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taston
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Full Name: Tony Aston
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VBR Migrate Restore - iSCSI Connected Repository disks

Post by taston »

Hi,
I have a physical server (SRV1) running Win2012R2 and VBR 11a installed, and am looking to migrate to another physical server (SRV2) which runs Win2019, and I've installed VBR v11a vanilla (first step towards upgrade to v12).
I will disable the jobs and backup the config on SRV1 and perform a restore onto SRV2. No concerns there.
However, SRV1 has several repos:
- D:\Backups. This is a 'local' presented via an iSCSI initiator (storage is on SAN01). This Repo is an extent on SOBR01
- E:\Backups. This is a 'local' presented via an iSCSI initiator (storage is on SAN01). This Repo is an extent on SOBR01
- F:\Backups. This is a 'local' presented via an iSCSI initiator (storage is on SAN01). This Repo is an extent on SOBR01
- G:\Backups. This is a 'local' presented via an iSCSI initiator (storage is on SAN02).
- H:\Backups. This is a 'local' presented via an iSCSI initiator (storage is on SAN02).
- \\NAS\Share1. This is an SMB Share.

The config restore method will be MIGRATE. Does anyone know how this task will handle the 'local' Repos? I'm not concerned about the SMB shared Repos as they will remain as is, my concern is just the iSCSI presented ones. I can easily connect the iSCSI targets to SRV2 and assign identical drive letters (this is my plan as the data is already there). Is the consensus that the MIGRATE config restore will rename all references of SRV1 to SRV2, and that my Repos will magically work? Or, will I have to re-add the Repos as listed in the documentation: "If you have local repositories, after migration to another VM they may be displayed as empty. In this case, add them again and remap the job"? The documentation doesn't seem to account for this scenario whereby I can simply attach the populated iSCSI target disks to the new server.

I'll find out tomorrow 'on the job', but would appreciate comments from anyone who may have completed a similar migration, or can forward a link detailing this scenario?

TIA
taston
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Re: VBR Migrate Restore - iSCSI Connected Repository disks

Post by taston »

So, I bit the bullet and built a quick and dirty lab setup (much more quickly than I thought I could!).
I'm happy to confirm the following actions performs the migration seamlessly - i.e. All the iSCSI Repos and SOBR's are listing the new server, as was the Tape Server :D
1. Stop running jobs and disable scheduled jobs on the original VBR server.
2. Save registry values that you changed or created on the original VBR server.
3. Back up the configuration database of Veeam Backup & Replication on the original VBR server.
4. Install Veeam Backup & Replication on the new VBR server.
5. *I powered off the original VBR server, thus disconnecting the iSCSI disks
6. * I connected the iSCSI drives and assigned identical drive letters on the new VBR Server
7. Restore the configuration database from the backup on the new VBR server.
8. Finish the configuration.

Happy Thursday all
Mildur
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Re: VBR Migrate Restore - iSCSI Connected Repository disks

Post by Mildur »

Hi Tony

Thanks for your test and step by step guide.

Best,
Fabian
Product Management Analyst @ Veeam Software
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