Configuring Backup Proxy for Storage Integration

For some operations with storage snapshots, Veeam Backup & Replication requires a backup proxy. The backup proxy is used for two purposes:

Rescan (storage discovery) process on storage volumes
Backup from storage snapshots

When Veeam Backup & Replication performs rescan and backup operations, it needs to read the content on storage volumes and snapshots. To do this, Veeam Backup & Replication uses a backup proxy as a helper. Storage volumes and snapshots are mounted as new volumes to the backup proxy. As a result, Veeam Backup & Replication can access mounted volumes and snapshots over the backup proxy and read the backup data from them.

General Requirements

For VMware integration

You must assign to a Microsoft Windows or a Linux machine the role of a backup proxy. This can be a dedicated machine or backup server performing the role of the default backup proxy.
[For Linux proxies] We recommend that you add only one proxy to one initiator group. Otherwise, you may encounter issues on proxies with the number of devices that correspond to storage snapshot clones. During the backup process, devices may be unintentionally created on all proxies added to the initiator group, for example, if two backup jobs that use proxies from the initiator group work simultaneously. The created devices will be accumulated.
For backup from storage snapshots, the transport mode for VMware backup proxy must be set to Automatic selection or Direct storage access.
For backup from storage snapshots, access to the production volumes is not required. Backup proxy only accesses the snapshot/clone of the production datastore to read the data.
For Linux backup proxy, to check compatibility with a storage system, see the system requirements provided by the storage system vendor.

The backup proxy and the storage system must support the same IP version.
[For VMware and Veeam Agent integration] For HPE 3PAR, if storage LUNs reside in a virtual domain, the backup proxy to which LUNs are exported must reside in the same virtual domain. If LUNs reside outside a virtual domain, the backup proxy must also reside outside any available virtual domain.
[For Veeam Agent and NAS integration] Check requirements for the general-purpose backup proxy. For more information, see General Purpose-Backup Proxy.

iSCSI Protocol

[For Microsoft Windows] The backup proxy must have a Microsoft iSCSI Software initiator enabled.
[For Linux] The backup proxy must have an Open-iSCSI Software initiator enabled.
iSCSI traffic between the backup proxy and storage system must be allowed.

Note

For storage rescan, Veeam Backup & Replication uses its own initiator. For this reason, a Microsoft iSCSI Software initiator and Open-iSCSI may not be enabled when you perform storage rescan. For Backup from Storage Snapshots, however, the Microsoft iSCSI Software initiator and Open-iSCSI must be enabled.

SMB (CIFS) Protocol

SMB (CIFS) traffic between the backup proxy and storage system must be allowed.

Fibre Channel Protocol

The backup proxy must have a Fibre channel adapter installed and must have access to the storage system over Fibre Channel fabric.
To let Veeam Backup & Replication present snapshots of LUNs to the backup proxy, you must register the backup proxy with a WWN ID on the storage system.
Fibre Channel devices must be properly installed on the backup proxy. For example, see the vendor documentation and check that the proxy OS and the Fibre Channel adapter are compatible. Also, check that the WWN ID of the backup proxy is properly zoned on the Fibre Channel switch.

NFS Protocol

NFS traffic between the backup proxy and storage system must be allowed.
[For Linux] The backup proxy must have an NFS client enabled.