Questions regarding backup traffic and role of proxy servers

[kapple]

Hi,

I have some general questions regarding how Veeam proxies and the B&R server access VM storage. I am linking to a network map of our proposed Veeam infrastructure to help explain what I am trying to do.

If you look at the diagram, our current B&R server resides on our G6 Cluster, with VM storage provided by our LeftHand iSCSI array. We are able to backup all our VMs, regardless of which cluster or storage array VMs are on, in our current scenario.

I plan on re-deploying our B&R server to another VMWare cluster, the VMware clusters that use our CoRaid storage (the PowerEdge-R710-10GB 5.1, and PowerEdge-R720-10GB clusters).

The current cluster’s storage network for VMs is currently air-gapped, so that the cluster I propose moving the B&R server to cannot access this network (the v1060-iSCSI network), without making some significant changes.

It is important that Veeam not use our v1000-Servers, or v1100-ESXMgmt networks for backup traffic.

Rather than preparing both physical and logical networking for the new B&R server to access the LeftHand storage, which still has VMs that need to be backed up, I am wondering if it is only the Veeam proxy that needs access to this storage network.

I propose keeping the v1060-iSCSI storage network air-gapped, and deploy Veeam proxies on the G1, G6 and PowerEdge-A clusters. My thinking is that the proxies will be deployed with connections to the v1060-iSCSI, v1100-ESXmgmt, and v1000-Servers networks.

I will then do the following:
1) Create proxies on the 3 clusters that use the LeftHand storage.
2) I will configure these proxies to use the Direct storage access Transport Mode (this is currently set to Automatic selection on all our proxies, and I know there are times when backups are done on the v1000-Servers, or v1100-ESXmgmt networks, which is not desired).
3) I will manually configure these proxies to connect to the LeftHand datastores, and the backup target datastores.

Does this make sense? Will the B&R server on the clusters that do not have connections to the Lefthand storage be able perform backups via the proxies that live on the LeftHand storage? Will what I propose limit backup traffic for these VMs to the v1060-iSCSI network?

Any feedback and guidance will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ken

[foggy]

Hi Ken, will Veeam B&R have network access to vCenter server after the planned changes?

[kapple]

Hi Foggy,

Yes, the B&R server will have access to all 3 vCenter servers after the planned changes.

[foggy]

Then your scenario should work (if I correctly understand it). Also, take a look at the preferred networks functionality, should help in limiting the traffic to the required networks.

[kapple]

Great, thank you!