Object Storage as NAS Backup Repository
How File Share Backup to Object Storage Repository Works
You can select an object storage repository added in your backup infrastructure as a backup repository for storing NAS backups.
Types of Connection to Object Storage Repository
Depending on your infrastructure and the activity type, the source file share backup proxy can connect to the object repository through one of the connection types:
- Direct. In this mode, the file share backup proxy writes directly to the object storage. This connection type is used, for example, for backup and restore sessions when your target object storage repository is located in your local infrastructure.
- Through gateway servers. In this mode, the backup server automatically selects the most suitable gateway server from the preconfigured list. This connection type is used, for example, for backup copy sessions when the source backup is stored on an SMB or NFS share, or if the target object storage repository is a cloud repository.
The connection type is configured at the Account step of the New Object Storage Repository wizard.
The main peculiarity of storing NAS backups in an object storage repository is keeping a copy of the metadata in the object storage next to the data. The main metadata is stored in the cache repository. This metadata is active: it is actively used during backup, restore, merge, transform, or health check operations. All the changes in the active metadata is then replicated to the metadata copy.
The metadata copy is self-sufficient: if anything happens to the source file share and the cache repository, you still will be able to restore data from the backup stored in the object storage repository.
Helper Appliance in NAS Backup
NAS backup is forever forward incremental and it does not create periodic full backups. To avoid constantly downloading and uploading data for performing transform and health check operations, you can configure a helper appliance. To learn how to configure the helper appliance, see the Mount Server step in Adding S3 Compatible Object Storage, Adding Amazon S3 Storage, Adding Google Cloud Object Storage, Adding IBM Cloud Object Storage, Adding Azure Blob Storage, Adding Wasabi Cloud Object Storage.
If your file share is protected with a file share backup job that backs up data to an object storage and you decide to change the cache repository for this file share, Veeam Backup & Replication will prompt you to:
- Attach manually migrated data. You can manually copy metadata from the old cache repository to a new one. After that, when changing the cache repository for the file share, click Attach in the displayed window.
- Copy metadata from the previous cache repository. If you click Copy when changing the cache repository for the file share, Veeam Backup & Replication will automatically copy all metadata from the old cache repository to a new one.
- Download metadata from the archive repository. If the old cache repository is not available, you can click Download when changing the cache repository for the file share to automatically download all metadata to a new cache repository.
NAS Backups in Immutable Repositories
When creating NAS backups in the backup repository, Veeam Backup & Replication also creates a copy of metadata in the same repository next to the data. Data in immutable repositories is temporarily locked and cannot be changed or removed. When NAS backups are stored in the immutable repository, the copy of metadata that is stored next to the data is also immutable and cannot be changed till the immutability period ends. However, metadata stored on the cache repository changes actively and keeps the up-to-date state of the NAS backup. Once a month, Veeam Backup & Replication uses metadata copy files created during this month to create a new locked metadata flat file.
After the immutability period for the metadata copy files, which were already transformed into the metadata flat file, ends, Veeam Backup & Replication removes them from the object storage repository. The default immutability period is 30 days. But this period may be increased for metadata copy files if this data is required to restore the newer restore point.