This is an archive version of the document. To get the most up-to-date information, see the current version.Scale-Out Backup Repository
You can configure a scale-out backup repository in the backup infrastructure.
The scale-out backup repository is a logical entity. It groups several simple backup repositories, or extents. When you configure the scale-out backup repository, you actually create a pool of storage devices and systems, summarizing their capacity.
You can expand the scale-out backup repository at any moment. For example, if backup data grows and the backup repository reaches the storage limit, you can add a new storage system to the scale-out backup repository. The free space on this storage system will be added to the capacity of the scale-out backup repository. As a result, you will not have to move backups to a backup repository of a larger size.
To deploy a scale-out backup repository, you must configure a number of simple backup repositories and include them into the scale-out backup repository as extents. You can mix backup repositories of different types in one scale-out backup repository:
- Microsoft Windows backup repositories
- Linux backup repositories
- Shared folders
- Deduplicating storage appliances
For example, you can add a Microsoft Windows server and deduplicating storage appliance to the same scale-out backup repository.
You can use the scale-out backup repository for the following types of jobs and tasks:
- Backup jobs.
- Backup copy jobs. You can copy backups that reside on scale-out backup repositories and store backup copies on scale-out backup repositories.
- VeeamZIP tasks.
Backup files stored on the scale-out repository can be used for all types of restores, replication from backup and backup copy jobs. You can verify such backups with SureBackup jobs. The scale-out backup repository can be used as a staging backup repository for restore from tape media. Files restored from the tape media are placed to the extents according to data placement policy configured for the scale-out backup repository. For more information, see Backup File Placement.
Limitations for Scale-out Backup Repositories
The scale-out backup repository has the following limitations:
- The scale-out backup repository functionality is available only in Enterprise and Enterprise Plus editions of Veeam Backup & Replication.
If you configure a scale-out backup repository and then downgrade to the Standard license, you will not be able to run jobs targeted at the scale-out backup repository. However, you will be able to perform restore from the scale-out backup repository.
- You cannot use the scale-out backup repository as a target for the following types of jobs:
- Configuration backup job
- Replication jobs
- VM copy jobs
- Endpoint backup jobs
- You cannot add a backup repository as an extent to the scale-out backup repository if any job of unsupported type is targeted at this backup repository or if the backup repository contains data produced by jobs of unsupported types (for example, replica metadata). To add such backup repository as an extent, you must first target unsupported jobs to another backup repository and remove the job data from the backup repository.
- You cannot use a scale-out backup repository as a cloud repository. You cannot add a cloud repository as an extent to the scale-out backup repository.
- You cannot use a backup repository with rotated drives as an extent to a scale-out backup repository. Even you enable the This repository is backed up by rotated hard drives setting for an extent, Veeam Backup & Replication will ignore this setting and use an extent as a simple backup repository.
- If a backup repository is added as an extent to the scale-out backup repository, you cannot use it as a regular backup repository.
- You cannot add a scale-out backup repository as an extent to another scale-out backup repository.
- You cannot add a backup repository as an extent if this backup repository is already added as an extent to another scale-out backup repository.
- You cannot add a backup repository on which some activity is being performed (for example, a backup job or restore task) as an extent to the scale-out backup repository.
- If you use Enterprise Edition of Veeam Backup & Replication, you can create 1 scale-out backup repository with 3 extents for this scale-out backup repository. Enterprise Plus Edition has no limitations on the number of scale-out backup repositories or extents.
- To let Veeam Backup & Replication automatically import backups during rescan of a scale-out backup repository, names of VBM files and paths to VBM files (starting from the backup repository root to VBM files) must contain only allowed characters:
- Alphanumeric characters: a-zA-Z0-9
- Special characters: _-.+=@^
Names of VBM file and paths to VBM files must not contain spaces.
If a name of the VBM file or path to the VBM file contains prohibited characters, Veeam Backup & Replication will fail to import such backup during rescan of the scale-out backup repository. To import such backup, you can replace prohibited characters with the underscore character, for example: C:\My Repository\Backup_Job\Backup_Job.vbm. You do not need to rename backup files themselves.
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