3TB, offsite repository

[nchand]

I have VBR 8 at my main site, works great. Using a single CIFS NAS repository.

I also have a standalone Windows 2012 server offsite that is just a simple file server, with about 3TB of data. Currently using BackupExec, and only able to really hold 2 months of full and daily incremental before all my backup DAS is used up.

What I would like to implement is forever-incremental backups, which I guess uses synthetic full backup technology. BackupExec synthetic full option is costly, as is their duplication option. So, this is really causing headaches to backup 3TB. Full backups take about 16 hours to DAS RAID array. Offsite backups are almost impossible for me right now.

Wondering if VEB would help? Can I direct the remote VEB to my main site repository (over VPN/firewall punches), seed the initial full backup, then perform forever-incrementals over the Internet?

Thanks, looks like a great product.

[JaxIsland7575]

I just want to clarify your configuration, you have a remote file server that has storage locally, or your storage is on your main site with VBR and your file server is remote with no storage? Would the destination of the backup job be a VBR repository?

Cheers!

[nchand]

Your first assumption was correct. Simply a second location, local server, local storage. Trying to conceptualize weather I can use VEB to backup this local storage by shooting it over the Internet to my main site's VBR repository. Ideally, it would be nice to keep a single monthly full on a local disk, but then also a full and subsequent forever-incremental shooting over to the repository.

[JaxIsland7575]

Do you have a VPN connection between sites? You could setup the remote storage as a VBR repository, set VEB to backup to that repository, then setup VBR Backup Copy job to move the backups to the main site.

[Dima P.]

Ryan is correct. You can use a Backup Copy job to transfer the endpoint backup between offsite and main site.

Can I direct the remote VEB to my main site repository (over VPN/firewall punches), seed the initial full backup, then perform forever-incrementals over the Internet?

Seeding for VBR won’t work with backups stored at local/network destinations due the metadata difference. Possible workaround is to create an offsite repository (same location as this file server) add to this repository a gateway server (also located offsite) - traffic should go directly to the offsite repository passing the main site’s VBR. Then you can use backup copy or seeding at the main site.

[nchand]

Just installed VEB and discovered I cannot back up my external USB device. I am using a USB 3 DAS RAID as my source, so I think for now I cannot move forward. I have added my support for this feature in the thread about USB devices.

[JaxIsland7575]

That is correct, VEB cannot backup a USB drive currently.

Cheers!