how to use tape drives with VMWARE/Hyper-V guest running Redhat OS

[NBU35]

Hi,

we are planning a solution with netbackup 8.2, Rhel 7or 8, running on VMware/Hyper-V.

Client want media server to run on VM and use tape library to it. 

Is it now possible with NetBackup. ?

I saw it is possible with Backup exec.

Please suggest.

[Nicolai]

Not supported

In theory it is possible, but in pratical terms it's not possible, since Vmotion can (and will) move the VM media server away from the physical host, where tape drives is connected, to another physical host where the tape drive isn't connected.

VM media servers are good for disk operation.

[Marianne]

Tape is not supported on VMware or Hyper-V VMs.
This is clearly documented in Statement of Support for NetBackup 7.x and 8.x in a Virtual Environment: https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/doc/NB_70_80_VE

Virtual technologies where tape is supported are listed in Table 3 of this doc.  

Just for the record - tape is also not supported with Backup Exec in virtual environments. That is because of limitations in VMware and Hyper-V. If you follow the Backup Exec forum, you will see how users have tried and failed... 

[NBU35]

Hi all, 

Thanks for your responses, what if we disable vmotion on VM ?

It is supported in BE, Veritas TN is as follows:

https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/article.100020969

I am just curious to know doe sit support SAS, FC connections of TL, TD, TR to physical ESXi host ?

[Michal_Mikulik1]

Hello,

we are speculating here about something what was not tested and thus is not supported. Maybe it will work with NetBackup when keeping all the requirements mentioned in KB above, but will it work under all circumstances? Imagine when backup job will incorrectly end with status 0 in some situation (because the situation was not tested by Veritas) but data wont be  actually restorable. Will you call Veritas support then?

Regards

Michal

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

@NBU35 

Thanks for that TN.
I have seen so many issues with tape on VMs in BE forum. Each time the tape/library was moved to physical server, the issues went away.

To get back to NBU - it is certainly not supported as per the doc that I shared.

If you still want to go ahead and do it, you are literally on your own if issues arise.
Do you really want to take the chance?

[NBU35]

Thanks Marianne for documentation.

I am dropping this plan. 
But it can work with starwind tape redirector using Iscsi tape library. 

Thanks all for your support.