Using SO Repository with different capacity vs performance tier retention

[dtwiley]

We'd like to use a Scale Out Repository to protect an premise environment but we only want to store a small amount of the most recent restore points in the capacity tier.

Basically we'd like to have say 3 months retention in the performance tier (its cheap on prem storage which is already owned), then have just the last week in the capacity tier (Azure Blob Cool) which will be protected via version-level immutability.

We don't need to have the same retention history in the cloud as we do on-premise but I can't see any way of doing this, our options appear to be limited to:

1 - copy all backups as they're created from performance to capacity (great, that's a start)
2 - copy all backups when they time out of the performance tier to the capacity tier

we need:

3 - copy all backups as they're created from performance to capacity, but delete them from capacity when they become older than 1 week but keep them in performance (basically to store less in capacity and reduce Azure costs)

As you provide no way to use Azure Blob directly with a copy job then I don't know how we can achieve this.

Also, do backups only get deleted from capacity when they're deleted from performance on retention?

[Mildur]

Hello Dave

As you provide no way to use Azure Blob directly with a copy job then I don't know how we can achieve this.

Veeam Backup & Replication V12 can do that for you. We released the new version 3 months ago.
Veeam Backup & Replication V12 also supports immutability with Azure Blob Storage.

Keep your SOBR (or simple repository) for your primary backup jobs. Use a retention of 3 months.
Use a Backup Copy job to copy the backups directly to a Azure Blob repository and keep the backups for 7 days. No SOBR required.

Best,
Fabian

[dtwiley]

I have v12, i'm sure i tried this and it wouldnt let me select the Azure Blob repository as a backup copy target... I'll try again.

[dtwiley]

Can it take advantage of the archive access tier in Azure?

[Mildur]

I have v12, i'm sure i tried this and it wouldnt let me select the Azure Blob repository as a backup copy target

It should work. A few requirements:
- License requirement: Enterprise, Enterprise+ or VUL
- Azure Blob Storage is added as an object storage repository (not as an external repository)
- Azure Blob Storage wasn‘t added as a capacity tier extend
As soon you have added the Azure Blob Storage as a capacity tier extend, it cannot be used for the direct copy job.

Can it take advantage of the archive access tier in Azure?

Archive Tier with Azure Archive Storage requires a backup to be on Azure Blob Storage first. A SOBR is required for the archive tier. You have two options:
Option 1 - SOBR with
--> Performance Tier: your on prem storage
--> Capacity Tier: Azure Blob Storage
--> Archive Tier: Azure Archive Storage

Option 2 - SOBR with
--> Performance Tier: Azure Blob Storage
--> Archive Tier: Azure Archive Storage

Capacity Tier is optional when you have object storage as performance tier extends.

Best,
Fabian

[dtwiley]

Thanks, I have a working POC now.

Shame there isn't a way to "seal" a backup copy chain and archive it off via the API, then create a new chain, this would then let us effectively use archive storage for GFS Backup copies.

[Mildur]

You're welcome.

That is possible. Just not a "new chain". Object Storage repositories is forever incremental. GFS backups are just tagged as weekly, monthly or yearly.

Option 2 from my previous comment lets you do that:
1) Create a SOBR with Azure Blob in the performance tier.
2) Add Azure Archive Storage as Archive Tier and move GFS copies after 7 days:
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... ml?ver=120
3) Configure your copy Job to keep short term backups for 7 days and monthly GFS backups for longer than 180 days (minimum storage policy of Microsoft Azure)

Best,
Fabian

[dtwiley]

I understand 1-2 but not 3. Surely the target for the copy job would be "cool" azure storage not archive?

The archives would come from the SOBR in step 2. Not clear what step 3 is even doing. What would be the target?

Does any of this help if you don't have performance tier in Azure Blob?

[Mildur]

Azure Blob Storage "Cool" is not our Veeam Archive Tier or Azure Archive Storage. It's only used in Performance Tier or Capacity Tier.

Step 1 + 2 is how you configure your SOBR. Step 3 is how you configure your Backup Copy Job.
If you want to have GFS backups on Azure Archive Storage (our Archive Tier), you must configure the Job with monthly GFS backups. We cannot move daily backups to Archive Tier.

Do you want to use Azure Blob Storage "Cool" or Azure Archive Storage?

Best,
Fabian

[dtwiley]

Think we're crossing wires, I was asking about using Azure Archive Tier storage as the target with backup copy job. Not using SOBR at all.

[Mildur]

Thanks for confirming.
We cannot write backups directly to Azure Archive Storage. A Scale Out Repository is required.

Best,
Fabian