HOW TO question: ad-hoc full to Tape

[IanBolton]

Hi

I've been asked to get a copy of one of my VMs onto a tape to be retained for 7 years for audit purposes, outside of the normal retention for this server, which is 3 yrs on tape in a GFS media pool. This will be required once per year, on a non-specific date, so could do with being doable ad-hoc. the VM is currently 5.6TB in size, so about half of a LTO8 tape.

I'd like to be able to pick a restore point and copy that restore point to a tape, as a full, and protect it for 7 years. I've looked at tape copy jobs, (not ideal as the backup copies to a GFS pool, so the destination of a tape copy needs to be a gfs pool, which doesnt really suit).

I could copy files to tape, but I'd need to do an active full of $SourceVM, then copy the VBK out of the usual repo, and then do a file to tape? Wouldn't I?
This can't be that unusual a scenario surely....

[HannesK]

Hello,

but I'd need to do an active full of $SourceVM, then copy the VBK out of the usual repo, and then do a file to tape?

"export backup" would also create a full backup. When using REFS or XFS, it's "for free" (not using any disk space).

Best regards,
Hannes

[IanBolton]

That just creates a 'copy' of the backup, but with no addition use of space because ReFS. But how do I get that onto tape?

[HannesK]

file-to-tape (as you already mentioned "the way to go", I did not repeat it )

[IanBolton]

I've exported a backup.
It now appears in Backups\Disk(VeeamZIP)\Servername_Date\Servername

Properties, it shows me the restore point

If I browse in windows to the path where it's stored, the folder is empty...
If I attempt to add that path to a file to tape job, it says the size is zero...

Am I missing something?

[HannesK]

the data must be there... if not, I can only recommend to check with support. Please post the case number for reference.

[IanBolton]

My Bad. the repo is a SOBR and it was on another extent. Didn't realise until I did a browse of the guest files and checked the log. I will play with the tape job.

[IanBolton]

Just to close the loop on this one, I was able to do a file to tape job.

The only downside to this is that I don't seem to be able to do a direct VM restore.The backup on tape is not present under backups\tape - presumably because as far as VBR is concerned it is just a file which happens to have a vbk filename.
I am in the process of restoring it to a repo, and I assume my next step will be to import the backup, pointing at the restore directory. and then restore / browse from there.

Thanks for all your assistance.