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iSCSI and backup's traffic on the same switch

Hello all,

I will have a storage system connected via iSCSI and it will be used only for backup's repository. The iSCSI and backup network will be the same (VLANx). I will have 2 x10Gbit pnics.

For iSCSI, i will have iscsi-vmkernel1 assign to vmnic1 and iscsi-vmkernel2 assign to vmnic2, with port binding.

My questions are:

1 - for the backup traffic, on the iscsi/backups distributed switch (by the way, should i use standard or distributed?), i will have to create a port group tagged as VLANx, used for backup traffic and a 3rd vmkernel on each host, for that type of traffic, right?

2 - For iscsi traffic i will have a one to one relation, but beside that, for the port group (VLANx), for backup's, i will have the two uplinks active on the teaming and failover options, right?

Thanks.

Regards.

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daphnissov
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In resume, my questions are:

1 - for the backup transport network, on the iscsi/backup distributed switch i will have to create a port group tagged as VLAN10, used for backup transport and a 3rd vmkernel on each host, with address 192.168.1.x, right? But in this situation i will have more than one vmkernel on the same network (multi-homed), will this work? Or for backup transport it's better have other subnet?

You do not need a third vmkernel port on each host. The backup proxy will need to be connected to a port group tagged for this VLAN11 (not sure why you said 10 above) in order to be on the same L2 as the backup repository (target).

2 - With or with out the same network for iscsi and backup transport, for iscsi traffic i will have a one to one relation, but beside that, for the port group group created for transport backup, i will have the two uplinks active on the teaming and failover options, right?

You will not be able to use your two pNICs on each host to send traffic to the target since those are being used as vmkernel port bounding for iSCSI.

Your proposal doesn't make a lot of sense. If the VMs you wish to protect are not on this iSCSI storage you do not need to have vmkernel ports on the host for your backup proxy to send data to the iSCSI repository. Your backup proxy would just need to be connected to your iSCSI mount either directly through the OS as a block device, or whatever means IBM offers for its software. But there again, I recommend you to consult IBM in some way when it comes to proper architecture. Saying that it is "very similar to Veeam" isn't good enough if you want the best outcome.

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daphnissov
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What product are you using for backup? Generally speaking, the movement of backup data to its repository is done by a data mover which is a function of the backup software.

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Hi daphnissov​,

I will use IBM Spectrum Protect Plus. But the vsnap server will have an network interface on that network (VLANx).

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daphnissov
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I'm not familiar with that product, but I'll give you the similar advice on your other thread:  Using the same network to mix storage traffic types is a bad idea for a number of reasons. Backup traffic should really go on a dedicated network with its own infrastructure (if possible) so as not to create performance or availability problems for your primary storage traffic.

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Hi daphnissov

In my scenario, iscsi and backup network will be the same network, and iscsi storage will be used only for the backup's.

If i put backup traffic on other physical interfaces, i will only have the ones where i have vSAN traffic.  Smiley Happy

What do you suggest?

Thanks.

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daphnissov
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The proper architecture here highly depends on the backup product you're using, and since I'm unfamiliar with that IBM tool I can't recommend the best plan. You may want to thoroughly read their documentation as often times it has architectural recommendations and best practices. This would also be where a partner can come in and help you design it properly for your use case.

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Hi daphnissov​,

IBM Spectrum protect plus is very similar to Veeam.

Imagine the scenario on Veeam Smiley Happy

So:

- If possible i pretend that the iSCSI and backup network (transport) will be the same (e.g VLAN11- 192.168.1.x). I will have 2 x10Gbit pnics.

- I will have a storage system connected via iSCSI and it will be used only for the backup's repository.

- The storage system will be also on VLAN11, with the ip 192.168.1.1

- For iSCSI configuration, i will have iscsi-vmkernel1(192.168.1.2) assign to vmnic1 and iscsi-vmkernel2 (192.168.1.3) assign to vmnic2, with port binding.

- The backup proxy will have an ip on the management network and other ip (for backup transport) on VLAN11, with the ip 192.168.1.4

In resume, my questions are:

1 - for the backup transport network, on the iscsi/backup distributed switch i will have to create a port group tagged as VLAN10, used for backup transport and a 3rd vmkernel on each host, with address 192.168.1.x, right? But in this situation i will have more than one vmkernel on the same network (multi-homed), will this work? Or for backup transport it's better have other subnet?

2 - With or with out the same network for iscsi and backup transport, for iscsi traffic i will have a one to one relation, but beside that, for the port group group created for transport backup, i will have the two uplinks active on the teaming and failover options, right?

Hope this way i can clarify you about my issue Smiley Happy

Thanks again.

Regards

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daphnissov
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In resume, my questions are:

1 - for the backup transport network, on the iscsi/backup distributed switch i will have to create a port group tagged as VLAN10, used for backup transport and a 3rd vmkernel on each host, with address 192.168.1.x, right? But in this situation i will have more than one vmkernel on the same network (multi-homed), will this work? Or for backup transport it's better have other subnet?

You do not need a third vmkernel port on each host. The backup proxy will need to be connected to a port group tagged for this VLAN11 (not sure why you said 10 above) in order to be on the same L2 as the backup repository (target).

2 - With or with out the same network for iscsi and backup transport, for iscsi traffic i will have a one to one relation, but beside that, for the port group group created for transport backup, i will have the two uplinks active on the teaming and failover options, right?

You will not be able to use your two pNICs on each host to send traffic to the target since those are being used as vmkernel port bounding for iSCSI.

Your proposal doesn't make a lot of sense. If the VMs you wish to protect are not on this iSCSI storage you do not need to have vmkernel ports on the host for your backup proxy to send data to the iSCSI repository. Your backup proxy would just need to be connected to your iSCSI mount either directly through the OS as a block device, or whatever means IBM offers for its software. But there again, I recommend you to consult IBM in some way when it comes to proper architecture. Saying that it is "very similar to Veeam" isn't good enough if you want the best outcome.

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daphnissov​,

Thanks for the help. Smiley Happy

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