Veeam customers have come to expect continued innovation and integration with Dell Technologies storage. Veeam customers have benefited from integrated capabilities with Dell EMC Data Domain (2014), Dell EMC VNX/VNXe (2015), Dell EMC Unity (2016), and most recently, Dell EMC SC (2019). Now customers leveraging Dell EMC PowerMax storage may download the new PowerMax Plug-in for Veeam! I’m delighted that this new feature is available as I’ve personally spoken to many of you who have expressed an interest in taking advantage of advanced VMware restore capabilities of Veeam with Dell Technologies enterprise data storage.
What is the Dell EMC PowerMax plug-in for Veeam?
Since 2017, Veeam has launched support for a variety of data center storage companies utilizing the Universal Storage API. This API enables storage companies to leverage advanced integration with Veeam for backup and replication jobs to decrease the impact on production environments and significantly improve RPOs and RTOs for VMware vSphere VMs.
Which Dell EMC PowerMax systems are supported by the plug-in?
The plug-in will require Veeam Backup & Replication v10 and will support Unisphere for PowerMax V9.2.1.6 or later together with the following operating systems:
- Storage systems running PowerMaxOS 5978 or later
This currently includes the following storage systems:
- PowerMax 2000
- PowerMax 8000
- VMAX All-Flash Arrays
Veeam plug-in benefits
There are four advantages that Dell EMC PowerMax storage customers can capitalize on with the storage plug-in including:
Reduced stress on primary storage: Veeam Backup from Storage Snapshots reduces the amount of time a VMware vSphere VM has a snapshot open and moves data from the storage snapshot; affording you the opportunity to back up data at any time of the day while retaining Changed Block Tracking data. You’ll have faster backups and improved RPOs.
More recovery options: Veeam Explorer for Storage Snapshots enables you to restore data (a VMware vSphere VM, file or application item) from a storage snapshot on the array. This can be done when necessary or via a schedule for Dell EMC PowerMax storage.
Effortlessly create storage snapshots: Orchestrate the creation of storage snapshots on primary Dell Technologies PowerMax enterprise storage arrays, reducing complexity within your disaster recovery plans and ensure you have the ability to recover when you need to.
Unleash the power of your data: Veeam Virtual Lab is a powerful tool that can create an On-Demand Sandbox, even from a storage snapshot! With performance equivalent to production workloads, Virtual Lab can save you from unplanned downtime by helping you prepare for and test changes with confidence. From testing a patch for a critical application to implementing the latest system updates, you can easily perform tasks like these leveraging storage snapshots, saving you time during maintenance windows and reducing surprises.
VMware backups with less I/O stress
With the Plug-in for Dell Technologies PowerMax systems, backups can be performed without the pain associated with the removal of a VMware snapshot that has taken some time (especially for a full backup) and can mitigate VM stun.
Data recovery from storage snapshots
By adding the Dell EMC PowerMax Plug-in for Veeam, customers expand recovery capabilities with Veeam Explorer for Storage Snapshots.
This versatile recovery technique will allow a snapshot on the array to drive recoveries without a backup. There are up to eight additional recovery scenarios with the plug-in including:
While Veeam Explorer for Storage Snapshots will provide additional recovery capabilities, it is still strongly recommended to back up to different storage to adhere to the 3-2-1 Rule!
It’s likely you’ve heard Veeam discuss the 3-2-1 Rule in the past. I recommend this as a starting point for resiliency plans. In today’s world, there may be more than three copies in the mix but as a guiding principle, the 3-2-1 Rule is as follows:
- Production data (Copy 1, media 1)
- Back up data on a Veeam repository (Copy 2, media 2)
- Disaster recovery off site (Copy 3, media 3)
This has three different media, so it actually exceeds the criteria. It’s worth mentioning that some believe production data should not be included as a copy in the 3-2-1 Rule. This means of the 2 other copies, the different media is a must-have and the versatility to restore needs to be considered. When I speak with organizations, I see the most critical data sets having four copies when the production data is also included. For more information regarding the 3-2-1 Rule, be sure to check out this recent blog post from Rick Vanover.
Customers employing Dell EMC PowerProtect DD Series appliances or even Dell EMC ECS object storage can easily use Veeam to orchestrate backup, replication, and recovery capabilities to achieve compliance goals.
Customers often value storage integration capabilities for a compounding problem today: recovery from a ransomware attack. Though many of you have used Veeam storage integrations throughout the years to perform recoveries, it is highly recommended to maintain at least one copy of backup data offline, immutable or air-gapped for ransomware resiliency. Veeam offers a variety of verified partners who have tested their S3-compatible object lock solutions so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.
Download the Dell EMC PowerMax Plug-in for Veeam today!
This latest plug-in provides Veeam customers more great ways to back up and enhance recovery options for Dell EMC PowerMax storage. You can find more about Veeam and the storage integration capabilities here.
