Host-based backup of VMware vSphere VMs.
Post Reply
pkelly_sts
Veteran
Posts: 600
Liked: 66 times
Joined: Jun 13, 2013 10:08 am
Full Name: Paul Kelly
Contact:

Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by pkelly_sts »

It's a long shot I know but if you don't ask, you don't get! :-)

I've just set up a couple of small remote sites (two hosts, a few VMs) where we've configured a local proxy/repository VM, replicate locally & manage from/send backup copies back to HQ.

It all works well but the weak point is the fact that if we lose the (point-to-point VPN) link back to HQ then EVERYTHING stops. It would be really nice if there was some method of caching "scheduled job commands" locally, say on a Proxy, so that even if the link back to HQ fails, which I know will obviously stop any off-site copies, at least it will do local backups/replicas as per default schedule until told otherwise.

I know it's a slightly odd request but I'm sure plenty of folks out there would appreciate such a facility and, as I said, if you don't ask... :-D
Shestakov
Veteran
Posts: 7328
Liked: 781 times
Joined: May 21, 2014 11:03 am
Full Name: Nikita Shestakov
Location: Prague
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by Shestakov »

Hello Paul,
Thanks for your request!
Have you considered installing Backup & Replication Console on the remote sites?
To make users' work uninterrupted the remote console maintains the session for 5 minutes if the connection is lost. If the connection is re-established within this period, you can continue working without re-logging to the console.
pkelly_sts
Veteran
Posts: 600
Liked: 66 times
Joined: Jun 13, 2013 10:08 am
Full Name: Paul Kelly
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by pkelly_sts »

Thanks for the suggestion but I'm talking about day to day job execution reliability rather than connectivity to the console so 5 mins won't have much impact anyway.

What I'm thinking is if, for whatever reason, the firewall has a problem or the internet connection (back to B&R server) goes down and isn't resolved until next day some time. Without the connection the B&R server can't issue/orchestrate the jobs to that site. It'd be great if the site had an option to say "unless I hear otherwise, if I lose connection to HQ I'm going to keep running the *local* jobs as per the last-known schedule until I connect to HQ again & am told otherwise - if HQ comes back online, then I'll continue the jobs that send data off-site".

I appreciate it may not be simple, but I bet Veeam do plenty these days that they originally thought would be very difficult! ;-)
Shestakov
Veteran
Posts: 7328
Liked: 781 times
Joined: May 21, 2014 11:03 am
Full Name: Nikita Shestakov
Location: Prague
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by Shestakov »

Paul,
taking the above-mentioned case into consideration, if you schedule a job it will work even without connection between the backup server and remote site with backup console.
pkelly_sts
Veteran
Posts: 600
Liked: 66 times
Joined: Jun 13, 2013 10:08 am
Full Name: Paul Kelly
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by pkelly_sts »

Oh, sorry do you mean that if I install the console locally (say, on one of the local proxies) then that effectively creates the kind of schedule cache I'm talking about? If so, does that assume I need to have the console open/logged in permanently for it to work?
Shestakov
Veteran
Posts: 7328
Liked: 781 times
Joined: May 21, 2014 11:03 am
Full Name: Nikita Shestakov
Location: Prague
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by Shestakov »

Yes, once the schedule is created connection between local console and VBR server is not needed unless you want to make some changes in the job or infrastructure settings.
Thanks!
pkelly_sts
Veteran
Posts: 600
Liked: 66 times
Joined: Jun 13, 2013 10:08 am
Full Name: Paul Kelly
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by pkelly_sts »

Oh wow that changes things significantly! I shall have a play, thanks!
dellock6
Veeam Software
Posts: 6137
Liked: 1928 times
Joined: Jul 26, 2009 3:39 pm
Full Name: Luca Dell'Oca
Location: Varese, Italy
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by dellock6 »

I think guys you are talking about two different things...

Nikita, if I understood correctly, Paul is asking for veeam.agent.exe not to fail when is running a job, even if the connection to veeam.manager.exe is lost during the execution. Actually, to my knowledge this is not the case as the manager process is always executed at the VBR server, and not in the server where the console is installed, and this connection cannot be broken otherwise the job would fail.
Luca Dell'Oca
Principal EMEA Cloud Architect @ Veeam Software

@dellock6
https://www.virtualtothecore.com/
vExpert 2011 -> 2022
Veeam VMCE #1
pkelly_sts
Veteran
Posts: 600
Liked: 66 times
Joined: Jun 13, 2013 10:08 am
Full Name: Paul Kelly
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by pkelly_sts »

Thanks Luca, I'm actually (cheekily!) asking for a little more than that, I'm asking/wishing that a scheduled job would even start without a connection back to veeam.manager.exe if it was already scheduled to do so in a kind of "Even if I lose connectivity to management, just carry on as I was scheduled to do anyway".

I was a little surprised when it appeared the functionality might already be there as I'd assume you guys would be shouting about it from the hill-tops! :)
Shestakov
Veteran
Posts: 7328
Liked: 781 times
Joined: May 21, 2014 11:03 am
Full Name: Nikita Shestakov
Location: Prague
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by Shestakov »

Hmm, looks like Luca is correct. Sorry for misleading Paul.
In this case that is indeed a good feature request, thanks for that!
However you may be tolerant to disconnections if you have VBR servers on each site and Enterprise Manager in the middle.
pkelly_sts
Veteran
Posts: 600
Liked: 66 times
Joined: Jun 13, 2013 10:08 am
Full Name: Paul Kelly
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by pkelly_sts »

Yes, I appreciate that but A) these sites are too small to warrant a local VBR server & B) I want to integrate tape copies as well which are difficult/impossible in cross-vbr server scenarios.

Thanks.
Vitaliy S.
VP, Product Management
Posts: 27055
Liked: 2710 times
Joined: Mar 30, 2009 9:13 am
Full Name: Vitaliy Safarov
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by Vitaliy S. »

You can always combine Veeam B&R server role with existing repository/proxy server, should not affect the overall job performance.
dellock6
Veeam Software
Posts: 6137
Liked: 1928 times
Joined: Jul 26, 2009 3:39 pm
Full Name: Luca Dell'Oca
Location: Varese, Italy
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by dellock6 »

Paul, where are the tape machines going to be located? At branches or at headquarter?
Luca Dell'Oca
Principal EMEA Cloud Architect @ Veeam Software

@dellock6
https://www.virtualtothecore.com/
vExpert 2011 -> 2022
Veeam VMCE #1
tsightler
VP, Product Management
Posts: 6009
Liked: 2843 times
Joined: Jun 05, 2009 12:57 pm
Full Name: Tom Sightler
Contact:

Re: Feature request: "Caching" job schedules (small sites)

Post by tsightler »

pkelly_sts wrote:Yes, I appreciate that but A) these sites are too small to warrant a local VBR server & B) I want to integrate tape copies as well which are difficult/impossible in cross-vbr server scenarios.
I'm assuming that, if the sites are too small for a VBR server, they almost certainly don't have vCenter, which is also pretty critical to the backup process. Sure, you could potentially add only the hosts, but that has other negative side effects if those hosts are managed by vCenter.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Coldfirex and 98 guests