Best option for 2 sites to tape

[btunney]

Hi all,

We have 2 sites, each backing up to local repositories, with each backup job replicating to the other site.

We have a tape at the primary site we use for off-site backups.

What would be the most sensible configuration to get full backups of both sites to tape daily, with respect to bandwidth and time?

Thanks,

Bill

[Shestakov]

Hi Bill and welcome to the community!

...with each backup job replicating to the other site.

Do you mean backup copy or replication job? In other words, do you replicate VMs or copy backups to another site?

What would be the most sensible configuration to get full backups of both sites to tape daily, with respect to bandwidth and time?

Could you specify if you mean full backups only (without increments) or all the backups?
Thanks!

[btunney]

Sorry, details.

It's a backup copy job that moves the backups to the other site.

Full backups only, without increments. Ideally with per-vm vbk's to cut down restore time in the event it's necessary. The entire site is large.

I ham-fisted a secondary backup copy job to a differently location, but it's not terribly elegant or efficient. Hoping the collective has some better ideas.

Thanks,

Bill

[Shestakov]

Since you copy backups between sites, I would suggest creating a backup copy job with a setting to write on tapes full backups only and set the backup repository(ies) of the same site as the source,

[btunney]

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

When you set a backup copy job up you can indeed specify which repository to source from, but I only see the option to write out to another repository not a tape.

When you setup a Tape job you can specify the backup job as a source, but not from which repository. Unless I'm missing something?

[btunney]

It would be a good feature;

Select job you want a full for, select repo to source from, and let Veeam write only a full to tape. Rolling in the increments as necessary, depending on the state of the chain.

[Dima P.]

When you setup a Tape job you can specify the backup job as a source, but not from which repository. Unless I'm missing something?

You can select any repository or any backup job (backup copy jobs are supported) as a source for backup to tape. Job and repository should be a part of VBR with tape infrastructure installed.

What would be the most sensible configuration to get full backups of both sites to tape daily, with respect to bandwidth and time?

If backup copy from secondary site replicate only full backup files - try to use file to tape jobs at first site and just backup the repository as a folder.

[Shestakov]

It would be a good feature;
Select job you want a full for, select repo to source from, and let Veeam write only a full to tape. Rolling in the increments as necessary, depending on the state of the chain.

There is an option to choose a repository and copy only full backup backups with no incrementals. You need to create backup to tape job for that.
Could you specify the last part of the request, what do you mean by "depending on the state of the chain"?
Thanks!

[btunney]

There is an option to choose a repository and copy only full backup backups with no incrementals. You need to create backup to tape job for that.

Oh, I think I see what you mean. I'm just not understanding the flow in creating the tape jobs

Backup to Tape --> select whole repo --> set days for full (every day in our case) --> uncheck the "increments to tape" and it should do what we are both describing in different language?

Could you specify the last part of the request, what do you mean by "depending on the state of the chain"?
Thanks!

If what I described above does what it says, that's literally what I meant.

[Shestakov]

Your understanding is correct now. Great that we`ve found the common language
And I`m glad the product works as you wished it to.

[skrause]

Do your copies to the third site happen daily?

If so, is it possible to put your tape server in the third site and run your tape jobs there?

We have ours set up that way and it works pretty well. We mainly chose it because the third site is across the hall from my office so pulling tapes to send to cold storage requires less walking and we are lazy