Storage snapshots / integration & HotAdd

[thomas.biesmans]

Storage snapshots / integration for backups currently require a Proxy with Direct connection to the array: help center, point 5.

We've got several customers that either run Veeam 100% virtually on separate backup storage or that use a physical backup server (think HPE Apollo) with ESXi on it for a Veeam VM and an HPE StoreOnce VSA appliance for long-term GFS retention. Using a cheaper SAN for backup storage you can even build lovely HA Veeam clusters.

Such environments have one downside though when using block storage as a source: you need messy workarounds for storage snapshotting to function. For iSCSI you would have to use an in-guest iSCSI initiator and for FC you would have to use passthrough FC HBAs.

You've already got the logic to mount VMs from snapshots, would love to see that integrated into backups for a HotAdd-capable storage integration.

[Andreas Neufert]

We understand your idea. The main point of Backup from Storage Snapshot is to avoid any unnecessary interaction with the VMware environment. Your suggestion would bring this back into the mix. It is unlikely that we will ever go that path.

[thomas.biesmans]

Hey Andreas, do you mean with the production VMware environment or just everything VMware-related?

The suggestion wouldn't impact the first one, as it is only a slightly more complex off-host processing method, but virtual instead of physical.
For the second, well, it seems to me storage snapshotting's sole advertised use case is limiting the VM snapshot window, not necessarily evading the hypervisor. There's already so much you've integrated storage snapshots with, like restore wizards and virtual labs based on storage snapshots. Sure it adds additional overhead and complexity, but that's inherently true for the storage snapshotting process. Would love it if you gave the idea a bit of internal discussion time

[Andreas Neufert]

We always listen to our customers. In this case the adoption over time has little chances to be added to the product, as it is outside of anything the feature stands for. Let´s see maybe there are additional usecases that enables this over time.