vSphere + Veeam + DSS v6 + SAN mode

[techfreakz]

Hi all,

I'm evaluating the Veeam Backup & Recovery software package. This has native support of the vSphere Disk API and so can perform backups of VM's stored on a SAN and running on ESXi 4.1 servers.

To achieve the best performance, the Veeam software requires that you connect to the same iSCSI LUN that ESXi does, but in read only mode. The Veeam software then puts the LUN (or at least part of that LUN) in to a known state using VM snaptshots, so the VM's VDK disk files can be copied directly form the SAN to the destination volume without having ESXi server operate as a proxy. This is called "SAN mode".

I have a suspicion that Open-E does not have the capability to add a LUN to more than one iSCSI target, even if those other connections are in read only mode?

I don't believe the Open-E LUN snapshot feature can be used as the Veeam software has no knowledge of Open-E's snapshot status.

Could this be an area for improvement in Open-E DSS v6?

Best regards

TFZ

[tle]

... we use Open-E, vSphere 4.0 and Veeam Backup since nealry one month in production, and it works like a charme. If you just mount the iSCSI LUNs in the system Veeam is running on, like for instance Windows XP with the use of te MS iSCSI Iniator, everything works just fine.

No changes on ESXi and no changes on Open-E. Just add the Veeam, and it works perfectly...

greetz

[techfreakz]

Thanks for your reply.

While I appreciate this is possible I am VERY concerned that the Windows XP box we have running Veeam might, in an extreme case, write to the VMFS ISCSI LUN in some way (for example writing a disk signature).

Hence my need, as suggested in the Veeam setup guide, to mount the LUN read only on our Veeam backup machine and read/write on our ESXi box.

What are your thoughts?

Best regards

TFZ

[tle]

We are running Veeeam from an XP machine, too. And because Xp doesn't have the automount option like described in the tutorial from Veeam, noting happens. Its in production since over a month now, so you can say "it is stable" :-)

[techfreakz]

OK, I shall give it a go!

I am in talks with the SAN vendor (Open-E) to get them to enable read-only mounting of LUNS for this purpose.

Thanks again,

TFZ