will need the fiber HBA option installed on it. You will have to connect the Fiber HBA of the library to your Fiber switch(es). At that point, you would be able to backup your SAN directly to tape over Fiber, which in theory is a lot faster and also reduces network traffic during backups. However, I have found that this is not cost effective. I think that you have to have each server that is connected to the SAN have a installation of the Backup Exec server, so that it basically acts as its own backup server, and you also have to buy the Shared Storage Option for each server that you backup that way, so it becomes quite expensive. It probably depends on how much data you need to back up and what your backup window is. But for us, we are able to backup our data during our backup window, so we have not invested in this setup.

I will be glad to answer more questions if you have them.
James

[Sharvari_Deshmu]

Hello,

We request you to update us regarding this issue.

Thanks,

[Mike_Clark]

Hi,

We have a similar environment however the Media Server and some other WIndows Servers are connected via Fibre, is it possible to back up to a SAN disk area from multiple server and then back that data up to the fibre connected tape library. As previously mentioned the SSP only allows one host access to the disk so it would have to be allocated to the media Server. Presumably the server to disk backup would have to be directed to the local volume on the media server. How could you check that the backups were actually taking place over the fibre cards rather the LAN

[Gauri_Ketkar]

Thorsten,


Update us on the status of the issueand revert for any further Query



Thank you
Gauri