Symantec SAN Shared Storage Option (SSO)

[pmevalenzuela]

Hi,

I got a Dell Blade connected to a Brocade 300 Fibre Channel Switch. On the FC switch a IBM LTO5 Tape Library is installed with two (2) tape drives.

Do I need the SAN Shared Storage Option to enable the Tape Library ?

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I do plan to get a second Backup Exec 2012 media server and attached it to the SAN. Both my backup media server will use the same Tape Library attached to my SAN switch.

As I understand I need to get the SAN Shared Storage Option to share the tape library between the backuo media servers.

Question

1. How many SAN Shared storage option do I need ? 1 or 2. Do I need to license both backup exec 2012 servers with SSO ?

2. My first backup server has volumes from a Dell Compellent, where my backups are currently being stored.

I read on the Symantec website, if I install the SSO option, this will automatically disable Fibre Channel Attached devices.

In this case will I still be able to access the SAN volumes that are presented on my Dell - Backup Exec Media Server ?

3. Most of my backups are stored on my FC SAN, presented as local volumes on my backup exec media server.

As I understand BE 2012 supports backup to SAN volumes that are currently attached to the backup media server ?

Thanks,

Paul

[pkh · Accepted solution]

1) Yes. You would need SSO licences on both media servers.  You would also need a LEO licence for each media server for the 2nd tape drive in the tape library.

2) Where do you get the information that the FC connection will be disabled?

3) Yes.  If the SAN volumes appear to the media server as local drives, you can backup to them.

[pmevalenzuela]

Hi pkh,

thanks for the reply.

If I only had one (1) Backup Exec 2012 Media server and one (1) FC tape library connected to the SAN switch.

Question

1. Do I need  SSO license ? As I understand this is not needed.

Thanks,

Paul

[pkh]

No.  SSO is not needed when the tape library is connected to only one media server, but you would still need a LEO licence to use the 2nd tape drive.

[CraigV]

I've used SAN SSO and never had BE disable any SAN-attached volumes. This seems to be a bit of misleading information that you have been given. It would defeat the purpose of a LAN-free backup.

Thanks!