Tape server options

[skipzoid]

hello.
I have a old debian linux box with a scsi LTO4 drive in it. it used to be used for backups of linux work stations. it was retired some time ago.

I'd like to re-purpose it into a tape backup server for Veeam. I'm happy to re-install any linux distro required. I'd prefer not to use windows as I dont have a spare license just now for it. any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated.

[Dima P.]

Hello and welcome to the community skipzoid,

LTO4 device is fully compatible with Veeam B&R server but it should be connected to a Windows machine since tape server role does not support Linux operating systems. Cheers!

[skipzoid]

Thanks for the reply,

I was hoping there would be something like this https://quadstor.com/ that would use real hardware on a linux platform.

[soncscy]

Skipzoid,

Out of curiosity, why not just use Quatstor VTL as a target for Veeam then replicate to the tape library?

If you want to avoid an extra Windows license, iirc with Quadstor you can create a 1:1 mapping or replication to physical hardware. Since Tape is meant to be your secondary, if you cannot manage the extra Windows License in your environment, why not just shoot to a VTL, then replicate to physical tape? I know this means extra local storage in your environment, but if the license is the mitigating factor here, then by far the static drive cost is less impactful than a Windows license.

[Dima P.]

Quadstor VTL works perfectly, I use it in my own lab. While tape server role remains on Veeam B&R machine, VTL is running on a debian machine and tape emulation is connected to the Veeam B&R over iSCSI (so no extra license Windows is required for tape server role). To be honest I've never tried to add actual tape device to this VTL, so cant comment here.

[skipzoid]

I'm trying to achieve the goal without expenditure and once proven I can apply for a budget to make it happen. Its a bit odd here, its hard to get funding for unproven concepts.

[Dima P.]

skipzoid,

VTL is a perfect solution for such situation. For instance, the mentioned Quatstor is completely free (at least for personal lab) - so should be considered as good solution for testing purposes. Cheers!

[Net Runner]

I prefer running VTL things virtualized to be able to replace/fix hardware or reinstall the hypervisor from scratch anytime without much hassle. Since the hypervisor footprint is it free ESXi or KVM/Proxmox is relatively small and most of the VTL engines out there are distributed as virtual machines it also greatly simplifies the deployment.

I have a great experience with AWS Storage Gateway https://aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/ which uses virtual tape format to immediately upload the backups to AWS cloud. In case a local VTL repository is required Starwinds VTL https://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwi ... pe-library is a nice option too. They offer cloud connectivity to AWS too along with some other cost-effective options like Backblaze or Wasabi.

Both solutions are free and have Linux-based VM deployments.