Testing Your Setup by Using Veritas Backup Exec - AWS Storage Gateway
Configuring Storage in Backup Exec Importing a Tape in Backup Exec Writing Data to a Tape in Backup ExecArchiving a Tape Using Backup ExecRestoring Data from a Tape Archived in Backup Exec Deactivating a Tape Drive in Backup Exec

Testing Your Setup by Using Veritas Backup Exec

You can back up your data to virtual tapes, archive the tapes, and manage your virtual tape library (VTL) devices by using Veritas Backup Exec. In this topic, you can find basic documentation needed to perform backup and restore operations using the following versions of Backup Exec:

  • Veritas Backup Exec 2014

  • Veritas Backup Exec 15

  • Veritas Backup Exec 16

  • Veritas Backup Exec 20.x

  • Veritas Backup Exec 22.x

The procedure for using these versions of Backup Exec with a Tape Gateway is the same. See the Veritas support website for detailed information about how to use Backup Exec, including how to create secure backups with Backup Exec, software and hardware compatibility lists, and administrator guides for Backup Exec.

For more information about supported backup applications, see Supported third-party backup applications for a Tape Gateway.

Configuring Storage in Backup Exec

After you have connected the virtual tape library (VTL) devices to the Windows client, you configure Backup Exec storage to recognize your devices. For information about how to connect VTL devices to the Windows client, see Connecting your VTL devices.

To configure storage

  1. Start the Backup Exec software, and then choose the yellow icon in top-left corner on the toolbar.

  2. Choose Configuration and Settings, and then choose Backup Exec Services to open the Backup Exec Service Manager.

  3. Choose Restart All Services. Backup Exec then recognizes the VTL devices (that is, the medium changer and tape drives). The restart process might take a few minutes.

    Note

    Tape Gateway provides 10 tape drives. However, your Backup Exec license agreement might require your backup application to work with fewer than 10 tape drives. In that case, you must deactivate tape drives in the Backup Exec robotic library to leave only the number of tape drives allowed by your license agreement actuvated. For instructions, see Deactivating a Tape Drive in Backup Exec .

  4. After the restart is completed, close the Backup Exec Service Manager.

Importing a Tape in Backup Exec

You are now ready to import a tape from your gateway into a slot.

  1. Choose the Storage tab, and then expand the Robotic library tree to display the VTL devices.

    Important

    Veritas Backup Exec software requires the Tape Gateway medium changer type. If the medium changer type listed under Robotic library is not Tape Gateway, you must change it before you configure storage in the backup application. For information about how to select a different medium changer type, see Selecting a Medium Changer After Gateway Activation.

  2. Choose the Slots icon to display all slots.

    Note

    When you import tapes into the robotic library, the tapes are stored in slots instead of tape drives. Therefore, the tape drives might have a message that indicates there is no media in the drives (No media). When you initiate a backup or restore job, the tapes are moved into the tape drives.

    You must have tapes available in your gateway tape library to import a tape into a storage slot. For instructions on how to create tapes, see Creating new virtual tapes for Tape Gateway.

  3. Open the context (right-click) menu for an empty slot, choose Import, and then choose Import media now. You can select more than one slot and import multiple tapes in a single import operation.

  4. In the Media Request window that appears, choose View details.

  5. In the Action Alert: Media Intervention window, choose Respond OK to insert the media into the slot.

    The tape appears in the slot you selected.

    Note

    Tapes that are imported include empty tapes and tapes that have been retrieved from the archive to the gateway.

Writing Data to a Tape in Backup Exec

You write data to a Tape Gateway virtual tape by using the same procedure and backup policies you do with physical tapes. For detailed information, see the Backup Exec Administrative Guide in the documentation section in the Backup Exec software.

Note

If your Tape Gateway restarts for any reason during an ongoing backup job, the backup job might fail. If the backup job fails, the tape status in Veritas Backup Exec changes to Not Appendable. You can archive the tape or continue to read data from it. To complete the failed backup job, you must resubmit it on a new tape.

Archiving a Tape Using Backup Exec

When you archive a tape, Tape Gateway moves the tape from your gateway’s virtual tape library (VTL) to the offline storage. You begin tape archival by exporting the tape using your Backup Exec software.

To archive your tape

  1. Choose the Storage menu, choose Slots, open the context (right-click) menu for the slot you want to export the tape from, choose Export media, and then choose Export media now. You can select more than one slot and export multiple tapes in a single export operation.

  2. In the Media Request pop-up window, choose View details, and then choose Respond OK in the Alert: Media Intervention window.

    In the Storage Gateway console, you can verify the status of the tape you are archiving. It might take some time to finish uploading data to AWS. During this time, the exported tape is listed in the Tape Gateway VTL with the status IN TRANSIT TO VTS. When the upload is completed and the archiving process begins, the status changes to ARCHIVING. When data archiving has completed, the exported tape is no longer listed in the VTL but is archived in S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval or S3 Glacier Deep Archive.

  3. Choose your gateway, and then choose VTL Tape Cartridges and verify that the virtual tape is no longer listed in your gateway.

  4. On the Navigation pane of the Storage Gateway console, choose Tapes. Verify that your tape's status is ARCHIVED.

Restoring Data from a Tape Archived in Backup Exec

Restoring your archived data is a two-step process.

To restore data from an archived tape

  1. Retrieve the archived tape to a Tape Gateway. For instructions, see Retrieving Archived Tapes.

  2. Use Backup Exec to restore the data. This process is the same as restoring data from physical tapes. For instructions, see the Backup Exec Administrative Guide in the documentation section in the Backup Exec software.

Deactivating a Tape Drive in Backup Exec

A Tape Gateway provides 10 tape drives, but you might decide to use fewer tape drives. In that case, you deactivate the tape drives you don't use.

  1. Open Backup Exec, and choose the Storage tab.

  2. In the Robotic library tree, open the context (right-click) menu for the tape drive you want to deactivate, and then choose Disable.

Next Step

Cleaning up unecessary resources