08-25-2011 12:28 PM
Anyone using Backup Exec 2010 Deduplication Suite -
How do you like it?
What storage and servers are you using?
Were there any problems setting up the environment?
Have there been any bumps in the road?
Virtualization (VMware) and Netware are going to be a part of this new environment as well. Any tips I should know about?
Thanks to All!
Proposed Environment:
BUE2010 Deduplication Suite
SAN Storage at Primary Site and at Secondary Site
New LTO-5 Tape Library (Quantum)
5 - VMware Physical Hosts
5 - Linux Servers
6 - Windows Servers
1 - SQL Server
Potentially thinking of protecting Oracle with BUE as well...any thoughts on the RMAN integration?
08-25-2011 11:47 PM
The Backup Exec Deduplication Option needs a license key for activation. But it is available for trial version and will run for 60 days on evaluation mode, so you will be able to test it in your own environment without purchasing first.
08-26-2011 01:15 AM
Hi Lee,
There are a number of topics doing the rounds here regarding deduplication. Might be worth your while to check them out. There are similarities in the issues being experienced, and the solutions will help you should you ever face them.
For additional reading, get hold of the BE 2010 R3 Admin Guide. It's going to have a lot of the theory around dedupe.
Also, check the Symantec TNs below:
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH124680
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO23358
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO23347
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO23352
Best thing is to invoke the 60-day trial and see what it offers you. Do the necessary homework by going through the forums and reading up about it, and then make an informed decision. Just be aware that using dedupe doesn't cut down your backup times...it cuts down the amount of data being backed up nightly the more it runs.
Thanks!
08-26-2011 12:34 PM
Performance. Symantec product management and SE's will claim thae dedupe makes backups faster. It does not. It's about the same. You can throw dual six-core 16GB RAM servers at it, and a single quadcore is just as fast as processing the deduped data. The dedupe engine is not multi-threaded to take advantage of multiple CPU's or cores.
Varying dedupe rates. Symantec doesn't have a good grasp on all data types and how to dedupe them. Vmware was problematic until R3, where you would get 20:1 in one pass, kick off the job immedately after and get only 8:1 when the OS was idle doing nothing! Exchange, and SQL are the same way too. I'm not sure how your linux, Oracle or Netware will play out. I have no faith in it as an all enompassing solution, only that it's good enough for the price.
The Vmware agent has been solid and works well. In fact better than NetBackup IMO. Easier, cheaper, and just as fast! I've had little problem with it using SAN based backups to disk or tape. GRT of files works great too. Though GRT of applications has been touch and go, so I stopped doing that, and use agent based backups for that.
Oracle RMAN integration... Becareful if you need support. I hear there are only 1-2 people total in that team. Based in Florida IIRC
At the end of the day, the price is hard to beat. If your data set is under 5TB, I think BE is fine. Go over that, I think you have had outgrown BE. Or if Dedupe is important to you, get a more stable and proven product like an appliance.