Description

Starting with Backup Exec 21.x, Veritas now supports expansion of Deduplication folder up to 125TB. This document helps you with the configuration:
 

The following are the minimum hardware requirements:

• CPU:  A 64-bit processor with a minimum clock rate of 2.4-GHz is required.  A minimum of 8 cores are required, 16 cores are recommended.
• Memory: Minimum 125 GB. You may need to add more memory if you have additional Roles performed by the same Media Server.
• Storage: 

Metadata disk: RAID 0+1 is recommended, with at least 1TB of space.

Data disks: We recommend maximum 5 mount points, each mount point must have a separate RAID group, a RAID 6 is recommended. Both the metadata disk and data disk should have more than 250 MB/sec of read or write speed.

Disks including more number of spindles provide better performance. Storage controller cache of minimum 2 GB or more is recommended.
 

Steps to Configure 125TB Deduplication Storage folder on a Windows server using 25TB volumes

• Configure a Deduplication storage folder on local storage on Backup Exec server.

• Disable lockdown setting from Backup Exec global settings.

1. Click the Backup Exec button > choose Configuration and Settings > and select Backup Exec Settings

2. On the left menu, select Network and Security. Scrolling down will reveal the 'Disk storage lockdown setting', which will be enabled by default. Click Disable, to disable the setting, you’ll be prompted for the system logon account password and the reason for disabling.

Note: Lockdown setting ensures that access to Backup Exec disk storage is limited only to authorized processes like Backup Exec services, so only Backup Exec is allowed to write to the disk storage. Disabling lockdown step is required to ensure that following commands are allowed to write to the storage as a temporary measure. In order to prevent data loss, this setting must be enabled as soon as the configuration completes.

• Create data folder volumes under Deduplication storage as data1, data2, data3, data 4, data5 of 25TB each.

Note: Veritas qualified this solution only using NTFS volumes. Volumes must me mounted to an empty folder using disk management before running the following commands : Mounting a volume in an empty folder

1. Create ‘etc’ directory and ‘nbapp-release’ file using following commands:                             

mkdir c:\etc

echo Windows_BYO > "c:\\etc\\nbapp-release"

        2. Update DCHeaderHashSize setting in \etc\puredisk\contentrouter.cfg  to a value = 2000000 / number_of_volumes.

                       For example, with the full 5 mount points, set DCHeaderHashSize to 400000.

        3. Create Additional Data Partitions for Deduplication using following command:

C:\Program Files\Veritas\Backup Exec>crcontrol.exe --dsaddpartition E:\BackupExecDeduplicationStorageFolder\data1

Run the above-mentioned command for remaining data partitions.

• After all the above commands complete successfully, restart all the BE services including Deduplication services.

• Additional Data mountpoints can be seen inside the Deduplication folder:

• Enable lockdown setting from Backup Exec global settings.

Note: Ransomware Resiliency feature currently does not protect additional Data Partitions created using this configuration.

Note: Failure to adhere to these settings could result in performance related issues due to data not being balanced optimally across all volumes.

Note: Support for Deduplication folder size is up to 125TB. Deduplication folder can be of a smaller size and expanded later by adding additional volumes. (Maximum 5 additional data partitions.)

Note: Support for Deduplication folder size up to 125TB is still valid for the current version of BE 22.2.

 

Known issues:

Consolidated Full VMWare backup of 105 TB VM to 125 TB Deduplication folder fails with following error:

Backup-
“V-79-57344-33858 - A memory allocation request failed. The computer may be running low on virtual memory."

Verify- 
“V-79-57344-33899 - The server could not be backed up. Ensure that the server is online, and that the correct version of the Agent for Windows is installed."

This issue is currently scheduled to be addressed in the next major revision of the product. Please note that Veritas Technologies LLC reserves the right to remove any fix from the targeted release if it does not pass quality assurance tests.  Veritas’ plans are subject to change and any action taken by you based on the above information or your reliance upon the above information is made at your own risk.