How to configure virtual lab

[LinkeLoe]

Hi all,

I have a couple of questions on how to create a virtual lab for SureBackup and application item recovery on our environment.

We are running Hyper-V on Windows Server 2012. Our VM's are running in two separate VLAN's (VLAN 50 and 200), our Veeam backup server is running in VLAN 255. On our Hyper-V cluster hosts, I have created one virtual switch (Default VM Network), within the configuration of the VM's I use a VLAN tag to identify the correct VLAN. I want to create the virtual lab on the server where Veeam B&R is installed. Therefore I have configured the Hyper-V role, created three VLAN's and corresponding virtual switches.

When I create my virtual lab, I assign an IP-address in VLAN 255 to the production NIC of the proxy appliance. However, this NIC doesn't get a VLAN tag within Hyper-V. Is there a way to automatically tag the NIC in the correct VLAN? Every time my lab starts, I need to manually tag the NIC...

How should I configure the networks for the isolated environment accordingly? I choose "Advanced single host" configuration. There I can map production networks to isolated networks, but should I use the "Default VM Network" from my cluster hosts, or should I use one of the virtual networks I have configured on the Veeam server itself? If I use the "Default VM Network" from my cluster hosts, I can map this network only once, for one of the VLAN's I use in production. How can I map the other production VLAN to an isolated network?

I guess the solution is to create a virtual network switch for every production VLAN on my Hyper-V cluster hosts, but I was hoping there is another way to do this, before I reconfigure my hosts and VM's...

[LinkeLoe]

OK... I have now reconfigured my Hyper-V cluster hosts and created a virtual network switch for each VLAN. I have configured the isolated networks in the virtual lab using these separate production networks. My SureBackup job is now running successfully, however I still need to tag the production interface in the correct VLAN manually, after starting the SureBackup job...

Now I'm trying to recover Active Directory items, using the virtual lab. I have created a virtual lab request, approved it in Enterprise Manager using the running SureBackup Job, but then nothing happens for a long time. In the virtual lab manager, I see my request as approved and not ready for at least 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, the virtual lab is available. Is this normal behavior, or should the virtual lab become available shortly after approving the request?

[rbrambley]

... then nothing happens for a long time. In the virtual lab manager, I see my request as approved and not ready for at least 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, the virtual lab is available. Is this normal behavior, or should the virtual lab become available shortly after approving the request?

What is actually happening is that the VMs in your application group are booting, rebooting, heartbeat tested, ping tested, script tested, etc. per the Application Group settings. The time this takes is impacted by your backup target disk performance and most always takes longer than normal on your production VM storage. You can see this activity in the Surebackup job statistics window. Just dbl click the running Surebackup job to open the Statistics window.

Check out our U-AIR Wizard User Guide for more info and detail on the whole process http://www.veeam.com/veeam_backup_7_uair_pg.pdf

[LinkeLoe]

What is actually happening is that the VMs in your application group are booting, rebooting, heartbeat tested, ping tested, script tested, etc. per the Application Group settings. The time this takes is impacted by your backup target disk performance and most always takes longer than normal on your production VM storage. You can see this activity in the Surebackup job statistics window. Just dbl click the running Surebackup job to open the Statistics window.

Check out our U-AIR Wizard User Guide for more info and detail on the whole process http://www.veeam.com/veeam_backup_7_uair_pg.pdf

Thanks for your answer. I know what will happen when the VM's are starting, but I didn't even see the VM's starting in Hyper-V manager. It seemed that Veeam B&R didn't receive the command to start my virtual lab. I found out that there is a setting in Enterprise Manager to adjust the server data collection schedule. The default interval value is 15 minutes, which explains the delay. I've set it to 1 minute and now the virtual lab is starting 1 minute after submitting the request, if approved within one minute...

The only question remaining is regarding the VLAN tag on the production interface of the virtual proxy appliance. It is not that I have to set the VLAN every time the lab starts, as I wrote in my first post. Once set, the VLAN tag remains, but I still have to think about it when creating a virtual lab...

[nefes]

We are aware about problem with VLAN tagging of Appliance's production network, it will be resolved in one of the upcoming releases.

[LinkeLoe]

We are aware about problem with VLAN tagging of Appliance's production network, it will be resolved in one of the upcoming releases.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye on any update information...