Using HP StoreOnce Appliances as CIFS Repositories for Veeam Backup & Replication
In this article, we will explore how to use HP StoreOnce appliances as CIFS repositories for Veeam Backup & Replication. We will cover the configuration of the StoreOnce VSA in terms of backing up virtual machines, the configuration of a Veeam backup job, and some backup tests.
Configuring the NAS Share
To configure the NAS share on the StoreOnce VSA, log in to the StoreOnce Management Console and follow these steps:
1. Click on “NAS” and then on “Shares.”
2. Click “Create” on the upper-right corner.
3. Name your CIFS share and click “Create.”
4. If you want to enable authentication, you can do so under “NAS.”
Configuring the Backup Repository
To configure the backup repository on the StoreOnce VSA, follow these steps:
1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, go to “Backup Infrastructure” and click on “New Backup Repository.”
2. Name the repository and click “Next.”
3. Select “Shared Folder” as the repository type and click “Next.”
4. Enter the UNC path to the StoreOnce VSA share, including the username and password if you have enabled authentication.
5. Click “Advanced” and enable the checkbox “Decompress backup data blocks before storing” to ensure that the data blocks are decompressed before being written to the StoreOnce VSA.
Creating a Backup Job
To create a backup job using the StoreOnce VSA as a CIFS repository, follow these steps:
1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, go to “Backup Infrastructure” and click on “New Backup Job.”
2. Give the job a name and click “Next.”
3. Add the backup objects (virtual machines) to the job.
4. Go to the “vSphere” tab and enable the checkbox “Enable VMware Tools quiescence” to ensure that the job runs correctly.
5. Go to the “Job Settings” tab and configure the job scheduling depending on your needs.
6. Click “Create” to create the job.
Testing the Backup
To test the backup, run the job manually or wait until the scheduled job starts. During the first full backup, Veeam Backup & Replication processed 17 GB and transferred 10 GB. The StoreOnce VSA wrote 7,4 GB to disk. A second full backup showed similar results as the first full backup, but only additional 0,2 GB were written to disk, and the deduplication ratio raised from 2.4 to 4,7.
Accessing the CIFS Share
You can access the CIFS share using the Windows Explorer. You can see that the stored files doesn’t differ from a “normal” CIFS repository.
Best Practices and Considerations
When using a HP StoreOnce VSA as a CIFS repository for Veeam Backup & Replication, some best practices and considerations should be taken into account:
1. The settings used in this article are recommended for maximizing the backup capacity and retention time.
2. If you focus on RTO (Recovery Time Objective), you should consider backing up critical VMs to a physical backup proxy with local disks (or access to a fast storage system) in addition to a backup to a StoreOnce appliance or VSA.
3. The backup and restore performance depends on the backup target (StoreOnce VSA) and the backup proxy (in my case a VM). Depending on your environment and the number of backup proxies, backup targets, and repositories you have to make additional decisions.
Conclusion
Using HP StoreOnce appliances as CIFS repositories for Veeam Backup & Replication is really easy and doesn’t need much configuration. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can configure the StoreOnce VSA to store backups of virtual machines. However, some points should be considered when using a HP StoreOnce VSA as a CIFS repository for Veeam Backup & Replication.