vPower NFS with MS NFS Server on the same server

[lchichiarelli]

Hi,

I've a Windows 2012 R2 physical box that is acting as our Veeam B&R Server (repository, proxy and direct SAN access to a StoreVirtual infrastructure).

On that server I've also installed MS NFS Role, create some exports for ESXi hosts and Linux VMs.
In the same box is also installed Veeam vPower NFS and when I try to do some File level restore from linux vms I've realized that vPower NFS is not woking and esxi hosts cannot mount the vPower NFS export.
I've followed KB http://www.veeam.com/kb1055 but In my case the problem I think is related to the fact that MS NFS services are using the ports needed to Veeam vPower NFS (btw Veeam services are all up and running on the server, even vPowerNFS).

At the moment I've created a VM just to install vPowerNFS on it and reconfigured the Veeam repository to use that server as vPowerNFS server. In this way I'm able to perform my file level restores.

There is any way to allow me to keep vPowerNFS and Windows NFS Server on the same 2012 R2 box and avoid to use an additional VM just for vPowerNFS?

regards

Luca

[Gostev]

Hi Luca

No, since different server processes cannot be sharing the same ports.

Thanks!

[lchichiarelli]

Thanks Gustev,

Do you think it's safe to keep doing my backups leaving the physical Veeam server as vPowerNFS server in the repository, and change it (in the repository of interest) only for the time of the restore process and then put it back pointing to the original physical Veeam box?

The reason is because in this way backup processes seems faster to me.

Hope I made myself clear on this...

Regards

Luca

[foggy]

The reason is because in this way backup processes seems faster to me.

I don't believe this is true. vPowerNFS is not involved in backup process in any way. You can leave it pointing to the configured VM.

[hans_lenze]

...snip...
There is any way to allow me to keep vPowerNFS and Windows NFS Server on the same 2012 R2 box and avoid to use an additional VM just for vPowerNFS?
...snip...

There was a way to use the vPowerNFS service to export other files and folders as an NFS share. You might be able to just use the vPowerNFS service and remove the Windows NFS service.

[lchichiarelli]

I don't believe this is true. vPowerNFS is not involved in backup process in any way. You can leave it pointing to the configured VM.

This was also what I was thinking at the beginning but I've seen my backup slowing down (almost +2.5hrs) since I've changed the vPowerNFS server. Clearly I'm missing something about what exactly does vPower NFS. I thought it was only involved during restore operations...

...if someone here can explain how this is possible would be very welcome

Regards

[lchichiarelli]

There was a way to use the vPowerNFS service to export other files and folders as an NFS share. You might be able to just use the vPowerNFS service and remove the Windows NFS service.

As far as I know I can configure only a single export with vPowerNFS server, this is not even close to my needs...

[tsightler]

vPower NFS is not used during backups, and you can really use any Windows server in your enviornment to be the vPower NFS server, all you have to do is add it as a managed server and select that server as the vPower NFS server for the repository in question.

Backups are not impacted by vPower NFS in any way, so I cannot explain why you might be seeing slower backups but I can say it's not specifically related to moving vPower NFS. vPower NFS is used only in cases of Instant Restore, and for functions such as SureBackup that have to mount VMs from the backup files to the hypervisor.