Many storage admins prefer to attach storage LUNs (Logical Unit Drives) directly to the Virtual Machine using a form of VMware RDM (Raw Device Mapping). Implementing this design adds complexity that must be considered when using the Veeam Backup and Replication product.
You will already be aware that Veeam built their Backup offering around the VMware snapshot capability. Virtual disks with no snapshot compatibility are skipped during the backup process, leaving your data unprotected. This limitation is more specific to pRDM (physical RDM) disks; this type does not support the VMware snapshot function.
In the past, pRDM was a show stopper for Veeam, and some customers were forced to change their backup design principles to accommodate the backup of their data with the Veeam Backup and Replication product. There is good news coming with the new Veeam Backup Agent for Windows and Linux; you no longer have to compromise your design principles to backup your critical data. This is now easier than ever before with the new Update 3 of the Veeam Backup and Replication product.
Use Case
A customer has a Virtual Machine server, with a pRDM configured and attached as a Q drive:
The backup will skip the Q drive when backing up the VM server using Veeam Backup and Replication. It does this because the pRDM does not support snapshot.
To include the Q drive in the backup plan, the customer can use Veeam Agent for Windows to backup the VM server.
Conclusion
One product can now cover all your virtual infrastructure protection needs. The new Update 3 can include all disks and servers in your backup plan and can be run, managed and controlled from the same console. No more compromising your virtual infrastructure backup configurations when you design your data protection plan; your preferred configuration can now be your solution.
