Combining Veeam with VSS and SQL Backups

[PeterCox]

We have yet to get a clear picture of what happens with VSS when combining a Veeam Backup with an SQL Agent backup and log shipping on an SQL server?

Case 1:

SQL Server, Data and logs on VMDK disk.

When a Veeam backup is done with VSS integration my understanding is that SQL will be told it has been backed up and will truncate logs whether the VMDK containing the databases is included in the Veeam backup or not. VSS just tells all writers to freeze and quiesce.

If the databases VMDK is included in the Veeam backup and no SQL Agent processing is being done them I believe we have a consistent backup. If the VMDK is not included then we no longer have the logs and we have NOT backed up the databases.

Case 2:

SQL Server, Data and logs on RDM disks.

When a Veeam backup is done with VSS integration SQL will be told it has been backed up and will truncate logs even though the RDM containing the databases cannot be included in the Veeam backup. The only SQL Agent backup of any use here is a level 0.

Preferred processing:

SQL Server, Data and logs on RDM disks.

Backup the base VM (Windows and Applications etc which are on VMDK disks) using Veeam once per day.

Backup SQL databases using SQL Agent jobs which backup logs every 10 minutes and log ship to a DR site with a SQL Agent level 0 backup once daily.

They way we understand the VSS issue is that we have to choose between –

1. Veeam backup of the core VM without VSS (-> crash consistent) and SQL backups that work.
2. Veeam backup of the core VM with VSS and SQL backups that lose log files created around the Veeam VSS backup.

The alternative when using VMDK disks for the databases may be to use only Veeam backup and replication and run an incremental job on the SQL database VMDK disks every 15 minutes, but this is not an option when the databases are on RDMs.

Anyone figured out the correct answer to this apparent conflict with VSS integration on SQL servers?

[tsightler]

There is not a conflict, at least not with Veeam 5. With Veeam 5 there are advanced options for granular settings of VSS processing. You can choose to truncate logs only after a successful backup, immediately after snapshot, or not at all. In the case of not truncating logs, VSS is still used, simply the logs are not truncated.

So, with Veeam 5, you can get your "Preferred processing" simply by setting the advanced VSS options to not truncate logs.