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best way to back up virtual servers to physical backup server

dirkdigs29
Level 4

here is my setup:

 

2 node R2 cluster running hyper-v

virtual servers are being stored on iSCSI SAN

backupexec media server is physical server on LAN

we have backup exec agents installed on the virtual servers , so when the backup job starts it seems the whole network comes down the R2 cluster loses connectivity.

any suggestions?

should my backups be causing this? is it setup worng? should i back up direct from the SAN to backup server using iSCSI?

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

5 REPLIES 5

Sush---
Level 6
Employee Accredited Certified

In the backup job selection, have you selected the Virtual machines individually (like legacy RAWS backups) or are you using Backup Exec Hyper-V agent to backup the VMs..??

 

Thanks,

-Sush...

dirkdigs29
Level 4

I have newly virtualized several servers and have not changed anything at this point. So I think the answer to your question would be "selected individually" (RAWS)

Joe_Davies
Level 3

I am also running a Hyper-V cluster with iSCSI SAN backend and have not experienced any issues during backups.  I back up my virtual machines by backing up the Hyper-V cluster in the resource selection (not selecting each individual virtual server or any of the virtual machines).  I still keep the agent installed and updated on all of the virtual machines so they can make use of GRT.  This method of backup might not work for you depending on your backup schedule, requirements for retention, storage space available, etc. but it is something to consider. Also, maybe a Backup Exec expert can chime in to provide other suggestions or best practices.

Regarding the issue you are having, maybe there is a bottleneck on your network somewhere - either between backup servers and virtual servers, or from virtual servers to SAN?  If you copy large files from the SAN to the virtual servers (or to the backup server) do you experience the same issue, or is it only when you are running backups?

Matt12345
Level 4

>should i back up direct from the SAN to backup server using iSCSI?

​If this is supported, I would recommend it. I can't say much about Hyper-V, but this approach has sped up my VMWare backups.. and provided you have everything setup right it takes the load off of your hypervisors, guests, and production LAN - meaning you can backup during normal business hours with little to no noticeable impact to your end users.

Colin_Weaver
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified

VMware provide a pecific API to allow access to the snapshots over SAN technology for a backup product to use. Hyper-V does not have the same capability as such Hyper-V must always make use of remote agent processes on the Hyper-V host to access the data.