Tag Archives: Azure

Veeam Backup Repository / Microsoft Azure Object Storage

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Sending Veeam backups to object storage such as Azure Blob has become a hot topic in the last few years. According to Veeam’s quarterly report for the end of 2021, Veeam customers moved over 500 PB of backups just into the top 3 cloud object storage vendors alone.

With many organisations starting to dip their Veeam toes into object storage I thought I would write a bit more about the subject. This blog post is aimed at helping backup administrators who wish to better understand from a Veeam perspective working with public cloud object storage, specifically Azure Blob.

Compared to the traditional NAS or disk-based block storage Object Storage is a completely different shift in how data is stored and accessed. For example, in object storage, it’s intended that files are not modified. In fact, there is no way to modify part of an object’s data and any change requires deletion and replacement of the whole object.

In Azure terminology, objects are stored in a ‘Blob’, which can be thought of as similar to a volume on a disk but far more scalable. Blob storage is a pay-per-use service. Charges are monthly for the amount of data stored, accessing that data, and in the case of cool and archive tiers, a minimum required retention period. In case you haven’t realised, Blob storage is Microsoft’s object storage solution.

There are numerous methods we can utilise to leverage Microsoft Azure Blob with Veeam Backup & Replication. For example, Azure Blob can be used as an Archive Tier target within a SOBR (Scale-Out Backup Repository) for long-term retention of backups, an archive repository for Veeam NAS Backups and some readers may even be familiar with the external repositories function.

The most popular method is using Blob as a Veeam Capacity Tier which is configurable within a Veeam Scale-Out Backup Repository.

Why is Azure Blob so popular?

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Veeam Cloud Tier

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What happened to Archive Tier?

Archive Tier was announced back at VeeamON 2017 New Orleans alongside a raft of new features scheduled for release with Veeam Backup & Replication v10.  Archive Tier would enable Veeam administrators to easily add regular disk-based backup repositories, object-based storage repositories or even tape as an archive extent to a SOBR (Scale-Out Backup Repository) which could then be configured to copy any backup or move sealed backup files from the SOBR across to said archive extent.

The ability to archive backup files to a particular archive extent such as tape or cheaper disk was a great addition, but the significant improvement was the native integration with object storage which has been a highly requested feature for several years now. During VeeamON it was announced that AWS S3, AWS Glacier, Azure BLOB and Swift compatible object storage to be supported.

Copying Veeam backup files to object storage has always been possible through the use of third-party vendor storage gateways, such as the AWS Storage Gateway or Azure StoreSimple but speaking from my own experiences, these tools don’t always deliver what they promise and require additional skills to support.

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Implementing the 3-2-1 backup rule with Veeam & Azure

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One of the tried and tested rules that can effectively address any failure scenario is called the 3-2-1 backup rule. This backup rule is becoming more and more important as organisations continue to virtualise their mission critical data, making the protection of that data becomes more vital than ever.

The 3-2-1 rule became a popular concept thanks to Peter Krogh, a well-known photographer who wrote that there are two groups of people: those who have already had a storage failure and those who will have one in the future.

In other words, the 3-2-1 backup rule means you should have 3 copies of your production data, on 2 different types of media and 1 offsite.

The purpose of this post is focused on getting your backup data offsite, and how we can leverage Microsoft Azure and Veeam together to help meet the 3-2-1 backup rule.

 

How can I get my data offsite to Azure?

Well, there are currently three main ways to get your data offsite and into Azure Cloud.

Figure 1: Veeam to Azure

Option 1

The first method is to utilise an on-premises storage appliance called a StorSimple. The StorSimple can be deployed either as a physical appliance or as a virtual software appliance which caters for the majority of organisations requirements. By utilising the StorSimple capability to automatically archive Veeam backup data out to blob based Azure storage, we can achieve offsite backups. The StorSimple is a great bolt-on solution for existing Veeam deployments with relatively quick deployments and easier to use interfaces.

The flexible architecture of StorSimple is ideal for customers who want to externalise more than just their backups and is ideal for large volumes with usage of Azure native storage.

Limitations that should be considered are the extra appliance that needs to be deployed and maintained. Also, consider that while there is a virtual software appliance available there is a cost for any physical appliances that are acquired. A faster internet connection is recommended to meet any established recovery point objectives (RPO).

Figure 2: Veeam to StorSimple to Azure

If Veeam requires access to the archived data within Azure, the StorSimple will automatically pull the data back. A fast internet connection is recommended to ensure your offsite backup requirements can be met. No additional Veeam licenses are required for this option.

Option 2

Option two is to externalise with a dedicated link to an Azure site as Site to Site Link (Azure ExpressRoute), SSL Direct Link to Azure or using a private network (vNet) in Azure.

Offsite storage is made available by configuring a link between the on-premises Veeam server and the Azure storage which is used to store the offsite Veeam backup data. Optionally a virtual machine can be created in Azure to provide WAN Acceleration to improve performance.

The benefits of this method is available to all organisations, no appliance needs to be deployed taking up valuable rack space or consuming resources living on your hyper-visor hosts as a virtual appliance. This option also does not require any additional Veeam licenses.

Figure 3: Direct to Azure

Things to consider are the link that is necessary which may impact on performance and possibly workload that may share the link. Costs associated with the Azure ExpressRoute need to be considered as well. This option is not recommended for multi-location infrastructures as it can be complex.

Option 3

The third option is to send backups offsite to Azure using Veeam Cloud Connect.

Veeam Cloud Connect is a technology that enables sending backup data to an offsite location managed by a Service Provider or the organisation themselves.

Figure 4: Veeam Cloud Connect for the Enterprise

There are two flavours of Veeam Cloud Connect:

a. Veeam Cloud Connect for the Enterprise

Veeam Cloud Connect for Enterprise allows enterprise organisations to operate their own Hybrid Cloud by acting as their own service provider, they configure the necessary infrastructure in Azure to receive and manage the off-site backup data.

There are several considerations for this option as it is geared towards enterprise customers. Veeam Cloud Connect for the Enterprise requires the organisation to own the Enterprise Plus edition of Veeam – also if the customer is not in an Enterprise Agreement (EA) with Microsoft, then there is a 100 socket minimum of Veeam Enterprise licenses. If the organisation owns an EA with Microsoft, then there is no socket minimum. In either case the customer must match licenses 1 to 1.

For example, if ACME company has an EA with Microsoft and owns 86 sockets of Veeam Enterprise Plus, they would purchase 86 sockets of Veeam Cloud Connect Enterprise. Without the EA they would be required to purchase 100 sockets.

b. Veeam Cloud Connect

A service provider will host the offsite backup storage in Azure which is presented to organisations with on-premises Veeam. The service provider’s backup data can be encrypted at the source (before it leaves your network perimeter), in flight and at rest. This method is the easiest way to externalise to Azure, its ideal for multi-site configurations and you keep the same interface and console.

Figure 5: Veeam Cloud Connect

Veeam Cloud Connect is included within the Veeam Availability Suite, Veeam Backup & Replication and Veeam Backup Essentials for all organisations at no additional charge and with no additional licensing required. However, organisations will need to acquire a subscription to the appropriate storage resources from a service provider of your choice in order to use it.