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Updating My Backup System

1druid1
Level 3
Hi All I currently have backup exec 9.1 which backs up 3 servers to an HP Ultrium 3 LTO using 400/800GB. I only have a around 300gb to backup and this gets a full backup onto tape every night. My current servers are. Windows Server 2000 with Lotus Domino Server 6.5.1 Windows Server 2003 with MS SQL 2000 Windows Server 2000 File Server At the moment the backup takes around 12 hours to complete which is becomming a problem. And for disaster recover situations it takes far to long to restore the data back to the servers. Also at the moment users can only restore a file that is on the previous nights backup. I am currently in the process of upgrading my servers to the following and thought its about time I updated my Backup Solution aswell. New Servers Windows Server R2 2008 - Domino Server 8.5.2 Windows Server R2 2008 - MS SQL 2008 Windows Server R2 2008 - File Server My Thoughts are and looking for opinions. Backup Exec 2010 Buy another HP Ultrium 3 LTO using 400/800GB and split the backups as I still require a full backup done to tape every night. Buy 2 x QNAP TS-419U+ 4TB 4 Bay Rack NAS Server and have a backup to disk system set up so that users can restore files up to 10 - 15 mintues old if possible, possibly file versioning if they need to go back several saves. 1 NAS server would be offsite and replicated with the first if possible so restores can be done in a DR situation. Backup of all 3 servers so agents will be needed for the particular servers and systems. Possibility of backing up users laptops in Real Time as long as they are on the network. Is the above possible and workable, I dont have a lot to spend on the solution only around £5000. Any help and ideas are welcome. Regards Druid
10 REPLIES 10

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
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Hi Druid,

 

Having another stand-alone tape drive gets around having to buy an LEO license (Library Expansion Option), and you'd be able to run 2 backups at the same time...1 to each device. I'd say that if you can afford it, go for an LTO4 tape drive. It's going to have faster throughput and a higher capacity. THat way, if your second drive ever died, you could then replace that with LTO4 and at least be at a more current hardware level.

With regards to the NAS devices, BE can backup to a NAS if it emulates a Windows device...if not, it's probably not going to work. I'd suggest getting hold of the BE 2010 R? HCL and make sure your NAS you're intending to buy is supported as a B2D device. No sense wasting money on an unsupported device.

You will find the TN on the link below:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH137050

If you're looking at semi-continuous backups, then in your job itself, select the option to run the job every 15 minutes. In conjunction with this, I'd run either Incremental/Differential jobs as it makes your backup runs throughout the day a lot smaller. Your Full backup can then be run at night.

As for the laptops, you can use Desktop & Laptop Option, 5 free licenses of which ship with BE. The rest you'd need to license in packs. The aim behind this is that users become responsible for their backups after you set them up.

 

Thanks!

1druid1
Level 3
Hi Thanks for the reply, your PDF to supported devices was excellent and there are several devices within my price range that I can use which also support the Backup Exec Deduplication option, would this be better than trying to replicate one NAS to the other? Although I have never seen this in action so not sure of the ins and outs of it. A question about semi-continuous backups, which can be run every 15 minutes, is there such a thing as continous backups which can give me a restore point for every change thats been done to a file for say up to 2 days, so if a user has changed a file say 20 times during a day and realised they made a mistake a few saves back could I restore the file back to that restore point? I say up to 2 days purely as each restore point uses more space on the backup device and wouldnt want to run out of space so restore points that are over 2 days old get overwritten, is this possible? Also the 5 free licenses are all I would need I only have 4 Laptops that would use this option. So thats excellent.

teiva-boy
Level 6

Windows Shadow copy is a great start to do that.

There is BackupExec Continuous Protection Server too which comes with BackupExec.  But it's support and reliability is not so great.  Basically that product hasn't been updated in years other than OS support.

pkh
Moderator
Moderator
   VIP    Certified

If you have the disk space, shadow copy is a much better option as the user can retrieve the older versions themselves.  Likewise, if you use CPS then the user can use BERetrieve to retrieve their files.

If you use backups, then the BE administrator needs to restore the files for the user.

1druid1
Level 3

Hi

Thanks for the replys, I have never used the Shadow Copy feature so I will have a look at that, from what I can remember though isnt Shadow Copy native to the OS so that means my shadow copies will have to be kept on the server that it applies to, or can I point the Shadow copy to send to an alternative backup drive? Also if the server dies that stores the Shadow copy how do I restore all my data to my backup server using the Shadow Copy.

pkh
Moderator
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Shadow copy is part of Windows from Server 2003 onwards.  The shadow copies are kept on the same volume as the original files.  You can use BE to backup the Shadow Copy Components.

1druid1
Level 3

Shadow Copy sounds ok, although from a storage point of view it puts up the overheads on my servers. Also the solution wouldnt work for SQL or my Notes mail files if I had to say Restore several records or some individual mails. CPS sounds like a better option but I am a little concerned if it hasnt been updated for a while and that its not reliable from what the poster above said.

1druid1
Level 3
Hi All Ok I have come up with roughly how I want it but looking for advice on what licenses I will need and if feasable. Bare Metal Backup / Restore of Servers - Symantec System Recover - I need to be able to backup / restore 3 servers . Will I need 3 licenses? Backup of a Lotus Domino Server Backup of a MS SQL Server Backup of a File Server Continous server protection of the above to 2 NAS boxes can this be done? One for Disaster recovery. Also does CSP also work with Domino and SQL down to the individual Domino mail and MS SQL record / table? Split full backup of all 3 servers to 2 tape drives each night. Can a BE server use a Tape Drive not directly connected to itself, for example backing on to a tape drive in a remote location? Can the BE server also store its Database and Catalogues to a NAS server instead of locally, so if the BE server fails, then for disaster recovey I just need to install BE onto another machine and connect to the existing Database and Catalogues for quick recovery? All servers will eventually be 2008 R2 and MS SQL will be upgraded to 2008 from 2000 and Domino Server will go from 6.5.1 to 8.5.2. Will I still need AOFO licenses? Cheers Druid

pkh
Moderator
Moderator
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  Bare Metal Backup / Restore of Servers - Symantec System Recover - I need to be able to backup / restore 3 servers . Will I need 3 licenses?

Yes.

 

Split full backup of all 3 servers to 2 tape drives each night. Can a BE server use a Tape Drive not directly connected to itself, for example backing on to a tape drive in a remote location?

No.  The tape drive must be connected to the media server.

Can the BE server also store its Database and Catalogues to a NAS server instead of locally, so if the BE server fails, then for disaster recovey I just need to install BE onto another machine and connect to the existing Database and Catalogues for quick recovery?

It is not advisable as any network problem will cause your jobs to fail.

All servers will eventually be 2008 R2 and MS SQL will be upgraded to 2008 from 2000 and Domino Server will go from 6.5.1 to 8.5.2. Will I still need AOFO licenses?

AOFO comes free with BE 2010.

1druid1
Level 3

Hi

I am starting to get my head around what I am trying to do.

Just looking for a little advice on performance.

If I have 1 Media Server with 2 LTO Ultrium 920e Drives and a connection to a NAS box. I have CPS running onto the NAS bob then at night I have 2 backups running 1 half of my data being backed up onto one drive and the other half onto the next, how will the performance be for backup speed if I have 2 Tape backups and CPS running at the same time?

At the moment I have one Tape drive backing up 300gb and its taking nearly 13 hours. Will using the above reduce the amount of time by backups take?

Cheers

 

Druid