GFS and backup copy..

[DCW]

Hi all,

What's the cleanest method to put a monthly full backup onto a NAS and also a tape drive (not at the same time) ? I'm trying to implement monthly fulls to both a NAS and tape drive.

I've been testing with the 'backup-copy' job using the GFS settings but it appears there's this 'Restore points to keep' setting which has to be set to at least 2. I'm unsure why Veeam forces you to create incrementals when you're trying to achieve monthly fulls. Is there a better/cleaner method for sending an EOM backup to NAS.

I've also tested with 'File Copy' jobs but noticed the data overwrites. Is it fair to say the file copy would be suitable for rotating media like tapes rather than NAS?

Many thanks

[HannesK]

Hello,

I'm unsure why Veeam forces you to create incrementals

because otherwise too many customers would loose their data if they loose their primary backup target. We know that some customers don't like to be "forced" to protect their data. Multiplied by hundreds of thousands of customers where at least some hundred per year loose their primary backup storage... we still believe that it is a good idea.

For today I would go with a monthly backup copy job (every 30 days, incremental) and safe a lot of disk space.

Tape is no problem.

File copy is not built for that. Correct.

Best regards,
Hannes

[DCW]

Ok, so it's fair say for a monthly full to tape the 'file copy job' is the best option? And Veeam GFS Backup Copy job is not suitable for tape.

[HannesK]

the file copy job is almost never the best option. I have seen almost no case where it does what the customers expects. BCJ is the way to go.

please use a "backup to tape" job with GFS media pool for tape.

[DCW]

Oh right, I misunderstood you.

Ok So i have the NAS backup sorted, I've accepted I. forced to have incrementals hanging around.

So for my Tape requirement of moving a dozen critical VM's (all in 1 backup job) off site once a month you're saying a backup to tape job with GFS. Does this avoid the forced incrementals? I just ask as incrementals are pointless to me for moving a monthly full to tape then off site.

[HannesK]

Does this avoid the forced incrementals?

as long as you use the backup copy job, you will have incrementals.

Backup to tape jobs are additional as far as I understood you. Backup to tape does not require any additional copy of the data. It just grabs the backup files and writes them to tape

[skrause]

If you use the GFS backup copy job (to disk) as your source job for a Backup to Tape (not files) job once a month and tell the tape job to just backup fulls.

It should create a "virtual full" from the most recent backup chain when it runs.

[DCW]

Thanks team