WORM Tapes

[ICUDOUCME]

Have a large need to backup files to WORM media for compliance purposes. Is there anyone out there with any good suggestions on how to accomplish using WORM lto media with Veeam? Support is saying it currently does not work. We were using Commvault previous to Veeam and we need to replace the worm part of Commvault with something else as Commvault support is absurd. Any ideas/workarounds would be greatly appreciated.

[Dima P.]

Hello Robert,
I believe currently there is no workaround, but I will double check and let you know the results.

[Dima P.]

Robert,
Honestly, we did not test the WORM media in our lab and so its behavior could be unpredictable. As soon as we get the ability to test it, we will let you know – but meanwhile the usage of the WORM tape media can be performed at your own risk.

[ICUDOUCME]

Yes I am already aware that they absolutely do not work currently. I am just wondering if anyone else has heard when they would start to work or if anyone else has even brought the issue up? Has this issue already been addressed? Is it on the roadmap? Or should I be looking elsewhere?

[Gostev]

You are the first to bring this up since v7 was released, so we had no plans until you created this topic.
Did you actually try using them? What specifically do you mean by "they absolutely do not work currently". Do you have some errors?

[Dima P.]

Hello Robert,

We've been testing WORM tapes and the results are good so far - as backup/restore oprations work fine, so I wonder what did problem you find during your testing. Thank you.

*EDIT
Currently, we verified:
1. First Backup to Tape/File to Tape job run for WORM tape media works with no problems
2. Second backup to WORM tape media job run would end with success in GUI, however nothing would be added to tape (errors could be found in job logs) - this confirmed to be an issue
3. Restore from WORM tape media that was previously written by VBR works with no problems
4. “Mark As Free” works on WORM tape in VBR (media would be removed from VBR catalogue however nothing would be erased)
5. “Long Erase” would generate an error in GUI.
6. “Move to Free Media Pool” works on started WORM tape media

Thus, today Veeam B&R can only be used with WORM tape media in the following way:
A. Create specific media pool for WORM tapes with “Never Overwrite” retention and “create media set per backup session” option.
B. Combine files or backups in one Backup to Tape/File to Tape job to fix maximum WORM tape space.
C. Do not perform mark as free/run long erase or move WORM tapes to free media pool it would free media pool as it may produce impact on your original tape jobs.

Consider the described workaround outdated: starting from Veeam B&R 9.5 Update 4 iteration with WORM media is provided with new WORM media pools.

[Gostev]

We have also put in the feature request for full support of WORM tape media.

[Lyndag]

We also are in desperate need of full WORM support. We also have compliance issue that require it. We moved from Commvault to Veeam as well, and we really do not want to keep Commvault around just for the WORM ability. They are really really expensive.

[ICUDOUCME]

I will try the work around that you mentioned. But I was definitely seeing the jobs completed successfully error with nothing being backed up to tape. I will let you know my results. Thanks.

[Dima P.]

Robert,

But I was definitely seeing the jobs completed successfully error with nothing being backed up to tape.

That is expected when you try to run backup second time with the WORM tape.

[Greg_Bieber]

Hello,

We have the same need and have tried to apply the configuration explained here, but the backup is so slow that we cannot work so.
Do you have any news about support and best practice to handle with Worms ?
Case # 00723384

Regards.

[Dima P.]

Grégory,
Unfortunately, there is no update - WORM support was postponed.

[abstractreasoner]

Is there an ETA for WORM tape support? We currently don't have the option of migrating to Veeam without it.

[veremin]

We cannot provide any ETA for that feature at the moment.

[Dima P.]

John,

Just to clarify – you can use the WORM media with our tape service but in a limited way, as we do not support append to WORM tapes. Speaking of tape configuration the only possible way is to set up a separate WORM media pool with ‘create new media set per backup session’ (do not append) option and use never overwrite retention.

[lehbot]

We have also a need for a better WORM Support, especially appending data to WORM Tapes.

[veremin]

We may add this functionality down the road. Not in version 9, however, as we've received just several requests. Thanks.

[Eluminare]

Are there any News about WORM Support?

[veremin]

The answer provided above is still valid. The WORM support is planned, though, it has not been implemented in version 9 due to the fact that other features have received higher demand from our end-users. Thanks.

[777jake777]

Hi,

Is there any news on WORM append support? I was just about to purchase the enterprise product but have discovered that WORM append is not supported. I was able to write to the WORM Tape once to test but discovered that any additional writes fail? Has this been updated in the new 9.5 release, I need this for compliance reasons this is a show stopper for our company if it's not supported.

[lyapkost]

Hi, Jason! WORM tapes support will not be implemented in 9.5 release.

[Dima P.]

Hello Jason,

Unfortunately, it’s true - WORM support won’t be introduced in the upcoming version. That said, we still track this feature request, so could you please share more information about your backup strategy? Are you using WORM media for some specific type of data or all the backups should be stored on WORM tapes on a daily basis? How many WORM tapes you use on a monthly basis? Thanks in advance.

[777jake777]

Hi,

We have two Tape drives in separate locations that only use WORM Tape for storing critical documents and backups for compliance. These libraries only use WORM Tape due to SEC ruling 17a-4 that is now being enforced and a requirement for more organisations especially in the enterprise space. We use other media types such as disk for all other large backups but the amount of data stored on WORM Tape on a daily basis is very small so a 1.5TB WORM tape would last more the 12 months so we need the Worm Append support for this reason.

[DW-Wuppertal]

Hi,
is it planned to implement a support for WORM Tapes in the near future?
We have to save our Company Databases each year for compliance reasons.

Thank you

[Dima P.]

DW-Wuppertal,

Unfortunately, no news for WORM support. Can you check if the workaround suggested in this thread works for your infrastructure? Thanks.

[coreyfdez]

Understanding WORM Compliance in the Document Management Context
With the increasing reliance on electronic storage, concerns about data security are on the rise. One of the biggest concerns relates to the ease with which data can be altered or erased, which is why WORM compliance (write once, read many) matters.

SEC Rule 17a-4 and WORM
The electronic storage requirements of SEC rule 17a-4 are consistent with the requirements of the Electronic Signatures Act. In order to be compliant under SEC regulations, your organization needs to have immediate access to records that are less than 6 months old. You also have to store your information from the previous 2 years in a safe location. Additionally, your organization is required to keep a backup copy in an alternate location.

One of the main concerns of the SEC regulation is keeping data accessible and unalterable. Your organization has to be able to prove that the stored documents were not changed after saving them.

I believe VEEAM is missing on a good chunk of the market by forcing all financial institutions like ours to other vendors in order to be compliant.

[Godfrey]

We have also put in the feature request for full support of WORM tape media.

Hi

This is a feature we would also like. With ransomware a concern the ability to have a tape that can be written to only once is a very important feature.

I have tried the 'workaround' above and unfortunately it does not work for us, we get the following error.

WriteTapeHeader failed - Tape erasure with type 1 finished with error Tape error: '5' (Access is denied.)

This is also important for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Is there any update from Veeam as to when WORM support will be available?

Thanks

[Andreas Daesch]

HI,

we also have a high demand of using WORM tapes, is there any update or it is already put to the road map?

Regards
Andreas

[Dima P.]

Andreas,

Unfortunately, I don't have any updates to share in regards to this feature request. Have you tried the workaround suggested in this thread? Why are you willing to use WORM (is that a company policy or data protection policy)?

[deans3]

Hi , is there any news of this feature arriving in v10 ?

I understand with the WORM functionality, this is both a company and data protection policy for a lot of customers?! It is also holding a few customers back from moving to Veeam as competition does support WORM.

Thanks
Dean