Scale-Out Backup Repository with GFS backups

[Blue407]

I have just created a new SOBR, including my existing Synology NAS plus a 2nd new one.
I want to keep all daily backups on Synology1 which is connected via a SMB share, but move GFS backups to Synology2 which is connected via iSCSI so that I can make use of Server 2016 dedupe.

How can I achieve this?

I would then like to be able to add additional Synology NAS devices as I need more longer-term storage for GFS.

[jmmarton]

What you probably need to do is move the GFS backups from the Backup Copy Job over to the new Synology, then rescan the SOBR so that VBR is aware of the backups being on a different extent. But that's a one-time "balancing" if you will. Going forward you can configure which extents are used for full backups, but you can't specifically say which ones are only for GFS.

If you'd like the original Synology to only be used for daily backups and the other only for GFS I would keep them as two standalone repos instead of using SOBR. Then in the future if you need more GFS storage you can buy a third repo and at that time make a SOBR out of Synology2 and the third box, while leaving Synology1 as standalone.

Joe

[Blue407]

Thanks Joe

I can see the sense in your second suggestion, maybe creating a SOBR with just one member for now (Synology2), so its easy to expand.
Is there any way to just have GFS on the SOBR? It looks like it is just an option in an existing job, so goes to the same Repo...

Personally, I think it would be hugely beneficial to be able to keep a couple of weeks of live backups readily available in a main Repository and then for longer term GFS to be held elsewhere, on slower and cheaper storage systems.

[Blue407]

Thinking about this further, maybe this would be an option:-

Backup Copy Job 1 - this goes to Synology1, its configured to have 20 restore points (at 1 per working day, this gives 4 weeks). This gives me the easy restore option for 4 weeks.

Backup Copy Job 2 - this goes to a new SOBR, initially only Synology2 in it, but likely to get Synology3 on order soon. Maybe only 1 restore point set, but GFS enabled on this. This provides my longer term storage (we also backup to tape), its expandable as we need more capacity and it uses iSCSI with Windows NTFS which allows de-duplication of the GFS backups.

Thoughts on this approach?

[jmmarton]

But where do initial backups go? Somewhere else? If not, then you'd probably do backup jobs to Synology1, not backup copy jobs. The rest of the approach sounds fine.

Joe

[Blue407]

Joe, the initial backups go to the Backup server itself, it has local storage. Its proved to be the quickest way to backup our Hyper-V cluster, then we can take our time offloading additional backup copies to other storage systems.

[jmmarton]

Ah, then yes your strategy of the two BCJs makes sense. Keep in mind that BCJ requires a minimum of two restore points configured (it won't let you choose only 1), so for the BCJ used for GFS you'll need to configure at least two. That's the only slight tweak that I see.

Joe

[Blue407]

Thank you Joe, I will configure it and see how it works out