Need Configuration Suggestion

[JGBristow]

I've got 4 ESXi servers with SQL server and Exchange VM's amongst others running on them. My vCenter is running as a VM. All 4 servers share connections to a separate iSCSI disk array (where all their data is stored).

I have a linux machine driving non-Veeam backups and spooling to a connected tape drive. This linux machine is just a member on the corporate LAN.

For best performance and lowest impact to running VM's, where and how should I position the Veeam Backup Console and the Backup Target? I'm leaning towards keeping my linux machine with the tape attached to it as the target. I'll just add a scad of disk to hold the images and then spool them to tape periodically.

So ... should the Veeam Backup Console be a standalone machine with a leg in the iSCSI network. a leg in the corporate network (to talk to vCenter and the VM's), and (perhaps) a leg in an isolated network with the linux machine?

Or ... should I run the Veeam Backup Console in it's own VM? It would have access to the iSCSI network then, but the linux machine would be a bottleneck. This is kind of what I have setup now.

Please give me your advice. I am open to any configuration (VM or standalone), but I do need to have the backup target on a standalone machine with a tape drive and lots of disk.

Thanks.

Grant

[Gostev]

Either way is good. I prefer standalone server when possible, not to load and affect your hosts with backup activities. This is VMware recommended way to backup VMware. However, if you have tons of spare CPU capacity on your ESX hosts, then you can run your backup server as a VM just fine.

In any case, no problems with your backup target, as Veeam Backup support Linux targets natively.