Proxy Servers when how

[alexs]

Hi

Is there a document that outlines when and how to use a proxy.

do I need a license for a proxy
Can i install just the proxy


so I have all (99%) of my ESX Hosts in the DC, and my backup server in the office I have 2 x 10G links from the office to the DC's (1 to each). I could put a Veeam Proxy on a w2016 box in the same vlan as the ESXhost management ports, should I ?

so my current backup server is 4 routers away - all 10G though

It just ai am seeing maybe 10-20Mb/s backup speeds some times up to 300Mb/s

[DaveWatkins]

You ideally want a backup proxy at either end, although the one at your repository end could easily be the repository server itself. The one at the VM end typically is just a ESX VM and it uses hotadd to access the VM disks it's backing up. More technical to setup could be a DirectSAN connected proxy. This is typically a physical host with direct FC or iSCSI access ot the SAN hosting the VM's and using it takes the load of the ESX hosts to do backups.

Without any of that you'll be doing network mode backups that will be limited to the 30-40% of the ESX management port

You don't need a license for them and you can certainly install only that role.

[alexs]

Hi

So right now

Phy Backup box with VBR (+ proxy) connects to ESXi 6.5 host and does backup.
It sounds like if I added in a proxy on a VM in the DC it might have faster access to the snapshot.

as for storage - my compellent isn't one of the cool storage devices so no direct backup from there.

[DaveWatkins]

You don't need storage integration support for DirectSAN, just a physical box that has access to the VMWare VMFS LUN's, but unless you need to remove the network load of backups off your ESX boxes it's probably not worth chasing, at least at this point

[alexs]

Direct San I think I need to know more about that

[DaveWatkins]

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... l?ver=95u4
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... l?ver=95u4

You have an external windows server with direct access to the LUN's presented by your SAN (iSCSI, FC etc). It can be used to mount those LUN"s and backup VM's from them without adding the network burden to your ESX hosts

[alexs]

This looks interesting and maybe what I want.

So I have to present the iSCSI luns from my storage device to the Phy Windows backup server with VBR on it.
The process for backup then is
VBR performs a snap
the snap is read directly from the LUN.

For restores VBR will pick which option is the best /works.

So VBR handles all the file locking etc with VMWare

[DaveWatkins]

Yup, basically, just make sure the LUN"s are never made "online" on your windows server. Pretty sure offline was default from 2008r2 forward but worth confirming. Making them online means windows write a signature to them which will effectively wipe them. Personally I only allow read access to my VBR proxy for the LUN's and do restores through ESX rather than directly to the storage

[alexs]

that makes sense

[alexs]

Hi

So I have a test lun - its presented to my test esx host. with a VM test on it.
I have presented the same lun to my backup server - read only, I can see it in disk manager - offline - also in iSCSI initiator and mpio

So I started a job to backup the TEST VM and its started and taken a snap and its say


Using backup proxy VMware Backup Proxy for disk Hard disk 1 [san] 00:00
Hard disk 1 (0.0 B) 0.0 B read at 0 KB/s [CBT] 17:35


So I am thinking it meant to be using the san but it hasn't gotten any where, so how do I debug ?

[DaveWatkins]

Either start digging in the logs, or create a ticket. Sounds like you've done everything you should have to make it work and that [san] tag shows it's at leats trying

[alexs]

Where do I find the logs ?

[DGrinev]

Hi Alex,

All the logs are stored in the "DriveLetter:\ProgramData\Veeam\...". Thanks!