Capacity Planning for Backup Repositories

The report forecasts free space utilization for backup repositories.

Description

The Capacity Planning for Backup Repositories report estimates the amount of free space available on backup repository(ies) and forecasts how many days remain before the repository will run out of available storage capacity. The report helps you ensure there is sufficient room for your backup data at any point in time.

To calculate future performance, the report analyzes historical performance data for the specified period in the past, calculates the performance utilization trend and applies this trend to the forecast horizon. For better forecast accuracy, along with the performance trend the report provides trend’s confidence interval that represent the best- and worst-case scenarios. This allows you to estimate various possible outcomes and helps you rationally plan your resources.

If the specified free space threshold is breached within the forecast interval, the report marks the repository as problematic. The report also provides recommendations on how to adjust repository storage resources to meet future demand for backup files: it calculates the amount of additional space that needs to be provisioned.

Note

To run the Capacity Planning for Backup Repositories report, you must have Veeam Management Pack for Microsoft System Center installed.

Parameters

Performance Data From: defines a date in the past starting from which historical performance data will be used to calculate the performance trend. The report analyzes historical performance data starting from this date to the current date (data collection period).

Note

To make a forecast, the report must use historical performance data for at least 72 hours.

Forecast Horizon: defines the forecast period. The calculated performance utilization trend is applied to the time interval that starts from the current date to the forecast horizon date.

Note

The date in the Forecast Horizon field must be a date in future.

Scope: defines a list of backup repositories managed by Veeam Backup & Replication servers (by default, the Veeam Backup Repository Group is selected).
The Add Group option returns a Group and all objects that the group contains. The Add Object option returns only the selected object.

Threshold: Repository Free Space (%): defines the free space threshold as a percentage of total repository space.

Show details: defines whether the report will display expanded or collapsed charts.

Sample Usage

Forecast the number of days left before the amount of free space on the selected backup repositories decreases to 30%. Use the historical performance data for the previous month to calculate the resource utilization trend.

Instructions

Open the Capacity Planning for Backup Repositories report.
From the Performance Data From list, select Previous Month > First Day.
From the Forecast Horizon list, select a date in future (30 days from today).
In the Scope section, select the Veeam Backup Repository Group and click Remove. Then select repositories to include in the report.

Click Add Object. In the Add Object window, click Options. In the Options window, click Add. In the Class Name search box, enter repository and click Search. Select the Backup Repository class in the list of search results, click Add and click OK. In the Options windows, click OK to apply the filter. In the Add Group window, click Search. The search will return a list of objects that belong to the Backup Repository class. Select the repositories, click Add and click OK.

In the Threshold: Repository Free Space (%) field, enter 30.
From the Show details list, select Expand Charts.
Click Run to view the report.

Report Output

The Infrastructure Described table will provide an overview for all repositories included in the report scope: total capacity, amount of free space (in GB) and number of VMs.

The Performance Forecast Analysis and Recommendations table will provide the following details for every repository:

Column	Description
Name	Name of the repository.
Analysis Result	Result of the prediction analysis. Possible analysis results are: Passed means that the free space threshold will not be breached within the forecast period. Failed means the free space threshold will be breached within the forecast period or has already been breached within the data collection period.
Constraining Resource	Resource for which the specified free space threshold will be breached first within the forecast period.
Days Left	Number of days left before the free space threshold is breached. The number of days is shown as the worst-to-best case range.
Recommendations*	Recommendations on appropriate storage allocation. Recommendations for free space will be provided in case the specified threshold is breached within the forecast period or has already been breached within the data collection period.

*Recommendations are based on the worst-case scenario.

The Overall Recommendations table will provide recommendations for all repositories included in the report scope.

Report details will provide in-depth forecast information for every repository included in the report scope.

The Overview table will provide an overview for the repository: total capacity, amount of free space (in GB), total number of VMs and type of the backup repository (Windows, Linux or CIFS share).

The Performance Forecast section will show a chart and a details table for the analyzed repository free space resource.

The performance forecast charts will display the following types of data series for the analyzed data collection period:

Trend and its deviation represent free space utilization trend and the 95% confidence interval for it. The upper border of the confidence interval represents the best-case scenario. The lower border of the confidence interval represents the worst-case scenario. The width of the interval between the best and worst-case series depends on the variability of the collected historical performance data (the greater the variability, the wider the interval).
Value represents the historical data for the data collection period (that is, how the amount of repository free space was changing within the analyzed period)
Threshold represents the threshold specified for the amount of free space
Capacity represents the total repository capacity

The performance forecast tables will provide the following details for the free space resource:

Column	Description
Aspect	Name of the analyzed resource (that is, the Free Space (%) resource)
Threshold	Specified threshold value
Prediction	Prediction on whether the free space threshold will be breached within the forecast period. Possible prediction values are: Threshold will be achieved means that the free space threshold will be achieved within the forecast period in both worst- and best-case scenarios. Threshold may be achieved means that only worst-case data series will breach the free space threshold within the forecast period. Threshold will not be achieved means that neither best-case nor worst-case data series will breach the free space threshold within the forecast period. Threshold is achieved means that the trend line has already breached the threshold.
Days Left	Number of days left before the specified free space threshold is breached. The number of days is shown both for the worst-case scenario and best-case scenario.
Metric Forecast	Predicted metric value on the forecast horizon date (that is, at the end of the forecast period). The metric value is shown both for the best-case scenario and worst-case scenario.
Available Resources	Amount of free space on the forecast horizon date (that is, at the end of the forecast period): The amount of free space is calculated as the difference between the specified threshold value and the metric forecast value. Positive values mean that spare resources will be available. Negative values mean that extra resources are required to survive. The values are shown both for the best-case scenario and worst-case scenario.