tape server separate from B&R server

[ejenner]

Question about best practice:

Our server we use to connect to our tape drives is a different server to our Veeam B&R server.

So what is the best way to backup Veeam Backup Copy files onto tape if the B&R server does not have direct control of the tape drives?

I can change things around to make it work better but at the moment I write all the backup copy files to tape and it takes too long and uses too many tapes so want to improve this setup if I can.

What other good ways are there for getting the copy jobs to write to tape?

[david.domask]

Hi @ejenner

The best way is to ensure it's a server to add as a tape server: https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... erver.html

Keep in mind it really needs to be a physical server; if the tape server and repository server aren't the same, then you're going to have to consider the link between the repository and the tape server.

Can you describe your topology a bit more? What do the tape jobs show as the bottleneck in the statistics?

Having a dedicated Tape Server is pretty normal, you just need to make sure the connection between the source repository and the tape server can serve up data fast enough to saturate the tape drives.

[ejenner]

The link between all the devices is 10g fiber.

Looking at the bottlenecks, there is no one element of the chain holding things up. Very well balanced, not severely restricted for any individual part of the infrastructure.

So can I add the tape server somewhere into the B&R console of my main backup server and use it as a destination for copy jobs. Are there instructions for doing that?

[jorgedlcruz]

Hello EJ,
Yes of course you can. I think you are trying to make a Windows Server both: Veeam Repository and Tape Server, is that right? There are not many additional steps, you need to add a new Windows Backup Repository role to that Server - https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... ml?ver=110, and a Tape Role Server following David's steps.

Then on the Veeam Server create a Backup Copy to this Repository, and from there create a backup to tape.

I think this is what you are asking for. Do you have enough capacity on that Windows Server where the Tape Library is connected?

Thanks!

[vmtech123]

I use my Repo as my Tape proxy server. saves me transferring 100's of TB of data over the network Tapes will saturate and basically fill my 16 gig fiber.

I can always add more FC ports to the SAN and a few more drives / zone if needed.

Just make sure to calculate the amount of tasks for CPU and memory needed.