Replacing Windows Media Server Deduplication/Tape Storage

[Volker_Spies1]

Hi NetBackup Forum,

we are in the process to replace our NetBackup Windows Media Servers.

Right now these are 6 Windows 2008R2 boxes with SAN conntected NetApp Storage to do Dedup into a MSDP, on top of that a Quantum tape Lib is connected to these media server sharing 20 LTO5 drives.

The windows boxes go out of hardware support shortly, so we have to replace them. But what is a suitable solution?

We have 3 different approaches

- replace the Windows Media servers with new ones, buy SAN Storage attach it and go on. In essence the same setup we have now, only with a hardware refresh.

- buy Windows servers with direct attached storage, configure raids, place the DeDup pools on the raids.

- Check out the NetBackup Appliances

What do you guys run in your datacenters? What are the advantages/disadvatages for the 3 appoaches.

- SAN Storage? -> expensive

- Direct attached storage? -> Not redundant, backups need to be duplicated to another media server, so we need double the storage space.

- NBU Appliances? -> seems expensive?

What we need:

- SAN Tape drives sharing between Windows & AIX Media server host, or connected to the NBU appliances.

- DeDup pools for windows fileserver data

- Advanced disk or DSU for MSSQL/DB2 log backups.

- The data to backup is ~140TB, right know we have ~100TB disk storage and 2 x 700 slot tape libs with 10 drives each.

Every suggestion is welcome. :)

Thanks

Volker

[Marianne]

If my understanding is correct, only Windows servers are going out of maintenance - not NetApp storage or Quantum tape library and drives, right?

Why not replace actual servers, install OS and NBU with same hostname and version, attach/zone current storage - dedupe and tape to new servers and carry on as before?

[Volker_Spies1]

Hello Marianne,

nope the NetApp Storage is end of life too and has to replaced as well.

The tape lib is the only component that has support for a couple of years.

Volker

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

I notice that nobody else has responded....

While build-your-own dedupe may be cheaper in comparison with NBU appliance, consider all the other components associated with server, storage, admin, manpower, maintenance, upgrades, etc. etc.

Herewith good comparison doc.

[RonCaplinger · Accepted solution]

I'll throw in another option for you: dedicated deduplication storage, such as Quantum DXi and Data domain.

A few years ago, we switched from Data Domain hardware for our backup storage across multiple data centers, to using the NetBackup MSDP utilizing our own dedicated NetApp storage.  We chose our own NetApp storage versus the NBU appliances because of concerns using Symantec's relatively new hardware, based on our experiences with multiple Symantec software products.  And we were switched from Data Domain due to pricing concerns and problems we had experienced with EMC service.

You already have the right idea on pricing structure.  The other things to keep in mind are the amount of usable storage in the deduplication pool (64TB for MSDP if you use your own hardware, 144TB if you use the Symantec appliances, and petabytes of storage using Quantum or Data Domain), performance (my experience was that the Data Domain hardware was just wicked fast; MSDP using our own NetApp storage seems to be hitting some performance issues within the media servers), and maintenance/upgrades, as Marianne pointed out above. 

My recommendation: the Quantum or Data Domain option would be first, followed by the NBU appliance, followed closely by the roll-your-own MSDP storage.