Best Practice to Backup Replicated Virtual Machine

[mobin.qasim]

Hi Guys,

I want to backup my virtual machine using Veeam but that machine is also being replicated to different datastore (on same location) using VMware vSphere Replication.

My question is typically for SQL Servers. I'm already replicating my SQL Server through VMware Sphere Replication (MS VSS enabled). Now I also want to backup my SQL Server through Veeam by using it's "application aware image processing" *(VSS) feature.

Is there any best practice to achieve this? Do I have to disable VSS on VMware vSphere Replication and just enable it on Veeam?

Regards,

MQ

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi Mobin,

My recommendation would be to do everything by Veeam, cause not only it will allow you to control everything from the same console and avoid job overlaps, but you can additionally configure log truncation/application-aware image processing in Veeam.

Thanks!

[mobin.qasim]

Hi Vitaliy thanks for the reply and I appreciate your suggestion, but I'd carry on using VMware vSphere Repication for SQL my Servers. I'd just like to backup them using Veeam, so if replication failed I can recover VM from Veeam.

Is there any best practice I can use both product (Veeam + vSphere Replication) without any issue?

Regards,

MQ

[Vitaliy S.]

In this case the best practice would be to avoid job overlaps and manage logs truncation via one tool only.

[mobin.qasim]

Hi Vitaliy thanks for the suggestion. I've configured SQL Native backups on local drive on SQL Server itself. At the moment I'm only backing up the backup drive through Veeam and all other drives ar excluded in Veeam backup. SQL Server is being replicated using VMware vSphere Replication using MS VSS. Now I'm planning to setup SQL backups on shared network drive instead of local drive and then backup the network drive through Veeam.

Can I backup whole SQL Server using Veeam (application-aware image enabled) while it's also being replicate through VMware Replication or do I need to choose only one option whether to go for Veeam backup or VMware Replication? Just so you know RPO is set to 15 mins on vSphere Replication (MS VSS enabled) and I assume backing up whole VM through Veeam (application-aware image enabled) would overlap logs truncation as it would conflict between those 15 mins.

Please suggest. Thanks

[Vitaliy S.]

Application-aware image processing (including logs truncation) should be handled by one application. Since you're already doing to with SQL native backups, I don't see many reasons for doing the same thing via vSphere replication and Veeam.

[mobin.qasim]

Hi, for now on I'll just keep it going as it is,... so Veeam only backup the backup drive and vSphere Replcation to replicate it on different datastore. In future planning I'll test to backup whole VM through Veeam (application-aware image processing) and vSphere Replication (MS VSS disabled).

I'll update the result if I found any issues while followig the above method.


Cheers

[Vitaliy S.]

With Veeam you can even use SQL backup jobs to backup transaction logs, so using native tools will not be required either.

[mobin.qasim]

Vitality, in native backup we get backup files in .bak format (stored on one of the local drives) which we then backup through Veeam. Also .bak format files are easily available to restore instead of restoring .mdf and .ldf files which Veeam offers. That's the main reason we've configured native backups so we can backup .bak files through Veeam.

I'm just wondering if backing up Full SQL Server through Veeam (application aware image processing disabled) and also replicating Full SQL Server through vSphere Replication (MS VSS enabled) would cause any issues.

Cheers

[veremin]

What Vitialiy was talking about is a new feature of version called transaction log backup– additional tiny job that takes care of SQL logs. The log replay is also just a matter of using Veeam SQL Explorer.

Thanks.

[mobin.qasim]

Hi Guys,

With the above scenario I had so many issues using VMware Replication for SQL Server and File Server, so I've stopped using VMware replication and use want to achieve both backup and replication through Veeam. So here is the setup.

SQL Server with running multiple websites DB on it and the recovery mode is "Full". Now I need to setup Veeam Backups, so I have a full backup of a VM and also want to setup Veeam replication on same site between different datastores .We require Restore to a point and time (not to a specific transaction).

I've a script setup on my SQL Server which take native SQL backups (in .bak format) after every 4 hours. Could Veeam provide me with something using Logs Truncate so I can disable SQL native script.

I'm looking for a best practice using Veeam which would let me able to restore in case of disaster(using Veeam Replication) and also want to have SQL DB backups in case I need to restore particular DB using Veeam SQL Explorer or FLR.

Also I'd like to setup File Server Veeam Replication between different datastores (currently it's being backed up by Veeam as a Full VM backup)

Regards,

Mobin

[widmerkarl]

Hi mobin

You can set theup the backup of your SQL DB directly in the backup job where SQL VM is.

Check the Veeam Helpcenter for a detailed guide:
http://helpcenter.veeam.com/evaluation/ ... store.html

With this backup there is no need for additional scripts within the VM.

[PTide]

Hi mobin,

Also I'd like to setup File Server Veeam Replication between different datastores (currently it's being backed up by Veeam as a Full VM backup)

so I have a full backup of a VM and also want to setup Veeam replication on same site between different datastores .We require Restore to a point and time (not to a specific transaction).

I'd suggest you to use replica seeding in order to avoid taking a big snapshot of your VM. You can use your Full backup to create your replica in a faster and easier way. If you don't want to touch you production VM at all after the backup has been taken then you might want to choose replica from backup option.

I've a script setup on my SQL Server which take native SQL backups (in .bak format) after every 4 hours. Could Veeam provide me with something using Logs Truncate so I can disable SQL native script.

Karl is right - you can set up you backup job in such way that VM restore points are taken once a day while transaction logs are backed up more frequently (every 15 minutes, for example). There are options to truncate/copy/do not process logs. Please take look at this article.

Please note, that point-in-time recovery cannot be used with backup copy jobs and tape jobs, see this thread for details.

Thank you.

[mobin.qasim]

@KawiMTF Thanks I'm currently testing this in my environment. Veeam Explorer for SQL looks perfect so far no issues.

@PTide My File Server Full backup is being backed up on the NAS but I want to setup it's replication onto a different and faster datastore which exists in my vCenter environment. I assume replica seeding would only work if I'd want to setup File Server replication onto same storage as of the full backup (on NAS).

In vSphere Replication I was replicating my File Server from one datastore to another and both datastores sitting on same vCenter. Now I'd like to setup similar by using Veeam Replication. Could you please guide what could be the best practice setting this up.

Regards,

Mobin

[PTide]

I assume replica seeding would only work if I'd want to setup File Server replication onto same storage as of the full backup (on NAS).

Please take a look at remote replica from backup feature.

replicating my File Server from one datastore to another

You can specify destination datastore in replication job wizard.

Thank you.

[mobin.qasim]

@PTide thanks for the reply. I don't want to setup replication so it replicates from the last night backups. I'd like to setup replication, so it replicates the latest data after every hour or so.

Regards,

Mobin

[veremin]

Hi, Mobin,

Kindly, avoid discussing several different issues within one discussion, as it makes the latter mostly unreadable.

Anyway, I'm glad that you've found the topic where the similar issue is being discussed.

Thanks.

[mobin.qasim]

Hi Guys,

I'm trying to setup Veeam replication for a VM periodically every one hour on same site, and same VM also has a Backup Job configured for it once at night. So during Replication Job if the Backup Job triggers, I'm getting "VM is locked by another task". Is this how it works by design. Would there be any issues replicating a large size VM which also has backup job configured? I meant would job overlapping cause any issues or I should be OK?

Kind Regards,

Mobin

[veremin]

I meant would job overlapping cause any issues or I should be OK?

Nope, there should not be any issues, as the second job should just wait till the first one is finished. Thanks.