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VCB Proxy storage requirements

Allan_Petersen
Level 3

A quick one:

 

I want to use a physical server as BE v12.5 media server and VCB proxy. This server will have a FC SAN connection to a tape library. I have approx 1.5TB of VM images on the SAN so my question is whether I would need the same or more storage on my media server? If that is the case could I just not create more backup jobs compared to two? (Dual drive lib)

 


Thanks

5 REPLIES 5

Jeff_Myers
Level 3
Employee Accredited Certified

Well I'm assuming this media server will not house any backup to disk folders for storing backup data.  If that's the case then you shouldn't need 1.5 TB on this server.  When a backup is run, the VMDK snapshot is stored temporarily on the media server (the VCB does this part).  From there the VMDK is backed up to storage (disk, tape, or wherever else you are sending it).  If you are running multiple backup jobs in parallel then you'd obviously need more storage space as you'd potentially have multiple VMDKs stored temporarily on the system.

 

So if you were going to run two jobs in parallel to send data to your dual drive library then I'd just add up the total space for your two largest VMDK files and then maybe build in some "buffer space" for growth.

 

Jeff

 

Allan_Petersen
Level 3

Jeff - thank you for responding and your assumption is correct regarding backup to disk.

 

I can't help thinking that the backup window will grow as the tape drive need to wait for the following snapshot to be ready. It would be faster it BE could either snapshot all and then stream to tape or begin the following snapshot while the tape drive backup the first snapshot. 

 

 

Jeff_Myers
Level 3
Employee Accredited Certified

Hi Allan,

 

If you're concerned about performance of shipping the snapshot to tape then I'd recommend a disk-to-disk-to-tape strategy.  You can set up a backup to disk folder and have that be the first backup location.  If you have enough disk space (maybe use a cheaper array of SATA disks for this) then you can house all of your VMDK daily backups there.  After the backups complete you can have a duplication job send those off to tape.  This gives you faster initial backups, much faster restores (when restoring from the most recent backup of course), and allows you to duplicate to tape over a much longer span as you don't need to fit that in a small backup window.

 

I know what you're saying about the length of the backup process as you have to complete the snapshot first before Backup Exec can jump in.  This is just a function of how the VCB works.  The VCB has to do its thing before any backup software can do its work.  The beauty of Backup Exec is that once the snapshot is complete, it only has to perform one backup pass of the VMDK to allow for full image or granular file/folder restores.  So you are already getting quite a bit of efficiency built in there, maybe the initial backup to disk idea will get you the rest of the way there.

 

Jeff

Inti
Level 4
Partner Accredited

Hi .. and sorry for hooking in into such an old thread, however, it was the first and only one I found to this topic.

 

While reading the new AVVI-FAQ I were not sure, weather I unterstood the space erquirements as a whole:

 

If I run a B2D2T Strategy with the VCB-Proxy on the BE-Server, I basically do not only need the disk space for one (or more) whole set(s) of the VMs but also additional room on the same server equal to the maximum size of the biggest VM as cache for VCB. Lets assume I backup all VMs in a single job. Is this correct?


 

Jeff_Myers
Level 3
Employee Accredited Certified
Yes, that is correct.  The temporary location where the VCB stores the snapshot doesn't have to be the same volume of your Backup-to-Disk folder, so that might help you spread out the used space.