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davids355
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Migrating backup data to new (Linux) veeam repository

Post by davids355 »

Hi guys,

I am currently running latest version of Veeam backup and replication for Microsoft hyper v. I posted in general section though as my question relates to a remote linux repository more than veeam itself.

Anyway - I have a linux repository that I use for backing up my VMs onto. The repository is running Ubuntu TLS 14.04.1 LTS and I think its a pretty basic setup - I just added this server into Veeam B&R as a linux repository and then I have two locations - /backups/veeam and /backups2/veeam where I back up VMs to. I have used a total of 4 TB of space on the backup server and have just over 1TB remaining.

To increase space AND to increase efficiency I am planning to change the setup of this server - at the moment its got 1 * raid 1 array with 1.8TB usable space and 1 * raid 1 array with 3.6TB usable space. I am planning to purchase two new 4TB drives and then reconfigure the server in RAID 10 formation so I have 8TB of space and hopefully it will run faster, be more efficient etc.

Maybe the above is beyond the scope of this forum (?) but my main questions are -

1.Just want to know if the above sounds like a sensible plan or if there are better options?
2.I want to know how I can migrate the veeam backups to the new server. If I just use rsync to copy the two veeam folders, reload the server and then copy back the veeam folders like for like, will Veeam B&R see the existing backups and continue to work as expected? Or is there another way to save these backups?

Important thing to note is that the server only has 4 bays so if I use RAID 10 (4 disk minimum) I dont think there is any way for me to implement the new setup without reloading the backup server complete - but correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks in advance for any help guys
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davids355
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Re: Migrating backup data to new (Linux) veeam repository

Post by davids355 »

I have been having a think about this and I believe that I should keep it simple - back everything up, start from scratch with raid 10 array (I am going to try and set this up with hardware raid as well, rather than mdadm) and then restore everything.

I have a new and simpler question based on the above - if I use rsync to back up the data from the veeam repository, when i reload the server and copy it back will veeam recognize it and continue with incremental backups or will it try to back everything up from scratch?
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PTide
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Re: Migrating backup data to new (Linux) veeam repository

Post by PTide »

Hi,
1.Just want to know if the above sounds like a sensible plan or if there are better options?
The plan is good, however I would get 4 new HDDs to avoid mixing old and new HDDs in the same RAID 10 of 4 drives which withstands 2 drives failure.
2.I want to know how I can migrate the veeam backups to the new server. If I just use rsync to copy the two veeam folders, reload the server and then copy back the veeam folders like for like, will Veeam B&R see the existing backups and continue to work as expected? Or is there another way to save these backups?
Please check backup mapping
Important thing to note is that the server only has 4 bays so if I use RAID 10 (4 disk minimum) I dont think there is any way for me to implement the new setup without reloading the backup server complete - but correct me if I am wrong.
If you mean that your backup repository server (linux) has only 4 bays and you'll basically have to reinstall the whole system then it's absolutely fine. Just place your backups to some temporary place, reconfigure the repository, put the backups back, remap the job and keep going. One may argue that it is possible to convert RAID 1 into RAID 10 without losing data, however I'd rather copy the backups somewhere beforehand - array migration may be very tricky and may result in a data loss.

Thank you
davids355
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Re: Migrating backup data to new (Linux) veeam repository

Post by davids355 »

Thanks very much, that answers everything for me. I will go with your advise and avoid trying to convert the raid array then. I will back up, reload and then re-map the backups.

Your comments have also given me a potential solution to another problem I was facing, I opened a new thread with a question rather than hijacking this one, would you mind having a look? - veeam-backup-replication-f2/moving-back ... 44238.html

Thanks
Dave
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