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Adding backup storage

These procedures apply to Unitrends virtual systems only. After initial deployment and setup, you can add more storage as needed. Add the storage via the host (added disk) or allocate space on an external storage array (SAN or NAS). Then use the existing backup device to include the new disk (recommended) or add a separate backup storage area.

It is a best practice to add storage in the same manner as the initial backup storage you created during deployment. We recommend expanding storage for best performance, but you can also add a separate area of roughly the same size if necessary.

See the following topics for details on adding backup storage:

ClosedRecommendations for adding backup storage

Use these recommendations when setting up all Unitrends Backup storage that you will add to the Unitrends Backup appliance:

• It is strongly recommended that all Unitrends Backup storage is either direct attached storage (DAS, internal to the hypervisor) or resides on one external storage array.

Warning!     If you configure storage across multiple arrays and one becomes unavailable, all backup data is corrupted, resulting in total data loss.

• It is recommended to use DAS, internal to the host, or leverage SAN or NAS storage by connecting the external array to the host.
– You can create VHD(X) or VMDK disks on storage internal to the host (DAS).
– You can connect a SAN LUN on the array to the host and expose it to the Unitrends Backup. You can then add the entire LUN to Unitrends Backup or create VHD(X) or VMDK disks on the LUN and expose the disks to the Unitrends Backup.
– You can connect a NAS share to the host over the NFS protocol to create VHD(X) or VDMK disks.
• Although it is possible to attach external storage directly to the Unitrends Backup appliance, this is not recommended. If you must connect external storage to the Unitrends Backup directly through network protocols (CIFS, NFS, iSCSI), make sure to use a supported vendor from the list in KB 3350.
• Storage should be dedicated to the Unitrends Backup VM and not shared by other virtual machines, applications, etc.
– If using an external SAN or NAS storage array, the shares or LUNs used by the Unitrends Backup VM should be dedicated to that Unitrends Backup VM.
– If the Unitrends Backup VM is deployed on a host in a cluster configuration, the Unitrends Backup VM should use a dedicated NAS share or SAN LUN.
• For best performance with SAN storage, use a thickly provisioned LUN. For Hyper-V, use a fixed size VHD(X).
• As you add storage, add resources to the Unitrends Backup virtual machine, such as CPU and memory.
ClosedExamples of expanding storage

If additional backup storage is needed, we recommend expanding your initial backup storage to include the newly allocated space.

Note:  Unitrends Backup appliance backup storage can only be expanded across new disks. To expand the existing backup storage you must add a new virtual disk. Expanding an existing disk or growing a SAN volume is not supported.

Once storage is expanded in the appliance's Administrator Interface (AI), the LVM treats the original disk and added disks as one larger data volume.

Following are expanding storage examples. For instructions on expanding storage in the Unitrends AI, see To expand a backup device.

• If expanding storage on DAS, add a new VHD(X) or VMDK using the same volume or datastore selected for the initial backup storage and then use the appliance's AI to expand existing storage to include the new disk.
• If expanding storage on a NAS connected to the host, add a new VHD(X) or VMDK to a share on the NAS and then use the appliance's AI to expand existing storage to include the new disk.
• If expanding storage on a SAN connected to the host, addd a new (VHD(X) or VMDK to a LUN on the SAN and then use the appliance's AI to expand existing storage to include a new disk.
ClosedExamples of adding storage

If expanding storage is not an option or you need to create a distinct storage area, you can add storage to your appliance. Storage added to the appliance (rather than expanded) is treated as a separate storage area. This approach allows you to set up backups to write to a user-specified device.

We recommend adding storage in the same manner the initial backup storage was created. If an external NAS or SAN storage array was used, either directly or through the host, we recommend using the same storage array for all additional backup storage.

If you must attach directly to the Unitrends Backup VM rather than through the hypervisor, storage expansion through the Administrator Interface is not supported. Use the procedure To add backup storage and create a new device instead.

Note:  If you wish to use replication and deduplication, your backup storage devices must be at least 128GB.

Following are examples for adding a new storage device. For instructions on adding a storage device in the Unitrends AI, see To add backup storage and create a new device.

• DAS or external storage attached to the host:

Create a VHD(X) or VMDK on the DAS, NAS, or SAN storage array. In the Add Backup Storage dialog in the AI, click Create a separate storage area for an alternate backup device and select the type Added Disk. Select the disk you wish to add.

• External storage attached to the Unitrends Backup appliance:
– Allocate additional space on the NAS. In the Add Backup Storage dialog in the AI, click Create a separate storage area for an alternate backup device and select the type NAS. Enter the IP address of the NAS and other required information.
– Allocate additional storage space on the SAN. In the Add Backup Storage dialog in the AI, click Create a separate storage area for an alternate backup device and select the type iSCSI. Enter the IP address of the SAN and other required information.
ClosedTo expand a backup device

Expansion is supported on Unitrends Backup deployments.

If you must attach directly to the Unitrends Backup VM rather than through the hypervisor, storage expansion through the Administrator Interface is not supported. Use the procedure To add backup storage and create a new device instead.

Warning!     Once you add a disk to the datastore and expand storage, that disk is added to a logical volume. The newly added disk and any existing disks are then treated as one disk by the system. You cannot remove the disk once it has been added. Removing a disk after expanding storage results in data loss and corruption.

1 Verify that no backups are running. If backups are running, either cancel them or wait until they complete.

If you attempt to add storage while backups are running, the Administrator Interface displays the following message: A storage expansion cannot take place while backups are queued or running.

2 Add storage in one of the following ways:
• For direct attached storage (DAS), add a new VHD(X) or VMDK using the same volume or datastore selected for the initial backup storage.
• For NAS storage connected to the host, add a new VHD(X) or VDMK to a share on the NAS and expose it to the hypervisor.
• For SAN storage connected to the host, add a new VHD(X) or VMDK to a LUN on the SAN and expose it to the hypervisor.
• For instructions on creating and adding a VMDK disk, see one of the following VMware documents:
– vSphere 5.1: Create a Virtual Disk in vSphere Client 5.1
– vSphere 5.5: Create a Virtual Disk in vSphere Client 5.5
– vSphere 6: Create a Virtual Disk in vSphere Client 6
• For instructions on creating and adding a VHD(x) disk, see the following Microsoft documents:
– To create a virtual hard disk
– To add a hard disk to a virtual machine
3 In the Unitrends system, select Settings > Storage and Retention > Storage.
4 Click Add Backup Storage.
5 Choose Expand your backup device across added disks, then click Confirm.
• The Expand Storage page shows the current size of the default internal storage pool.
• If you have not yet added a datastore or volume, you may click Show Steps for Adding Additional Storage for detailed instructions. You must go to your hypervisor and add the datastore or volume before expanding storage.
6 Click Expand Storage.

The system expands storage on the default device to include the disk you created on the datastore or volume. The default device is D2DBackups, unless you’ve configured a different one.

7 When storage expansion is complete, the current size of the storage pool is updated to reflect the expansion.

95% of the disk you added is allocated for backup/replication storage. 5% of the expanded storage, up to 2GB, is allocated for swap space.

8 Click Confirm to exit.
ClosedTo add backup storage and create a new device

Use this procedure to add storage and a new backup device. For best results, all backup devices should be of similar size. (To add storage to an existing device, see To expand a backup device.)

Warning!     It is strongly recommended that all Unitrends Backup storage is either direct attached storage (DAS, internal to the hypervisor) or resides on one external storage array. If you configure storage across multiple storage arrays and one becomes unavailable, all backup data is corrupted, resulting in total data loss.

1 Select Settings > Storage and Retention > Storage.
2 Click Add Backup Storage.
3 Choose Create a separate storage area for an alternate backup device, then click Confirm.
4 Enter a name for the storage being configured in the Storage Name field.

Note:  Storage connected using the NFS, CIFS, or iSCSI protocols must not contain spaces in the name.

5 Select the storage Type and continue to Configuring storage

Note:  If you have attached a NAS or SAN through the hypervisor, select the Added Disk type. Unitrends Backup treats all storage attached through the hypervisor as internal storage.