Veeam Backup & Replication

Sizing Best Practices

Jordi Bombardo
Systems Engineer
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 Main Veeam® Backup & 1 Backup server
Replication™ components
2 Database server

Agenda Sizing the major components 3 Proxy server

4 Repository server
Laws of physics Veeam Backup
5
Enterprise Manager

Takeaways 6 Combo servers

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 Main components Veeam Backup & Replication

1. Veeam backup server

2
2. Database server(s)
1
3. Proxy server
4. Repository server
4
5. Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager
6. Combo server (proxy + repository)
3
6

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 Main components Information required for sizing

1. How much source data in TB?

2. How many VMs / servers need
to be protected? (Optional: Number of disks?)
3. What is the backup window in hours?
4. What is the daily change rate in %?
(5% optimistic-10% conservative)

5. What is the required retention scheme?

(Optional: What is the set RPO / RTO values?)

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 Main components Customer example:

1. Source data in TB = 260 TB

2. Number VMs / servers = 2,000 VMs

3. Backup window = 8 hours

4. Daily change rate = 10%

5. Retention scheme On site: 14 days

Off site: 14 days

4 weeks
6 months

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 Backup server How to size
Max number of *concurrent* jobs
• 1 CPU core for every 10 actively running jobs at its
busiest

Max number of *concurrent* jobs

• 512 MB for every actively running job
at its busiest

Space usage
• Logs: 3 GB for every 100 VMs that back
up once per day
• Working space for indexing: 100 MB /
1 million files on Windows, 50 MB / 1 million files
on Linux
• Indexing post-processing: 2 MB / 1 million files
(compressed)

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 Backup server Tips for sizing

1. Size Veeam Backup & Replication server last

or at least after discussing how to build jobs
2. Number of jobs = concurrent jobs
3. Staggering start times can reduce load
on backup server
4. Don’t use backup server for other tasks
(except maybe SQL)
Recommended default:

4 8 60

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 Backup server Customer example calculation
Input values:
• 2,000 VMs
• Per-VM backup
• Retention
• Short: 14 days (backup job)
• Long: 14 days / 4 weeks / 6 months (Backup Copy Job)
• Backup window: 8 hours

2,000 VMs
= 8 jobs * 512 MB = 4,096 MB
250 VMs
Per-VM job
8 Jobs
= 1 core
10 Jobs
concurrent
Veeam backup server

4 8 60
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 Database server How to size
Max number of *concurrent* jobs
• 2 CPU core for every 25 concurrent jobs

Max number of *concurrent* jobs

• 4 GB for every 25 concurrent jobs

Space usage
• Most databases are in the single digits of GBs
in size, but can be up to 25 GB in size under
certain circumstances

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 Database server Tips for sizing
1. What is in there?
• Transaction history takes up the most room. Lots
of small jobs that run frequently will consume more space
than large jobs that run daily.

2. When / why to go to full SQL?

• Each Instance uses only up to 1 GB of RAM
• Each Instance uses only up to 4 cores of the first CPU
• Database size cannot exceed 10 GB

3. Microsoft SQL Standard / Enterprise?

• When protecting more than 500 VMs
• When using files to tape jobs extensively
• When unable to configure an external staging server
• When databases are using advanced features
of Microsoft SQL Server
Recommended default:

or or

2 4 2-10
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 Database server Customer example calculation
Input values:
• 2,000 VMs
• Per-VM backup
• 8 backup jobs & 8 Backup Copy Jobs

2,000 VMs > 500 VMs = MS SQL Standard

8 jobs < 25 concurrent jobs = 2 core & 4 GB

concurrent

Recommended default:

2 4 2-10

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 Proxy server Proxy types
Version 10 added new integration for backup proxies, primarily the
ability to now use virtual machines running Linux distributions that can
be leveraged for backups.
Linux server:
Functions as a data mover for source read operations
Same recommendations for sizing as Windows Servers

Requirements and limitations

Limited to Virtual Appliance (Hot-Add) transport mode

Recommended default:

4 8 40

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 Proxy server Proxy types
Nutanix proxy:
• Added integration with Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
• Backup VMs residing on a Nutanix AHV cluster
• Virtual module that acts as a coordinator between the AHV cluster
and the Veeam Backup & Replication server on the other
• Add Nutanix proxy from Veeam Backup & Replication console

Web console of AHV Backup Proxy

Backup server

AHV Backup Proxy

Nutanix AHV Veeam
Plug-in Backup & Replication
server
Veeam
Data Mover

Veeam Backup
Data Mover repository

Nutanix AHV cluster

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 Proxy server How to size
Per task (VMDK)
• 1 CPU core for every task
• ~100 MB/s process speed (full backup)
• ~25 MB/s process speed (incremental backup)

Per task (VMDK)

• 2 GB for every task (1 GB Nutanix proxy)

Source data in MB
= MB/s throughput needed
Backup window in seconds

MB/s throughput needed

= Cores needed
Average process speed

Cores needed * GB per task = required memory in GB

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 Proxy server Tips for sizing
1. Doing higher compression will require more
resources.

2. If the underlying infrastructure can’t support

high throughput, building compute-dense
proxies will lead to underutilization.

3. Large VMDKs cannot be processed

by multiple proxies!

Recommended default: Recommended default:

or
4 8 40 20 128 100

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 Proxy server Customer example calculation
Input values:
• 260 TB source data
• Per-VM backup
• Backup window: 8 hours
• 10% daily change rate

Full backup
260 TB * 1,024 * 1,024
= 9,467 MB/s throughput needed
8 hours * 60 * 60

9,467 MB/s
= 95 cores needed
100 MB/s

95 cores * 2 GB per task = 190 GB

95 / 20 = 5 physical proxies with 20 cores and 40 GB memory

or
95 / 4 = 24 virtual proxies with 4 cores and 8 GB memory

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 Proxy server Customer example calculation
Input values:
• 260 TB source data
• Per-VM backup
• Backup window: 8 hours
• 10% daily change rate

Incremental backup
(260 TB*10%) * 1,024 * 1,024
= 947 MB/s throughput needed
8 hours * 60 * 60

947 MB/s
= 38 cores needed
25 MB/s

38 cores * 2 GB per task = 76 GB

38 / 20 = 2 physical proxies with 20 cores and 40 GB memory

or
38 / 4 = 10 virtual proxies with 4 cores and 8 GB memory

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 Repository server How to size
Per task (VM or job)
• 1 CPU core for every task

Per task (VM or job)

• 4 GB for every task

Space usage
• Calculated based off retention points and
backup method used

Synthetic
Full backup Full backup full backup Full backup
Incremental backups Reverse incremental backups
Incremental backups

.vbk .vib .vib .vib .vib .vib .vib .vbk .vib .vib .vib .vbk .vib .vib .vrb .vrb .vrb .vrb .vrb .vrb .vbk

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

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 Repository server How to size
Space usage
• Calculated based off retention points and
backup method used
Backup job
Source data in TB
= Full backup in TB
50% data reduction
Source data in TB * Daily
change rate in percentage
= Incremental
50% data reduction backup in TB

(Full * 1) + (Incremental * (RPS -1)) + Workspace = Total capacity

needed
Backup or copy job with GFS
(Full * 1) + (Incremental * (RPS -1)) = Capacity days
Capacity days + (Full * (Weeks + Months + Years)) + Workspace =
Total capacity
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 Repository server How to size
Workspace is needed for:
• Occasionally running a manual full
• Filling a filesystem 100% is a bad practice
• Backup process needs housekeeping space

Workspace
Source data in TB

* * * * *
1.05 0.66 0.4 0.25 0.10

0-10 TB 10-20 TB 20-100 TB 100-500 TB >500 TB

Source data in TB * Data reduction % * Bucket multiplier

https://rps.dewin.me

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 Repository server Tips for sizing
1. Workspace is crucial

2. Repository tasks receive multiple

incoming streams per VM (job), perform
dedupe and compression, and write to
single file, so what is written to disk is
less data than the incoming connection

3. When sizing repositories, underlying

storage is typically the bottleneck!
• RAID configuration
• SAN connection
• NFS connection

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 Repository server Tips for sizing
4. For SMB / dedupe repositories with
automatic selection, the mount server can
become a bottleneck. Creating multiple
repositories can balance the load
• Automatic / manual gateway
• Mount server operations

Recommended default:

20 128 100 xx TB

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 Repository server Fast Clone
Fast Clone is spaceless full backup technology
brought by the advanced ReFS and XFS
integration and allows multiple full backups on
disk to share the same data blocks. Data blocks
are copied only when files are modified.

• Increases the speed of synthetic backup

creation and transformation

• Reduces disk space requirements

• Decreases the load on storage devices

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 Repository server Fast Clone
Requirements for Windows and SMB repositories:
• OS is Microsoft Windows Server 2016 (and later) or
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro for Workstations
• Filesystem is ReFS 3.1 (or later)
• Windows Deduplication Role must be disabled
• 64K block size recommended

SMB:
• SMB 3.1.1
• FSCTL_DUPLICATE_EXTENTS_TO_FILE
• FSCTL_SET_INTEGRITY_INFORMATION

Requirements for Linux repositories:

• Linux distribution has the reflink kernel module
• Supported distributions: Ubuntu 18.0.4 or later
• Filesystem is XFS
• Cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is enabled
• Minimum supported data block size is 1 KB; maximum is 4 KB

XFS volume format string:

mkfs.xfs -b size=4096 -m reflink=1,crc=1 /dev/sda1

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 Repository server Customer example

Scale-out Backup Repository™

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 Repository server Customer example calculation
Input values:
• 260 TB source data
• Retention
• On site: 14 days
• Off site: 14 days / 4 weeks / 6 months
• Daily change rate 10%

On site:
260 TB
= 130 TB (Full)
50% data reduction
260 TB * 10%
= 13 TB (Incremental)
50% data reduction

(130 * 1) + (13 * (14 -1)) + 44.55 = 343.55 TB

Off site (object storage):

(130 * 1) + (13 * (14 - 1)) = 299 TB

299 TB + (13TB * (4w + 6m)) = 429 TB Min*

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 Repository server Customer example calculation
Workspace
260 TB

* * * * *
1.05 0.66 0.4 0.25 0.10
0-10 TB 10-20 TB 20-100 TB 100-500 TB >500 TB

Source data in TB * Data reduction % * Bucket multiplier

10 * 0.5 * 1.05 = 5.25 TB
10 * 0.5 * 0.66 = 3.30 TB
80 * 0.5 * 0.40 = 16.00 TB
160 * 0.5 * 0.25 = 20.00 TB

260 = 44.55 TB workspace

299 TB (backup job) + 44.55 (workspace) = 343.55 TB

Repository server (on site)

2x +
20 128 100 250 TB
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 Veeam Backup
Enterprise Manager How to size
Minimum system requirements: 1 core for
Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager services
• Depends on how much it’s leveraged!

Minimum system requirements 4 GB RAM

for Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager
services
• Depends on how much it’s leveraged!

Space usage
• Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager holds
a copy of the index data from all
managed backup servers

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 Veeam Backup
Enterprise Manager Tips for sizing
1. Going to leverage APIs?
2. Large environment with multiple Veeam
Backup & Replication servers?
3. Self-service extensively used?
4. Monitor Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager
for resource use and adjust when needed

Recommended default:

2 4 40

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 Veeam Backup
Enterprise Manager Customer example calculation
Input values:
• 2,000 VMs
• Per-VM backup
• Retention
• Short: 14 days (backup job)
• Long: 14 days / 4 weeks / 6 months (Backup Copy Job)
• Backup window: 8 hours

Leverage API Yes / No? > Unknown

Multiple Veeam Backup & Replication servers? > No
Self-service used? > Unknown

Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager

2 4 40
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 Combo server Tips for sizing

1. Don’t we just add them up?

2. Proxy tasks are per VMDK. Repositories are
per VM / job.
3. Proxies are more CPU-intensive. Repositories
are memory-intensive.
4. 1 core / 4 GB RAM works well for average
environments.

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 Management Customer example summary
Source Data 260 TB Daily Change Rate 10 %
VMs 2000 # Retention Short 14d RPS
Backup Window 8 Hours Retention Long 14d/4w/6m RPS (GFS)

Veeam backup server Repository + Proxy server

+
4 8 60 20 128 100 250 TB

Veeam Backup Enterprise

Manager Repository + Proxy server
+
2 4 40 20 128 100 250 TB

Added to database server

Object Storage
S3 Compatible
2 4 2-10
429 TB

Scale-out
Backup
Repository

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 Data I/O path Laws of physics

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 Data I/O path Laws of physics
How long will it take to transfer 10 TB
of data over a 10 Gbps link?
10 TB = 10 * 1,024 (GB) * 1,024 (MB) = 10,485,760 MB

10,485,760 MB / 900 MB/s = 11,651 seconds

11,651 seconds / 60 seconds = 195 minutes

195 minutes / 60 minutes = 3 hours 15 minutes

Network Physical Interface Speed Theoretical Maximum Field Experience

Ethernet 1 Gb/s 125 MB/s 90 MB/s
Ethernet 10 Gb/s 1250 MB/s 900 MB/s
Ethernet 40 Gb/s 5000 MB/s 3600 MB/s
Ethernet 100 Gb/s 12500 MB/s 9000 MB/s
FC 8 Gb/s 800 MB/s 800 MB/s
FC 16 Gb/s 1600 MB/s 1600 MB/s
FC 32 Gb/s 3200 MB/s 3200 MB/s

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Takeaways
1 These numbers are based on numbers from the field!

2 Refer to Best Practices Guide -> veeambp.com

3 Keep the laws of physics in mind!

Understanding the underlying infrastructures key to estimating

4
the correct amount of resources needed!

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