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Using cost-effective Veeam Backup options with a dedicated Scale-out Backup Repository

Using cost-effective Veeam Backup options with a dedicated Scale-out Backup Repository

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A Scale-out Backup Repository (SOBR) is a data repository target for backup jobs that are configured in the Veeam® Backup service. This storage solution is designed to support horizontal scaling through its multitier system, which consists of a performance tier and an optional capacity tier. The performance tier can either be a set of vSAN™ repositories or two Cloud Object Storage repositories. Additionally, if a capacity tier is specified, it is either a pair of Cloud Object Storage repositories if the performance tier has vSAN repositories, or it is two Cloud Object Storage repositories if the performance tier has Cloud Object Storage repositories.

IBM Cloud for VMware Cloud Foundation as a Service offers cost-effective Veeam Backup options that include shared SOBRs and dedicated SOBRs that improve scale, performance, and provide additional consumption options.

When you provision your VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) as a Service instance, a total of two shared SOBRs are created by default through the Veeam Backup service. The default shared SOBRs include performance tier storage that is backed by vSAN and capacity tier storage that is backed by IBM Cloud Object Storage, each with a maximum size of 100 TB and 7 days of immutability. You cannot change the configuration or delete default SOBRs.

All default backups are deleted after seven days. If more time is needed, open an IBM Support ticket to increase the number of days.

If you do not require the performance tier vSAN storage option or need more storage than the shared SOBRs offer, you can order a dedicated SOBR for your single-tenant and multitenant instances.

The following SOBR types are available when you request a dedicated SOBR.

  • IBM Cloud Object Storage, one local and one remote copy.
  • IBM Cloud Object Storage, one local copy

For IBM Cloud Object Storage immutability, the Veeam Backup service retains the backup up to an additional 30 days.

Procedure to request a dedicated SOBR

You must request a size less than or equal to a specified maximum size (1200 TB) and divisible evenly by 200 TB.

  1. Go to the IBM Cloud Support Center.

  2. Scroll down and click Create a case.

  3. In the Category section of the Create a case page, complete the following selections.

    1. For Topic, select IBM Cloud Backup - Veeam.
    2. For Subtopic, select Veeam Scale Out Backup Repository.
    3. Select the All topics tile and click Next.

  4. In the Details section, provide the following information and then click Next.

    1. For Subject, enter Request to Add New Dedicated SOBR to Veeam Instance
    2. For Description, provide the following details to help IBM Support tailor the repository to meet your specific data protection needs and to help ensure a smooth setup process.
    • Site ID: Specify the unique director site identifier where the SOBR is configured. For multitenant instances, use the site ID of the multitenant instance owner's account.
    • SOBR name: Specify the name of your dedicated SOBR. This name is used to identify the repository in your Veeam management console.
    • Type: Specify either One local Cloud Object Storage or Two copy (one local and one remote) Cloud Object Storage.
    • SOBR size: Specify the required storage capacity for the performance tier as Performance Tier Size, in increments of 200 TB.

  5. In the Review section, review the case details and click Submit case.

After you submit the case, you receive a confirmation email with a case number for your records. The IBM Support team reviews your request and might contact you for further information. The typical setup time can take up to three days.

Procedure to delete a dedicated SOBR

You can open an IBM Support case to request to delete an existing dedicated SOBR on your Veeam instance. You must include the following details to complete the request:

  • Site ID: Specify the unique director site identifier where the SOBR is configured. For multitenant instances, use the site ID of the multitenant instance owner's account.
  • Account ID: Specify the account ID that is associated with your customer account.
  • SOBR name: Specify the name of your dedicated SOBR. This name is used to identify the repository in your Veeam management console.