Disaster Recovery and Failover Planning Quiz

Veeam Backup & Replication Components and Functions

• VM Guest OS Interaction: The Veeam Guest Interaction Proxy facilitates interaction with the virtual machine guest operating system.
• External Repository Purpose: External repositories are used to store backup data outside the primary infrastructure, allowing for cost-effective, scalable storage solutions.
• VMware CDP Proxy Function: This component handles continuous data protection (CDP) for VMs, enabling near real-time replication of VM data.
• Scale-Out Backup Repository: A configuration that aggregates multiple storage repositories into a single backup solution, optimizing storage utilization and performance.

Backup Transport Modes and Server Considerations

• Recommended Transport Mode for NFS Datastores: The optimal mode is "NBD (Network Block Device)" for VMs with disks on NFS datastores.
• Separate Veeam Console Server Consideration: Minimizing resource strain on the backup environment is paramount when deploying a separate console server.
• Backup Copy Job Features: This job type allows for creating secondary copies of backups, enabling offsite storage and additional recovery options.

Supporting Services and Components

• NFS Server Enablement: The Veeam NFS service allows Microsoft Windows machines to function as NFS servers, supporting NAS backups.
• Component to Reduce Production Overhead: The Veeam Data Mover is deployed to lessen the load on the production Hyper-V host.
• Enabling Technologies: Features like SureBackup, SureReplica, and Instant Recovery rely on Veeam's integration with VMware’s technology.

Storage Formats and Testing Tools

• REFS vs. NTFS: REFS provides advanced data integrity features and supports larger volumes compared to NTFS, which is traditional but limited in scale and performance.
• Automated Testing and Recovery Verification Tools: Veeam provides SureBackup, SureReplica, and Instant Recovery for automated testing and verification of backup integrity.

Database Management and Repository Features

• Database Engine for Large Environments: SQL Server Standard or Enterprise editions are recommended to avoid the limitations of SQL Server Express Edition.
• Repository Features: Immutable repositories support data protection through write-once-read-many (WORM) capabilities and single-use credentials.
• Original Form of Immutability: Leveraging physical air gap protection methods, such as tape storage, is the traditional approach to data immutability.

Data Protection and Backup Methods

• Continuous I/O Replication Technology: Constant replication of I/O operations for VMs achieves near-zero recovery point objectives (RPO) through continuous data protection (CDP).
• Backup Server Deployment: For multiple site replication, a centralized backup server setup enhances efficiency and data management.
• Tape Backup Types: Full backups and archive data can be stored on tape, ensuring long-term data preservation.
• NAS to Tape Backup Protocol: NDMP (Network Data Management Protocol) is utilized for data backup from NAS devices to tape.

Application Support and Data Management Strategies

• Veeam Plug-ins for Enterprise Applications Purpose: These plug-ins facilitate backup and recovery operations for enterprise workloads, integrating seamlessly with business applications.
• Type of Backup Job for Continuous Connections: An "Always-On" backup job is intended for computers with a permanent connection to the backup server, ensuring consistent data protection.
• Data Traffic Management Model: Implementing a hybrid model localizes backup traffic to the primary data center while allowing essential management and replication traffic between sites.
• Global Data Caching Component: The Veeam Backup & Replication architecture includes a global caching layer that improves performance and enables efficient data deduplication.

Management and Orchestration Tools

• Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager Purpose: Acts as a centralized management console for Veeam Backup & Replication, enabling streamlined operations across multiple backups.
• Veeam Recovery Orchestrator Purpose: Facilitates managed failover, offering automated orchestration for disaster recovery processes.
• NDMP in Veeam Backup: Provides powerful capabilities to back up large volumes of data from network-attached storage systems efficiently and is crucial for managing complex environments.

Test your knowledge on deploying backup servers in disaster recovery sites and using replication for seamless failover plans in a multi-site environment. Keywords: replication, backup server, DR site, failover plans, scale-out model.