Fast Clone and Azure

[Artaheri]

Hi, we have an SOBR that contains a performance tier repository using XFS to utilize fast clone for synthetic fulls, and a capacity tier of Azure blob storage.

Even though the synthetic full is created using fast clone locally, will Veeam still need to upload the full data file to capacity tier?

We just completed the initial upload of a 7TB backup file, which took several days, and it looks like Veeam is now uploading the full 7TB synthetic full, which will take longer then the time to the next synthetic full is produced.

[Mildur]

Veeam only offloads unique blocks to object storage.
A new synthentic full should‘t offload the entire size again. Only the changed and new blocks since the last offload.

[Artaheri]

We created an active full that was around 7TB, then two incremental backups of 265GB and 11.2GB before the synthetic full so it looks like there was very little data change on the server.

So far the new offload job shows the 265GB being transferred, the 11.2GB being transferred and then 23GB read of the synthetic full so far, with a total of 299.2GB being transferred.

This makes think it is transferring all of the synthetic full, as it has transferred everything it has read of the synthetic full so far. I assume there is no way of knowing for sure how many changed blocks Veeam thinks there are without letting the entire job run; unfortunately the last active full took over a week to complete.

[Artaheri]

Haha I was just overly worried and impatient - it finished after reading and transferring 25GB.

Fast clone rocks!

[wishr]

And so does our deduplication technology

At the start of the offload session, we need to verify what blocks should be offloaded by assessing the blocks currently residing on the object storage and the blocks that have changed in the backup chain since the last offload. After this is done, we offload only changed blocks as offload to object storage is similar to the forever forward incremental backup method. Together with XFS or ReFS on the performance tier is gives you the maximum space (and cost) savings.

[Artaheri]

True, didn't mean to take the other elements of Veeam software out of the equation with that compliment! We've only just implemented this combination and it's fantastic.