Veeam Backup and Replication is much more than just backup. I can prove it because it is in the name of the product. By providing both backup AND replication in a single UI and license users can easily meet SLAs required for different workloads. When we refer to replication we are referring to hypervisor based replication. Replicating data from one virtual host to another virtual host, whether it is in the same data center for a quick migration or part of a DR strategy that requires minimal RTO and RPO.
Veeam also has Backup Copy jobs which is not to be confused with replication. Veeam Replication is meant for workloads that have stringent SLAs that require minimal data loss and quick uptime, whereas Backup Copy jobs is meant for everything else. It takes an exact copy of the backup files on your primary repository and creates a secondary copy to a DR site. This is a great option for workloads that don't require stringent SLAs. It takes all the load off the hypervisor compute resources and puts them on the repositories. In addition, the destination of the Backup Copy job doesn't have to match the source storage repository. This gives users flexibility to leverage existing hardware in their data center and keep total cost of ownership at a minimum. In a DR situation, Veeam can see all the restore points in the secondary site, and run instant VM, VMDK, file, and application recoveries the same way it would if they were in the primary site.
In the case of Data Domains, ExaGrids, StoreOnce, and other deduplication devices, it is common to leverage the hardware replication those products come with instead of Veeam Backup Copy Jobs. Veeam can still leverage these replicas as recovery points by simply rescanning the destination repository. You can right click on the repository and run a rescan and the recovery points will show in the Disk (imported) section giving you all the same recovery options as if Veeam orchestrated it as a Backup Copy Job.
Now, if you are a masochist then manually running that rescan everyday might be fun for you, but there is a simple PowerShell script you can run/schedule, so those recovery points are always waiting for you in a DR scenario.
Get-VBRBackupRepository -Name "Local Repository Test" | Sync-VBRBackupRepositoryIf your target repository is a Veeam Scale-Out Backup Repository then you can run the below PS command.
Sync-VBRSOBREntityState -Repository <VBRScaleOutBackupRepository>There's more though! Much much more! Not only can you do these automagical rescans on backup repositories, but you can also do them on storage arrays. If you're leveraging storage array based replication for an integrated Veeam storage system (NetApp, EMC, and HPE) or one that falls within the Veeam Universal Storage Plug-in then you can rescan the destination storage array and use those snapshots as Veeam recovery points. Much like Veeam replication this is a great use-case for VMs with stringent SLAs. You can perform the same recoveries off the secondary snapshot as you can on the primary storage array. That includes instant VM, file, and application recovery.
And don't worry! If you're not a masochist there is a PS command to run/schedule these rescans for the storage arrays too!
$volume = Get-StoragePluginVolume -Name "VOLUME-01"
Sync-StoragePluginVolume -Volume $volumeIf you have a Veeam integrated storage systems like Nimble, HPE 3Par/Primera EMC Unity/VNX, and NetApp than below are the PS commands.
Nimble:
$volume = Get-NimbleVolume -Name "VOL01"
Sync-NimbleVolume -Volume $volumeHPE:
$storage = Get-HP3Storage -Name "HPE 3PAR StoreServe Storage"
$volume = Get-HP3Volume -Storage $storage
Sync-HP3Volume -Volume $volumeEMC Unity/VNX:
$storage = Get-VNXHost -Name "VNX Storage"
$volume = Get-VNXVolume -Name "VOLUME1" -Host $storage
ync-VNXVolume -Volume $volumeNetApp:
$volume = Get-NetAppVolume -Name "VOL01"
Sync-NetAppVolume -Volume $volumeI've said it before, and I'll say it again. Veeam is much more than just backup. Veeam provides users the capabilities to meet every level of SLA within a single product, license and UI. Not only giving users ease of management, but also enabling users to keep total cost of ownership to a minimum. Below is a helpful diagram illustrating how Veeam can be the data fabric that helps users meet different SLA requirements.
