Using backup exec to replicate to our data centre

[BugTastic]

Hi, we use backup exec for our servers in out data centre. We would like to backup out site servers to this backup server in the data centre. Can someone suggest the best replication tool that work with backup exec that can do this please. total new to this area.

Thanks

Joe.

[Colin_Weaver]

Flat file copies of Backup Exec disk storage targets using file system copy/replication tools is not a good idea (see http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH176061 )

Best suggestion is to implement an ESO (CASO) setup with DeDuplication (extra licenses and media servers needed) and then setup a Private Cloud configuration

EDIT: Private cloud documents (it is written as if a managed service as such when reading it wherever VPN is mentioned you can assume it is your site to site WAN link if using an internal network)

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH172464

[BugTastic]

Thanks for that Colin. Quick question. Does this method support delta changes to files. I wouldn't like to copy large files over if a small change ahs been made.

Thanks

Joe.

[Colin_Weaver]

This method uses DeDuplication so only transfers chunks of data that are not already stored in the DeDuplication folder at your datacenter. You can combine with Incremental backups as well if needed.

The first fewe backup josb to run and then be Opt Deuplicated across the WAN link will send more datat and then as the data build up, teh amopunt of data actually trasferred shodul reduce.

You may need to read up on DeDuplication and how it works, however think of it as Compression, but intsead of just looking for matching data blocks within a single set of files, we look for matching data chunks across every server that has been backed up with DeDuplication.

[akuma22]

You should watch this video, backup exec 2012 will do this for you out of the box (with correct licenses):

You will need the De-duplication option & Central Administrtaion Server option in order to "share" storage devices. The remaining server(s) need to be configured as Managed Media Servers.

Your backups can be either full or incremental since the de-dupe option will take care of the storage requirements. The resulting de-duped data is all that is replicated, so it could be even less data than the daily Deltas which gets replicated.

[BugTastic]

"The remaining server(s) need to be configured as Managed Media Servers."

Does this juts mean that backup exec is installed on one of the remote site servers rather than just the agent thats uausally installed on a server. so if i have 4 servers at site A - then I just need to install backup exec on 1 of them ?

sorry, complete noob at backup exec. Just trying to get my head round how it all fits together. Cant seem to find any good documentation on it.

Joe.

[akuma22]

Yes, you're correct. Backup exec only needs to exist on 1 server per site. That is, the full application and not just the agent. But then you may also run into my most recent headache when it actually comes to DR:

 
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/backup-exec-replication-recovery

[js_newc]

We are running on the same type of setup.  A couple of questions I have regarding this configuration of a CASO server and several MMS, with the MMS using optimized deduplication to the CASO:

1. The "Private cloud server" setting (located on the "Settings" screen under the Storage tab in the console) for the CASO and each MMS.  If the MMS are running optimized deduplication back to the CASO, should this setting be enabled on the CASO?  What does enabling this setting actually?  I have read through the Backup Exec Private Cloud Services Planning and Deployment Guide several times and it doesn't really explain what enabling that setting actually does.

2. That guide also mentions creating the following registry key:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Symanted\Backup Exec for Windows\Backup Exec\Engine\Misc\DisablePDI2PDISetCopy

It says to do this "If you want to run incremental Exchange GRT duplicate backup jobs to the cloud, set the following registry value to 1 when the installation is complete. Changing the registry value disables the deduplication disk storage device's GRT-to-GRT duplicate copy capability on the Backup Exec server."  Is this the only case in which you should set this value (if you just want to run inc Exchange GRT)?  The reason I ask is that I also located the following support artcle http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH172807  that states this value should be set to improve performance of optimized deduplication for GRT sets over a WAN, but since the article date is prior to BE 2012, I assume this is for BE 2010.  Is this still true for  BE 2012 and if so, is this required/recommended and should it be set on both the CASO and all MMS?

3. Does optoimized deduplication over a WAN work well with backups run using the Hyper-V agent, or is it better to run the backups of the VM's individually using the Windows agents?  Didn't know if optimized dedulication in a sense looks into the Hyper-V backup and only gets changed blocks instead of the the whole VHD file.

Any input on these questions would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Colin_Weaver]

Sorry but not quite correct, you would need a media server at each loaction (with DeDup) and still need remote agents installed on the servers that you intend backing up, unless the server your are backing up is one of the media servers.