Host-based backup of VMware vSphere VMs.
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simeon.hemus
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How to split a Large Backup Copy Job (3TB) into per VM files

Post by simeon.hemus »

I have setup a DR Backup Copy Job which copies all of our Backups to a DR Site, the Backup files are around 3 TB for an Active Full Backup.
I did this before I found out that Microsoft do not recommend having files larger than 1 TB when using Microsoft Deduplication.
So i thought it would be good to use the new Veeam version 9.5 - Per VM Backup File Feature.
I've upgraded to Veeam 9.5 and I've enabled this feature on the Repository. I don't want to have to copy a Full Active Backup across the WAN (3TB) because this will take quite a while, i was hoping i could somehow only copy the changed blocks to create the new Per-VM Backup Files. I was hoping i could just create another Backup Copy Job to copy the original DR Backups (Backup Copy Job) Backup files to the same Server on the Repository which I've enabled the Per VM Feature, so it doesn't have to traverse the WAN again. But i can't seem to do this. Is there a way i can do this without having to copy the entire 3TB across the WAN again?
Shestakov
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Re: How to split a Large Backup Copy Job (3TB) into per VM f

Post by Shestakov »

Hello Simeon and welcome to the community!
Per-VM option starts working only from the new chain, so you can`t have a mixed chain of "combined" and per-VM backups.
If you don`t want to make another full backup of all VMs you still can leverage WAN acceleration.
foggy
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Re: How to split a Large Backup Copy Job (3TB) into per VM f

Post by foggy »

simeon.hemus wrote:I was hoping i could just create another Backup Copy Job to copy the original DR Backups (Backup Copy Job) Backup files to the same Server on the Repository which I've enabled the Per VM Feature, so it doesn't have to traverse the WAN again. But i can't seem to do this.
How do you select the source for this new backup copy job? You should use repository instead of selecting the job.
simeon.hemus
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Re: How to split a Large Backup Copy Job (3TB) into per VM f

Post by simeon.hemus »

I tried specifying the "Source" in the Backup Copy Job and only ticking the DR Repository but it didn't seem to work, it had a error or a message but i can't remember what it was. Should i try this again ?
1. Create a Clone of the "DR Backups" Copy Job.
2. Under "Virtual Machines" it has my 2 Backup Jobs that actually equal 5.6TB in Size
3. I clicked on the "Source..." Button and clicked the radio button on "Select backup repositories only" then only ticked "DR-BACUKP - D Drive" Repository (this is the repository were all of the backups were copied to)
4. Under Target i just select the Same Repository "DR-BACKUP - D Drive" with default 14 Restore Points, just selecting Compression Level: Dedup-friendly under the Advanced Storage Tab and remove inline data deduplication.
5. left everything else on defaults, and finished.

I haven't started this job yet but will try it again, if this is supposed to work, only thing i can think of that maybe i had wrong before was the "Copy every:" setting, on the first "Job" part.
If there is anyone else out there that might look at this, would this theoretically work? or do i need to change this, All i'm trying to achieve is that i split theses backups into per VM Files, and you have to perform a Full Active Backup, which is going to take quite a long time if i am to replicated it from the original site again.
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Re: How to split a Large Backup Copy Job (3TB) into per VM f

Post by foggy »

simeon.hemus wrote:4. Under Target i just select the Same Repository "DR-BACKUP - D Drive"
You cannot do a backup copy to the same repository, you can point it to the same disk folder, but it should be a separate repository in Veeam B&R.
simeon.hemus
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Re: How to split a Large Backup Copy Job (3TB) into per VM f

Post by simeon.hemus »

ok, i think that is what i was doing wrong, because i was trying to point it back to itself on the same repository, i'll try this later on today.
Thanks for your help, i'll let you know if it works for me
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Re: How to split a Large Backup Copy Job (3TB) into per VM f

Post by simeon.hemus » 1 person likes this post

I've just reconfigured the Backup Copy Job that i cloned from the original one, and i added another Repository using a different folder on the same server. I specified the Virtual Machines specifically from (Infrastructure) rather than from backups or from backup jobs and it looks like it is working. Process rate is 196MB/s so that is definitely not going over the WAN. Once i finish this job, i'll remap my original "DR Backup" Backup Copy Job to the new "Per-VM" Backup on the new repository and i'm hoping that will work, so i would have successfully split up the backups from a large 3TB Backup to smaller Per-VM Backup files so that i can conform to Microsoft's Best Practice of having backup files smaller than 1TB on the Microsoft Data Deduplication Volume.

Thanks for your help guys :) Really appreciate that.
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