v7 FC Tape connection to a virtual Veeam server

[scott.anderson]

Question on the v7 Tape.
The descriptions I've had so far say that the Veeam server must be physically attached to the Tape unit.
That would normally require the Veeam server to also be a physical server.

However if you have a tape library that is fiber channel are you able to have a virtual Veeam server with the Tape Library mapped thought via vCenter and still work?
As far as the Veeam servers Windows OS would be concerned it would be directly attached. The Windows OS would use native Windows drivers to use the tape. So would Veeam v7 be happy in this setup?

[tsightler]

As far as I know VMware doesn't officially support this (their KB article regarding tape passthrough specifically states that FC tape is not supported, and this restriction is also mentioned in the ESXi 5.1 storage guide). Since VMware doesn't officially support this config it's probably unlikely that we will consider this a supported configuration, however, that doesn't mean it wouldn't work. For example, when I was a customer we used Linux in-guest iSCSI to drive all of our tape devices via iSCSI-to-SCSI or iSCSI-to-FC bridges. This was not officially supported by VMware or our tape software vendor, but we used it for years with no issues. Of course, we knew we were on our own if it didn't work.

That being said, a small physical server that can run Veeam and connect to the tape device should be a very small investment compared to the cost of the tape library and even the media you're putting in it.

[scott.anderson]

Yes to everything you have said

The customer I'm working with already has all of the hardware and 40k of Veeam licensing. They are just wondering which is going to be easier.
They would like a virtual Veeam server as they want to replicate it to another (interstate) DR site. But they would also like to use Veeam to do the local backups to tape (FC tape library) when they get their hands on v7.

Their currently running a Virtual Veeam 6.5 with a physical (BackupExec) to write the Veeam backup files to tape.

Now if there was a Veeam v7 tape proxy the problem would be solved

[dellock6]

I think and I do hope Veeam is already thinking about separating the tape management from the Veeam Server installation just like proxies or repositories, so it would also be possible to have different tape libraries in the same infrastructure for example.

Luca.

[tsightler]

For now I'd probably just suggest having a physical V7 box to connect to the tape device, and pointing the built in configuration backup to a repository at the remote site. Then you can have a V7 install at the remote site that is in standby and just import the config if/when you need to fail over. Perhaps not quite as simple as replicating the Veeam server, but still pretty easy.

[scott.anderson]

For now I'd probably just suggest having a physical V7 box to connect to the tape device, and pointing the built in configuration backup to a repository at the remote site. Then you can have a V7 install at the remote site that is in standby and just import the config if/when you need to fail over. Perhaps not quite as simple as replicating the Veeam server, but still pretty easy.

Yup, that's precisely what we have been doing with 6.5 for a while (even before the tape option that v7 is going to give you).

Still hope that the tape management proxy idea is one that will be considered for the future though.