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Scale-Out Backup Repository

A scale-out backup repository is a repository system with horizontal scaling support for multi-tier storage of data. The scale-out backup repository consists of one or more backup repositories called performance tier, and can be expanded with object storage repositories for long-term and archive storage: capacity tier and archive tier. All the storage devices and systems inside the scale-out backup repository are joined into a system, with their capacities summarized.

Note

Scale-out backup repository is included in the Veeam Universal License. When using a legacy socket-based license, Enterprise or higher edition is required.

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.

The main benefits of this feature are as follows:

  • It provides a convenient way of managing the backup storage.
  • A scale-out backup repository can be expanded at any moment: if the extents of your scale-out backup repository run out of space, you can add a new  extent to the existing scale-out backup repository. 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.
  • It supports any backup target supported by Veeam: Windows or Linux servers with local or DAS storage, network shares, deduplicating storage appliances. All the features of any storage device or system are preserved.
  • It allows you to set up granular performance policy. For more information, see Backup File Placement.
  • It provides practically unlimited cloud-based storage capacity: you can instruct Veeam Backup & Replication to offload data from extents to the cloud for long-term storage. For details, see Capacity Tier.

Scale-Out Backup Repository 

A scale-out backup repository can comprise different tiers, or logical levels of storage.

  • Performance tier is the level used for the fast access to the data. It consists of one or more backup repositories called performance extents.

For more information, see Performance Tier.

  • Capacity tier is an additional level for storing data that needs to be accessed less frequently. However, you still can restore your data directly from it. The capacity tier consists of one cloud-based or on-premises object storage repository called capacity extent.

For more information, see Capacity Tier.

  • Archive tier is an additional level for archive storage of infrequently accessed data. Applicable data from the capacity tier can be transported to the archive tier. For restore from the archive tier, data must undergo preparation process.

For more information, see Archive Tier.

A scale-out backup repository can be used for the following types of jobs and tasks:

  • Backup jobs
  • Backup copy jobs

You can copy backups that reside in scale-out backup repositories and store backup copies in scale-out backup repositories

  • Backups of Amazon EC2 instances created with backup copy jobs
  • Backups of Microsoft Azure virtual machines created with backup copy jobs
  • Backups of Google Cloud VM instances created with backup copy jobs
  • VeeamZIP tasks
  • Backup jobs created by Veeam Agent for Linux 2.0 or later
  • Backup jobs created by Veeam Agent for Unix 2.0 or later
  • Backup jobs created by Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows 2.0 or later
  • Backup jobs created by Veeam Agent for Mac
  • NAS backup jobs
  • Backup jobs created by Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV

Backup files stored in 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.

To deploy a scale-out backup repository, you must configure one or more backup repositories and add them to a 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 backup repository and deduplicating storage appliance to the same scale-out backup repository.

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