Deploying AltaVault on-premises

Follow these steps to deploy AltaVault as an on-premises backup solution to IBM Cloud Object Storage.

You can purchase AltaVault as either a physical or a virtual appliance. The deployment of the trial-version VMware vSphere ESXi-based AltaVault virtual appliance is covered in this procedure.

Deploying AltaVault OVA

You can deploy the AltaVault OVA to the vSphere environment after all of the prerequisites are met. Instructions for OVA deployment can be found in the NetApp AltaVault Installation and Service Guide.

1. Edit the AltaVault virtual machine (VM) after the deployment of the OVA is complete.
2. Change the allocated memory to match the version of AltaVault that is in the edit window. If you are using the trial version, assign 24 GB of memory and add one disk that is less than or equal to 8 TB. This secondary disk storage device is used to store deduplicated backup data.

Make sure that you assign different networks (VLANs) to the AltaVault appliance after the memory and disk configurations are modified.

The NICs are assigned the following interface functions:

In this example configuration, the AltaVault appliance uses the e0a interface as the replicate-to-cloud interface and the e0b interface to export a CIFS/SMB mount point. Keep in mind that a CIFS/SMB share and an NFS share can't both be used to access the same data. In other words, if data is placed in a CIFS/SMB share, it cannot be accessed through an NFS share and vice versa.

For more information about the deploying the AltaVault appliance and configuration of the VM settings for the appliance, see NetApp AltaVault Installation and Service Guide.

Initial configuration of the AltaVault appliance

You can power on the AltaVault VM after it is configured with the appropriate hardware. It takes some time for the AltaVault VM to initially start as the AltaVault appliance is formatting the secondary metadata cache disk.

1. After the appliance completes the start process, log in to the AltaVault console. Use *admin as the username, and password as the Password. You can change these credentials after the initial configuration completes.
2. After you log in, you are asked whether you want to use the wizard for initial configuration. Enter y and press Enter to save your changes.

Use the information in Table 1 after the wizard opens.

Configuring AltaVault for Object Storage

Use the following steps to configure the appliance to connect to IBM Cloud Object Storage service.

1. Open a web browser and enter the IP address of the AltaVault appliance primary interface (see the previous step).
2. Log in to the console with the admin credentials. Upon first login, the Wizard Dashboard is displayed.
3. Select System Settings and verify that the information is correct on the next screen and adjust the time zone to reflect the time zone of your environment.
4. Click Next > Save and Apply > Exit. You are returned to the Wizard Dashboard.
5. Select Cloud Settings and click Provider. Choose IBM Cloud Object Storage.
6. Select an appropriate Object Storage Region. Note: Not all regions are displayed. However, the hostname of the Object Storage service is modified by using the hostname field. For example, if you want to use a specificregion, you can select Example region 1 from the Region drop-down menu and modify the hostname field.
7. Enter your IBM Cloud Object Storage credentials in the username field. The format of the username must be object_storage_username:IBM_Cloud_username. For example, ABC-DE123456-7:user. You can find your Object Storage username under Storage > Object Storage.
8. Enter a Bucket Name to store the data. The bucket name is the container name where you want to store the data in IBM Cloud Object Storage.
   • Don't modify the default port unless otherwise directed to by your network administrator. The Enable Archiving field defaults to No and click Next.
9. Enter the License Request Token, if necessary, and click Next.
10. Enter an Encryption Key. You can allow AltaVault to generate a new encryption key or enter an existing key that you want to use to encrypt and decrypt the data. Click Next.
11. Verify that all your settings are correct and then click Finish and Apply. AltaVault now attempts to contact the IBM Cloud Object Storage service by using the inputs and settings that are in the Cloud Settings Wizard. If the connection fails, review your settings and make sure that you have the appropriate access to the service.
12. Click Exit after a connection is established to return to the Wizard Dashboard and click Exit Wizard to return to the AltaVault appliance status page.
13. Verify that the Storage Optimization Service is running and that the status is ready. Note: It might take few minutes for the status to change to Ready.

The AltaVault appliance is configured to communicate with the IBM Cloud Object Storage service.

Configuring the CIFS/SMB mount point in AltaVault

You need to configure the e0b interface to create a CIFS/SMB mount point. Use the following steps to configure the e0b interfave.

1. Go to Settings > Data Interfaces and expand the e0b interface. Select Enable Data Interface, and enter the IP address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway that you use to mount the CIFS/SMB share.
2. Leave the default MTU value of 1500 bytes. \n Although the default maximum transmission unit (MTU) is set to 1,500, you can change it to 9,000 if you use jumbo frames. Your ESXi host and physical infrastructure is required to support jumbo frames. By default, IBM Cloud already supports an MTU size of 9,000 bytes with no configuration changes needed.
3. Click Apply. The mount point is ready for configuration.
4. Select Storage > CIFS > Add CIFS Share and enter a unique name.
5. Click the Pin share drop-down menu and select Yes. Note: Veeam Backup and Replication backups can fail to an unpinned share.
6. Enter a unique path for the share in the Path field. It is preferable to use the share name as the path, that is, if the share name is cifs_share0, enter /cifs_share0 as the path.
7. Clear Allow Everyone Access if security is not an issue. It is preferable to allowlist the clients that use the CIFS/SMB share. Otherwise, leave Allow Everyone Access selected if security is an issue and click Add Share.
8. Click Add CIFS User to create accounts for authorized users and complete the username and Password fields.
9. Expand the new CIFS share and click Add a user or group to add the authorized user accounts.
10. Go to Global CIFS Settings and click the Listening Interface drop-down menu and select e0b and click Apply.

The AltaVault appliance is configured to allow communications between itself, IBM Cloud Object Storage, and the computer that is running Veeam Backup and Replication. It is recommended that you export the configuration of the AltaVault appliance to expedite future deployments, if necessary.

To export your AltaVault appliance configuration, follow these steps.

1. Click Settings > Setup Wizard to access the Wizard Dashboard in the web management console of the on-premises AltaVault appliance.
2. Click Export Configuration and click Export Configuration.
3. Save the configuration file (.tar file) in a safe location.

Provisioning Veeam on a new server

You can order Veeam when you provision a new virtual server instance or bare metal server. Use the following information when provisioning.

• Veeam is only available with monthly billing
• Veeam is only available with a Windows Operating System

To add Veeam:

• In the System Addons section, under OS-Specific Addons, click the Veeam tab and select one of the Veeam options.
• In the System Addons section, under CDP Addon, select any additional Veeam options to add. Keep in mind that if you select Veeam Backup and Replication 9.5 Update 3, you are required to select at least one option in the CDP Addon list.

Ordering Veeam on an existing server

You can add Veeam to an existing server with the OS reload procedure. The server must be running a Windows OS and it must be set up for monthly billing.

To add Veeam, use the following steps.

1. In the System Addons section, under OS-Specific Addons, click the Veeam tab and select one of the Veeam options.
2. In the System Addons section, under CDP Addon, select any additional Veeam options to add. If you select Veeam Backup and Replication 9.5 Update 3, you are required to select at least one option in the CDP Addon list.

Deploying Veeam Backup and Replication

A trial version of Veeam Backup and Replication Version 8 is used in the example.

Configuring Veeam Backup and Replication for Backups

After you install Veeam Backup and Replication, you are ready to connect it to the vSphere ESXi host that contains the AltaVault virtual appliance.

1. Start Veeam Backup and Replication.
2. On the lower-left side of the screen, click Backup Infrastructure > Managed Servers.
3. Click Add Server and double-click VMware vSphere.
4. Enter the DNS name or IP address and Description of the vCenter server and click Next.
5. Enter the Credentials of a local account that has administrator privileges on the vSphere server. Note: The account username must be in DOMAIN\USER format for domain accounts, or HOST\USER format for local accounts. To add an account, click Add and enter the account username and password. \n Do not change the Default VMware web services port during Veeam Backup and Replication installation unless your network administrator tells you otherwise.
6. Click Next. Veeam Backup and Replication connects to the VMware vSphere server. If the connection attempt fails, check that the account exists and has administrator privileges on the VMware vSphere server before you try to connect again.
7. Click Finish on the Summary window and verify that the vSphere server was added successfully by clicking Managed Servers > VMware vSphere.

Adding a Backup Repository to Veeam Backup and Replication

By default, Veeam Backup and Replication creates a local backup repository on the C:\ drive of the Veeam Backup and Replication backup server during program installation.

Use the following steps to create a backup repository to store all backups on the AltaVault appliance. If you want to use the default backup repository, skip the following steps.

1. In the lower left of the Backup Infrastructure screen, click Backup Infrastructure > Backup Repositories > Add Repository.
2. Enter a unique repository name in the Name field. Optionally, you can provide a Description. Click Next.
3. Select Shared folder. The CIFS/SMB share that you created is the share that this backup repository uses. Click Next.
4. Specify the location of the CIFS/SMB share on the AltaVault appliance. To determine the location, open a web browser and enter the IP address of the AltaVault appliance. Go to Storage > CIFS and note the Share Path of the share. Share Path is not the same as the local path of the share. \n The share path format is \\<AltaVault appliance hostname>\<share name>. Replace the AltaVault appliance hostname in the Share Path with the IP address of the e0b network interface (the mount point of the share) of the AltaVault appliance. \n To find the IP address of the e0b interface, click Settings > Data Interfaces in the AltaVault appliance management window. The share path that is specified in Veeam Backup and Replication is \\192.168.50.16\cifs_test2.
5. Return to Veeam Backup and Replication, enter the share path of the mount point in the Shared folder field and click Next. Veeam Backup and Replication attempts to establish a connection with the mount point. If the connection attempt fails, go back and verify that the network settings for the AltaVault appliance are correct before you try again.
6. Enter a value to limit maximum concurrent tasks to the number of resources that are available. This value is the maximum number of tasks a backup proxy can send to the selected share. The default number of concurrent tasks is 4. AltaVault suggests that you start with five concurrent tasks and increasing or decreasing this value as resources allow. This value can be adjusted after the backup repository is created.
7. Click Next.
8. If needed, specify the vPower NFS settings. If the Enable vPower NFS server selection is left clear, then Veeam Backup and Replication uses vPower for recovery and recovery verification. Click Next.
9. On the Review screen, confirm that all your settings are correct and click Next.
10. Click Finish to exit the wizard. You can now begin backing up your data.

Backing up the environment

Follow these steps to create a backup of a complete virtual environment.

1. From the Backup Infrastructure screen, click Backup and Replication.
2. In the Backup and Replication window, click Jobs > Backup Job.
3. Enter a unique name in the Name field. Optionally, you can enter a Description. Click Next.
4. Select which VMs that you want to back up by clicking Add Objects and click through the tree structure to select the VMs. Click Add after you select the appropriate VMs. \n If only specific parts of the VMs are to be backed up (the start disk), click Exclusions and specify the parts. Otherwise, click Next.
5. Select the backup repository that you created by using the Backup repository drop-down menu.

For optimal performance, make sure that you change the data deduplication and compression settings.