Successful deployment of large media servers with deduplication

[backup_tax]

Hi everyone,

I am looking to deploy a large managed media server for Backup Exec 2012. I would like the deduplication disk pool to be 24 tb or greater. I know the documention states that I should install 1.5 gb of ram for every terabyte of deduplication disk, plus ram requirements for the OS and running Backup Exec 2012. I have also seen suggestions where 1.5 gb of ram is not enough and that the ratio should be 2 gb ram/ 1 tb of deduplication disk. 

I am looking for real life examples where users have deployed large media servers with a deduplication disk pool of 24 tb or greater. I am would like to know the following information about your media server:

Size of deduplication disk;

Ram installed on server:

Version of operating system:

Version of Backup Exec:

Thank you, everyone, for your help

[teiva-boy]

Not possible. Max is 16tb of deduplicated data. For that amount of data i would strongly recommend an OST device instead. This based on hundreds of installs of BE and OST devices. The larger you get, predictable performance is easily achieved with an appliance

[backup_tax]

Hi teiva-boy,

Thanks for the reply. If you look at page 754 of the backup exec 2012 admin guide, it shows that a 32tb deduplication disk storage device is supported. There are a couple of reasons we have not gone to an OST device. One is cost and the second is the requirement for client side deduplication.

You are right about OST devices, you get much better predictable performance. That is the reason for this post. I am looking for the largest  deduplication disk storage device that will give me predictable performance. I am trying to reach out to the Backup Exec community to see what other people are using.

[teiva-boy · Accepted solution]

@~5TB, BE cannot finish a full backup in 24hours.  @~8TB of mixed office data, you should be using 2+ BE servers and CASO to balance jobs, to finish wiwthin a reasonable window.

BE 2010 would fall on it's face with just a handful of TB's of data within it's dedupe folder.

And you want to scope out 20+TB of dedupe storage?  You're asking for a world of hurt.  If anything you want to be using NetBackup.  But an OST device is not expensive when talking 20TB of raw storage, when you you're storing some 100+TB of logical data.