[Feature Request] Automated tape to tape job

[milosk]

Hello Veeam team,

we miss automated tape to tape job in Veeam. We have many small remote sites where only way how to off-site backups is to store them on tapes. On disk we keep backups for two-three weeks and do backup to tape using GFS retention (4 week, 12 month and 5 yearly). In this case we have only one copy on tape when disk backup retention expires.

Veeam offers manual tape to tape copy which is usable in ad-hoc cases only. To automate tape to tape process in current state we would have to use "home made" scripts unsupported by Veeam.

We would like to be able to have a second tape copy in case the first tape copy is lost. Like other enterprise backup tools, Veeam should also have such automated tape to tape job to do additional copies of tape pool. Veeam should know about all copies of data and be able to restore from any one that is available. Also it should be able to do rebuild process from other available copy in case a tape is destroyed or lost (this could be done manually by admin).

Thank you.

[Mildur]

Hi Milos

Thanks for the request.

We would like to be able to have a second tape copy in case the first tape copy is lost.

As an alternative, would it be possible to run a second tape job with the same GFS Settings?

Also it should be able to do rebuild process from other available copy in case a tape is destroyed or lost (this could be done manually by admin).

If you loose one tape or if it get destroyed, just can use the existing manual copy process to create a new copy.

[milosk]

Hi Mildur,

Thanks for quick response.

As an alternative, would it be possible to run a second tape job with the same GFS Settings?

Well, our goal is to have 2 tape copies of same retention point. So if there will be 2 backup to tape jobs for same source job, there is no guarantee that second tape job will back up same retention point from disk as first tape job (we have disk jobs with either 2 hours, 8 hours or 24 hours periodicity). I don't know if 2 backup to tape jobs can run in parallel (scheduled to start at same time) for same source job (I have never tested and I doubt it can work).

Also it should be able to do rebuild process from other available copy in case a tape is destroyed or lost (this could be done manually by admin).

Yes, this can be done manually.

Thank you.