Switching SOBR to new server

[mkretzer]

Case 05338221
We are planning to move our SOBRs volumes to a new server. All our storages are fibre connected, so its easy to move the disks.
Veeam support recommended to create a new SOBR with all volumes and re-map all backups.

Would the following procedure work as well?

- Shutting down the old server
- Connecting the storages to the new server
- Adding the new repos to the EXISTING SOBR
- Rescanning (as in https://www.veeam.com/kb3100)
- Removing the old extends

This way, remapping would not be necessary. The questing is how Veeam reacts if the old server is no longer be reachable - would the rescan still work? Would the remove of the old extends work?

Markus

[RomanK]

Hello Markus,

Have you seen this post?
It is a bit old but discussing the same procedure

- Stop all jobs pointed to the old SOBR
- Connect SAN to the new server
- Re-create all repositories on the new server
- Create a new SOBR, adding previously re-created repositories as its extents
- For all stopped jobs change target repository from the old SOBR to the new one
- Map backups

Thanks

[mkretzer]

@RomanK i know - thats what Support recommended as i have written in the first post - but what about my idea?

[mkretzer]

Does anyone know if the procedure i suggested will work?

[RomanK]

Hello Markus,

If creating the second SOBR, changing the target repo and mapping is not an option, there are two ways.

#1
Copy the storages "manually" to the new repositories
Remove from the old
Create new repositories on VBR
Add repositories to the old SOBR
Run rescan
Remove old extend from the SOBR

#2
Create new repositories on VBR
Add repositories to the old SOBR
Enable maintenance mode for the old extents
Run evacuate from the old extents
Remove old extend from the SOBR

As far as I know, all these scenarios (including provided by support) were tested by QA and are good to go.

Thanks.

[mkretzer]

Hello,

both methods require copying of the files correct - we do physically move the storage from one to the other.

So my procedure would not work?

Markus

[RomanK]

Hello Markus,

Probably I didn't understand you correctly. You wrote in the first post:

- Removing the old extends

I assume you need to keep the data from the old extents and migrate (copy) files into the new SOBR. Please let me know what exactly you are trying to achieve. Do you want to migrate the physical disks only from one SOBR to another?

Thanks.

[mkretzer]

Hi,

the disks basically move to the new server, all the data would appear on the new server.
So before "Removing the old extends" the old extends are no longer readable and would error at a scan and thus can be removed in theory.

Markus

[RomanK]

Hello Markus,

In that case, the action plan you provided should work. I've also added some steps.

0. run config backup on the old_VBR and do config restore on a new_VBR
1. shutting down the old server
2. move physical disks as you've mentioned
3. add repositories to the existing SOBR
4. put old extents into the maintenance mode
5. rescanning
6. remove old extents

Thanks.

[mkretzer]

Nice, Step 0 is not necessary as its a pure repo server.

Would it not make even more sense to put all extends into maintenance mode as step one? That way Veeam would not try to access the offline server while we move everything, correct?

[RomanK]

Hello Markus,

There is no difference, as we assume, that the old server from step one will be depreciated soon.

Thanks