Backup Repositories

Secure storage of backups is crucial today. It is important to ensure that our backups are not deleted or corrupted. We will explore the possibilities of Immutable Backups. We need a Storage System that supports Immutability. This can be a cloud service, hardware device, or software (for example a Linux server acting as a Hardened Repository). In Veeam, we will create a Backup Repository from it with activated Immutability.

This article is about Veeam Hardened Repository. That is, a repository that supports Immutability. It is built on a server with a Linux operating system and storage space. We will practically describe the deployment of Managed Hardened Repository and its use for storing backups. This means that we will use Veeam Hardened Repository ISO for installation. For simplicity (this is for testing) we will use a virtual machine in a VMware environment.

Object storage is the youngest type of storage. They are often offered as a cloud service, but they can also be operated on-premises (as a special appliance or software on a server). In this article, we will look at a comparison of the main features with block and file storage. We will also discuss the general features and principles of object storage. A large representative of this type of storage is Amazon S3, which defines an interface for accessing the S3 REST API. Many manufacturers support this API and their solutions are referred to as S3 Compatible Storage / S3 Object Storage.

NetApp ONTAP supports a combination of file, block, and object protocols. We can operate object storage with access using the S3 API. Within an ONTAP cluster, we can configure and manage an S3 (Simple Storage Service) Object Storage Server that works with data as S3 objects. Management is traditionally possible using ONTAP System Manager or ONTAP CLI.

This article deals with the use of Object Storage as a primary backup repository. It can also be used to store a secondary backup copy. The goal is to use the immutability property of object storage to secure backed up data against Ransomware, etc. In practice, we will describe two variants. The first is when the object storage is S3 compatible (in our case NetApp ONTAP). And the second is Microsoft Azure Blob Storage (Storage account).

Wasabi is a Cloud Object Storage service, fully compatible with Amazon S3. It offers attractive pricing and simple operation. In Veeam Backup & Replication we can use it as a Backup Repository for direct storage of backups (primary copy / Performance Tier) or secondary copy (Backup Copy / Capacity Tier). Veeam has direct support for Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, but we can also work with it as S3 Compatible Object Storage. Support for Immutability is included as standard for protecting backups against Ransomware.

Object storage systems are significantly different from traditional file storage. The way Veeam Backup & Replication works with them is also different in many details. It starts with how individual Restore Points are stored. Working with metadata, using Checkpoints, is essential. It continues with the way Retention Policy is applied and merging backups into a full backup. And it ends with setting and extending Immutability. More recovery points are stored on object storage than specified by retention. In the introduction, we will review the basic terms. At the end, we will look at the structure of data (backups) on object storage.

Today, reliable data backup is absolutely essential. At the same time, we must understand that the storage for backups must be modern, fast, secure, and always available. Security applies both to the storage system itself and to the data it holds. Data must be encrypted and immutable to resist even the sophisticated cyberattacks. In this article, we will explore various on-premises solutions for primary backup storage that meet these requirements. We will focus on their features, compare them, and discuss their use in Veeam Backup & Replication environments (although these storage solutions can be used with other tools as well).

The upcoming version of Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR) 13 brings a number of new features. Among other things, the ability to run it on Linux in the form of Veeam Software Appliance. In this article, we will briefly look at the new installation ISO with Just Enough OS (JeOS), which can be used to deploy various Veeam roles. We will focus on Veeam managed Hardened Repository (VHR). We will show the installation process and adding this repository to the Veeam Backup Server.

One of the supported immutable storage options in Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR) is Hardened Repository (VHR). We will look at the properties and functions of VHR. We will focus on the variant where we install VHR from the ISO provided by Veeam, thereby obtaining a Managed VHR. We will describe how Immutability is set up and managed on backups (files), how the XFS file system is used, and what services run on the server.

One of the supported Immutable Storage options in Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR) is Hardened Repository (VHR). Veeam has been offering Managed VHR for some time, which is installed from the Veeam Hardened Repository ISO. We'll take a practical look at configuring an HPE ProLiant DL380 G11 server for the Hardened Repository function and installation from VHR ISO 2.0. The server is equipped with NVMe SSD drives and redundantly connected to the network using PortChannel (LACP). For installation, we'll use HPE iLO (Integrated Lights-Out) remote management.

In the previous part, we focused on configuring the HPE ProLiant DL380 G11 server and installing the managed Veeam Hardened Repository (VHR) from VHR ISO 2.0. The goal is to obtain backup storage for Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR) that supports Immutability. In this part, we will look at adding the Hardened Backup Repository to VBR and using it for secure backup storage. We will show how to create a backup job, obtain information about immutability on backups, copy backup files, and also the option to move existing backups to the Hardened Repository.

The final part of the series dedicated to managed Veeam Hardened Repository (VHR) installed from VHR ISO 2.0 and the use of Immutable Repository in Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR). In this part, we will show practical tests confirming that immutable files cannot be deleted, we will look at selected information via SSH on the server, and perform simple performance tests. At the end, we will provide a brief summary.