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Veeam Recovery Orchestrator to failover VMs with inguest iSCSI

  • 9 February 2024
  • 9 comments
  • 112 views

Hi All, 

 

  • We are looking to understand the capabilities of Veeam RO and how it can assist with DR. 
  • We have 2 x VMware Virtual Machines that are Windows SQL Servers
    • Storage for VMs OS Disks is on VMware VMFS Datastores presented via NFS from NetApp
    • These form a SQL Cluster
    • Storage for SQL Data Shared Disks is presented via iSCSI to the VMs (In-guest iSCSI) via the Microsoft iSCSI Imitator so both VMs can see the same storage.
  1. We want to configure DR for this cluster with Veeam RO
  2. What is the best way to achieve this with vRO?

Thanks, 

9 comments

Rick Vanover
Userlevel 7
Badge +10

Ah good one. 

On the in-guest iSCSI, this is not supported by Veeam Backup & Replication (which Veeam Recovery Orchestrator “orchestrates”), so the Veeam Agents would have to be used. 

 

The Veeam Recovery Orchestrator product does support orchestration of Veeam Agent backups, but the ‘target’ would not be in-guest iSCSI volumes I believe without scripting.

 

I’d want to know about the DR site, did you intent to do in-guest iSCSI there?

Twitter @RickVanover | Email: rick.vanover@veeam.com
Chris.Childerhose
Userlevel 7
Badge +21

@Madi.Cristil @safiya -- should we move this to the VRO board now that we have one?  Might get better help as well. 😁

Chris Childerhose - VMCA2024 | VMCE2023 | Veeam Vanguard 7* | Veeam Legend 4* | vExpert 5* | VCAP-DCV/VCP-DCV | Object First Ace | Cisco Champion | Twitter: @cchilderhose | Blog Site – https://just-virtualization.tech
Rick Vanover
Userlevel 7
Badge +10

Good shout since it is a discussion about a specific product. Done!

Twitter @RickVanover | Email: rick.vanover@veeam.com
M
Userlevel 3

@Rick Vanover thanks for the reply, thats interesting to know. So if we have a VM we need to backup with the agent, that VM can never be protected with vRO?


Regarding the scenario, we have some VMs that need in-guest iSCSI and so need to understand how we can DR those and with this particular workload - SQL, in production site these are 2 SQL VMs in a cluster (Not AAG, more basic with in-guest iSCSI), so the plan would be to DR them both so they can both come up in DR as the same SQL Cluster with in-guest iSCSI from the NetApp in DR site.

coolsport00
Userlevel 7
Badge +19

Ah good one. 

On the in-guest iSCSI, this is not supported by Veeam Backup & Replication (which Veeam Recovery Orchestrator “orchestrates”), so the Veeam Agents would have to be used. 

 

The Veeam Recovery Orchestrator product does support orchestration of Veeam Agent backups, but the ‘target’ would not be in-guest iSCSI volumes I believe without scripting.

 

I’d want to know about the DR site, did you intent to do in-guest iSCSI there?

Good info...good to know. Thanks Rick!

Shane Williford - Veeam VMCA/VMCE | Veeam Legend | VUG Leader | VCP-DCV | Twitter: @coolsport00
Rick Vanover
Userlevel 7
Badge +10

VRO can protect both Agent-based Veeam backups and VM-based Veeam Backups (VMware only).

 

It would be just two different plans:

 

-One or more plans of ‘regular’ VMs (Non-iSCSI guesting)

-One or more plans of Agent-based backups of these VMs with in-guest iSCSI

Twitter @RickVanover | Email: rick.vanover@veeam.com
M
Userlevel 3

Ok thats good to know as these are VMware VMs so looks like we are all ok to protect the inguest iSCSI Agent backed up VMs. 

M
Userlevel 3

Thanks @Rick Vanover 

 

  • So in production, the NetApp presents iSCSI storage to the 2 x VMware VMs and they then online that MS iSCSI initiator in the VM. 
  • If we then protect those 2 VMs with vRO, they will replicate to the DR site and create VM Replicas in the vCenter on that DR Site.
  • In DR, there is also a NetApp, So could we then present iSCSI Storage from the DR NetApp to the 2 x Replica VMs, login to them, online the inguest iSCSI Storage, so that if we need to failover the prod VMs, the iSCSI Storage will be there ready?
Rick Vanover
Userlevel 7
Badge +10

Hey @MM599 → for your question, “In DR, there is also a NetApp, So could we then present iSCSI Storage from the DR NetApp to the 2 x Replica VMs, login to them, online the inguest iSCSI Storage, so that if we need to failover the prod VMs, the iSCSI Storage will be there ready?”

 

I believe the target would be  without in-guest iSCSI. However, I highly recommend the following two important things:

  • Do a proof of concept (if you are not already).
  • Contact your Veeam technical expert either from your reseller partner or part of the Veeam team to your territory.

I love the Veeam Recovery Orchestrator product, but it can be seen as the most complicated offering in the Veeam Data Platform. I recommend you get the account team involved.

Twitter @RickVanover | Email: rick.vanover@veeam.com

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