backup hyper-v vm's to nas

[dirkdigs]

can you provide some guidance on best method to backup hyper-v vm's (vhd files) to nas and then to replaciate the VM's over the WAN to another nas in city #2.

does the backup software have this capability to backup up over the wan to another site ?

[sksujeet]

You can install the hyper-v licenase on the BE server and do the backup of VM. In case you don't want to purchase the licenase,The other way is to shutdown the vm and do the flat file backups of the vhd.

The BE is not a replicaton software and data itself can't be replicated to a WAN site but if you want to duplicate or run the backup over wan it can be done but will be of no use as it is very very slow.

[dirkdigs]

does buying the license install an additional VSS writer or does it use one that the server already has ?

[sksujeet]

Nope, it will use the default hyper v writer for it. So you have to just install the license on the BE server and nothing else needs to be installed on the the hyper v to backup the VMs.

[dirkdigs]

so what is the best location for the media server ? on the hyper-v server itselft then install the license ? then backup the server to tape / nas ?

woukld it be ok to install the media server on another server and not the hyper-v server? i would then install a remote agent on the hyper-v server in order to process backups ?

[sksujeet]

you can install the BE on the hyper-v iteself or on the remote server. If you choose a remote server then you have to install raws to backup the hyper-v server itself. If you just want to backup the vms in the hyper-v then no need to install the raws on the hyper-v server.