Comments on installation layout

[jotyrions]

Hello all, a newbie question.
I noticed that many threads address the issues I am struggling with, but a specific answer is hard to distill from all the reading. So maby best to explain the actual situation here:
We have 2 HP servers, each running esxi 5 with each several virtual servers (Win2008R2). We bought a NAS (Qnap) to use solely for the backup with Veeam. The Veeam backup server is a physical machine (Win2008R2). Each Esxi has a virtual backup-proxy (win2008R2). We plan to use scsi for connection. All go through the same physical switch.
Two questions:
- as for storage: should the luns be presented to the esxi and added as storage, and hence presented to the backup-proxy's as a extra disk, or should we present the luns directly to the virtual backup-proxy's as extra disks (I am concerned about the maximum of 2 TB, usuable by windows. We would like to use more than that. The Nas has 5.6 TB so far, but more is coming (when hard disk prices end being too expensive )). Or is there a way to present all 5.6 TB as storage in some way or another ?
- as for networking: should I create a new virtual switch with dedicated nic (and Vmkernel Port) for the backup-proxy's. Does iscsi needs an IP in the connection parameters ?, or will a new portgroup on an existing virtual switch be sufficient ?
Overall: this is for a campus of schools, single domain, fiber-connected buildings. The amount of data isn't above 2TB per esxi; backup jobs can all run at night, when no-one is at school.
Advise in these matters would be very helpfull.
Thanks
Jo

[jotyrions]

[merged]

I am wondering if my installation of Veeam is OK, or can it be better ?
Here's the layout:
Veeam server is a physical machine, windows 2008R2, quad core, 4GB ram, directly attached to the same switch as esxi.
HP DL380 G6 with Esxi 5 with 5 virtual servers windows 2003 + 1 virtual server 2008R2 used solely as backup-proxy.
The backup-proxy has a disk attached which is a datastore, added to the esxi through a scsi-adapter (connected via vmkernel port on separate vswitch) to a qnap nas. This disk is added in the backup server as storage.
Or is it better to connect the nas by iscsi on the windows server itself ? The nas is only used to store the backups.
The virtual disks reside on the storage local to the server.
I read in the faq's (concerning virtual appliance mode for better performance)
The host running backup proxy server VM must have all datastores where protected VMs' disks reside connected to it, otherwise hot add will not be possible.
Does this mean that the datastore must be presented as a disk to the backup-proxy ? Or is it OK that it's in the same datastore as the other virtual machines ?
I did some test backups with this setup and they all gave high % on source, high % on proxy (but hey, that's wat it is ment for), very low % on network and very low % on target.

These may sound strange questions, but as networadministrators for a campus of schools (K12schools as called in USA I think) we are presented with all these extra technology's necessary to run an instant growing and getting more complex network, while we are no engineers. We have others tasks inside the schools too.
I hope someone can give some tips on how to set up all this (or point me to some kind of "best practices" articles - please no complete manuals) and recommendations to improve.
Thanks

[foggy]

Hello!

The backup-proxy has a disk attached which is a datastore, added to the esxi through a scsi-adapter (connected via vmkernel port on separate vswitch) to a qnap nas. This disk is added in the backup server as storage.
Or is it better to connect the nas by iscsi on the windows server itself ? The nas is only used to store the backups.

From the recoverability standpoint, it's better to connect the NAS via iSCSI directly to the Veeam backup proxy.

I read in the faq's (concerning virtual appliance mode for better performance)
The host running backup proxy server VM must have all datastores where protected VMs' disks reside connected to it, otherwise hot add will not be possible.
Does this mean that the datastore must be presented as a disk to the backup-proxy ? Or is it OK that it's in the same datastore as the other virtual machines ?

This means that backup proxy should have access to the datastore where backed up VMs reside. So it is ok if it resides on the same datastore.

[jotyrions]

So it would be better to connect storage via iscsi tot the virtuel windows server (backup proxy) as a local disk ?

[Vitaliy S.]

Yes, here is similar discussion, please have a look.

[jotyrions]

Thanks for the answer.
We configured the repository being a disk (scsi to nas) on the backup-proxy.
Works fine