Tape backup question

[dws21]

We've had Veeam for a while backing up to disk, we're getting a tape library soon. I wanted to check what would be the best way to backup to tape.

We currently have:

Veeam B&R Enterprise on a VM (VMware)
iSCSI attached NAS with archive repository (Backup Copy Job - 56 day retention)

Physical server - Server 2016 with SAS connected DAS HDD array (main repository - Backup Job - 14 day retention) and will also have SAS connected Tape Library.

Physical server - Server 2012 with internal HDDs (Backup Copy Job - 14 day retention)

Am I able to run a tape backup job (repository type, not file) with the 'main' repository as source and at the same time have that source used by the Backup Copy jobs?

The tape backup should end well before the main Backup job kicks off again (daily at midnight) so no worries about the 'main' repository changing during the tape backup.

Thanks!

[ejenner]

Never configured that myself but what makes you think it wouldn't work?

[dws21]

Mostly contention issues because I'd like to use a backup repository as source for the tape backup job, it's also a forever forward repository. From what I've read when you do this Veeam creates a synthetic full backup to write to tape, so that may not be ideal as what I'd like to have is a backup done on a Saturday that has the full + forward incrementals for the week on it, allowing me to store away one tape that covers 14 days, rather than a full backup as of the Friday.

I think when I get the tape setup and can try a few things out it will become clearer.

[Dima P.]

dws21,

Setup sounds good to go.

From what I've read when you do this Veeam creates a synthetic full backup to write to tape

Yes, but that does not create actual synthetic backup on disk. Instead it creates a special block map on disk (it requires very little disk space - almost nothing when compared to actual full backup) that helps to create a virtual full backup on tape.

so that may not be ideal as what I'd like to have is a backup done on a Saturday that has the full + forward incrementals for the week on it, allowing me to store away one tape that covers 14 days, rather than a full backup as of the Friday.

If you switch to forward incremental backup mode with periodic fulls, indeed, tape job wont create a synthesized full but use the full backup file from disk.

[ejenner]

I think as the synthetic fulls are created at the time you run the backup job they won't impact on the process of creating your synthetic fulls to write to your tape as you'll schedule for different times?

[Dima P.]

EJ,

The main idea for synthesized full on tape is to split the forever forward incremental backup chains on tape by periodic fulls as otherwise you get one full backup followed by numerous increments. Whenever periodic full backup is enabled in the source backup job properties (active fulls or synthetic fulls) tape job wont create a synthesized full backup as it's not required.

[dws21]

Hi Dima,

Many thanks for your help, that makes it a lot clearer now.

If we switch to forward incremental backup mode with periodic fulls that's going to require significantly more storage on the disk repository than our current forever forward backups?

[Dima P.]

If we switch to forward incremental backup mode with periodic fulls that's going to require significantly more storage on the disk repository than our current forever forward backups?

Most likely yes, as you would need space to fit at least one more full backup.

[dws21]

Thanks again, it may be time to reformat to ReFS - hopefully that would cut down the actual space required for forward inc backup.

[Dima P.]

You can try the regular Windows deduplication feature without touching the latest ReFS in Windows Server 2019. Keep in mind that while using deduplication on the repository you might see some performance impact on tape jobs (as tape writes raw data, so dehydration process might take time).