Storage and backup

[localzuk]

I'm working on a proposal for work that might go ahead this summer and as part of it I am looking at our storage and backup needs.

 

Basically, we currently have about 1.2TB of data, of which half is important and backed up daily/incrementally. The other half is more 'archive' and therefore backed up monthly, with incrementals weekly.

 

We're wanting to move to a properly virtualised system, and as such we want a central storage device of some form. However, there are so many different types, etc... it is making my head spin.

 

Also, we need to sort out a backup solution. At the moment we have a DTD system and it is not as robust as I'd like. Firstly, BackupExec 11d is terrible in my experience - catalogues messing up etc and causing issues.

 

So, I'd like suggestions in this arena too. We have multple buildings, so a DTD system is fine from a data recovery point of view. Also, am I right in thinking that we should go with SAS for the main storage, and then a SATA device for the backup?

 

I'm thinking that I should spec for the data to double within our 4-5 year period of life. So, the main storage device needs, rounding up, 3TB for storage of data and then we would have around 15 VMs running, which I'd give around 100GB per server. So, a further 2TB (again rounding up). So total of around 5TB.

 

What should we be looking at for backup?

[dhicks]

Also, am I right in thinking that we should go with SAS for the main storage, and then a SATA device for the backup?

 

I'd favour spending out (maybe up to £1,000, depending on how many disks you want to connect) on a decent hardware RAID card over spending extra money on faster harddrives - something with a large enough cache to let the disks be used in an efficient manner.

 

What should we be looking at for backup?

 

Slower, cheaper, larger disks will be fine, and there's no point in using hardware RAID. Personally, I'd simply build my own server, but you can buy a server pretty reasonably from Dell without their disks and put your own disks in without voiding your warrenty. For software, I'd use rsync for backups, which allows you to mount backed-up files as read-only file shares - no need for users to come to you for restores, they can simply copy their previous versions of files from the backup server.

[localzuk]

I've thought of getting a Drobo B800i for the backups, with 8x 2TB drives. And for software use BackupAssist, which would come to a total of around £3450.

 

I've got pricing for an Overland Storage solution for the main data, which would have 20x 300GB SAS drives, 10Gbit connectivity and would come to £17350.

 

As I've mentioned before, we prefer solutions which allow us to go to a manufacturer saying 'its broken, fix it' - especially for software. I don't want users to have to do anything to get files back - it isn't their job, its mine. When it comes to backup, the solution must have a support company at the end of a phone line, should I get hit by a big red bus and then that bus crash into our servers...

[plexer]

For my main file servers I am using R1Soft CDP backup software and for other less critical stuff backupassist.

 

One thing I am currently looking at is an 8TB Qnap nas in another building and a copy of backupassist rsync on my windows server that hosts the cdp backup files to make a mirror of it.

 

Ben

[plexer]

Qnap TS-859U-RP+ 8 Bay 8TB NAS Rack Server - Misco.co.uk

 

Running RAID6 with a cold spare disk on hand.

 

My cdp data store is currently running 12 x 750GB RAID6, Hot spare in chassis and 2 cold spares on hand.

 

Ben

[localzuk]

How about one of these? Configurator

 

With 24 x 300GB SAS2 Seagate 15krpm drives, 12GB RAM, and one of the L5640 CPUs (as they're lower power), also a 10GBps network card. Comes to £14916.

 

Or, with 12 x 600GB SAS2 Seagate 10krpm drives, and the same spec above, comes to £9928.

 

What do people think?

[plexer]

I get £14378 with 5 year 4 hour warranty.

 

Ben

[tonyd]

Nice hardware, but how about running Microsoft Data Protection Manager, Microsoft System Center: Data Protection Manager instead. This can be used to keep LIVE synchronised copies of the other servers on its disks and then also to back them to tape as required. This works not only for file server but also application servers too, e.g. web servers, exchange and SIMS. Normally it is very expensive to implement, licenses cost thousands £££, but under schools EES licenses I believe it is less than £100! More details and pricing here - Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2010 | Microsoft | Products | ... discounted software for education establishments

[gshaw]

We're going for an HP DL180 G6 server with 2TB SATA HDs on it then using a mix of Veeam to do VMWare backups (nightly) and then once that's settled in DPM on top to give the continuous protection. Stack up with as many drives as you like and away you go

 

DPM is very good value for money on EES so well worth looking at, only caveat being if you're a VMWare shop you still need something to backup VMDKs

[localzuk]

Right, for our backup we're going with a QNAP TS-589 Pro+ Turbo, with 8 x 2TB SATA 7200rpm drives, plus BackupAssist to do the work.

 

Should give us about 13TB of backup space.

[plexer]

What drives come in that as standard?

 

Ben

[localzuk]

What drives come in that as standard?

 

Ben

 

None. Its an empty unit, with 8 trays.

[plexer]

Pieter Viljoen's Blog: Data Robotics DroboPro vs. QNAP TS-859 Pro

 

Interesting read.

 

Ben

[plexer]

None. Its an empty unit, with 8 trays.

 

Ok you can buy it with drives as well.

 

Ben

[plexer]

What drives are you planning on getting.

 

Ben

[localzuk]

Going for WD Caviar Green WD20EARS 2TB drives - being a bit green, as we don't need a massive amount of performance. They're neither the fastest or the slowest, but come in at a reasonable price.

 

We could've gone for their Black range, for about a 25% increase in speed but for double the money.

Edited May 5, 2011 by localzuk

[Arthur]

You do know WDs Caviar Green drives are on QNAP's "Not Recommended" list don't you?

 

These hard disk drives have passed QNAP lab's initial verification of compatibility. However, because many users have reported unstable experience with these hard disk drives, we do not recommend using these had disk drives with QNAP products. (Source)

[localzuk]

You do know WDs Caviar Green drives are on QNAP's "Not Recommended" list don't you?

 

Oh drat! Missed that bit! There's always something isn't there?

[dhicks]

However, because many users have reported unstable experience with these hard disk drives, we do not recommend using these had disk drives with QNAP products.

 

We have a 2U, 8-bay QNAP server with those 2TB WD Caviar Green drives in, I don't think there's been any problems with them (certianly they all seemed to format and get set up okay). The server is used for daily backups of our file servers, Exchange server and SQL server via BackupExec - it seems to have been running fine for the past 6 months or so. I have two of those drives in my home server which has been running non-stop for about half a year, and again, no problems.