Using removeable devices for Windows Server backup rotation

[tomcallaghan]

I am using the Starwind version 5.7 free edition at my shop for Windows Server Backup (2008 R2) backup targets. I created iscsi targets for all of my servers on a 1.5TB portable USB drive and that is working very well. I would now like to create targets on 4 more portable USB drives and begin an offsite backup rotation where I only have one USB drive connected at a time. In the management console I do not see an option to disable an iscsi target, or to take it offline so that I can remove the device. I want to make sure I do not corrupt my environment in any way by simply unplugging the devices I want to take offsite and plugging them back in when its their time in the rotation.

Is there any way to accomplish what I am trying to do?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[Aitor_Ibarra]

I don't think you can do that from the Starwind side. However I have a couple of suggestions...

You could look at scripting the initiator, but run the scheduled task from the starwind box, maybe even trigger the backups from the starwind box too. If everything is in the same Windows domain this should be fairly straightforward.

1) Before the backup, make sure the initiators are connected to the targets. If the only iSCSI targets they are using are these backup targets, you could simply start the iSCSI initiator service using net start.
2) Run the backups
3) Disconnect from the targets (or stop the iSCSI initiator service)

Then, when it's time to do a rotation, stop the Starwind service, change the drive, and restart the starwind service. You probably don't want to schedule this, just have batch files which you run manually.

You'll need to make sure that your backup devices always have the same drive letter.

Alternatively, you could store your imgs on an internal drive on the starwind box, which is always available to the initiators, and back this up to your external drives using WSB or whatever you want. So long as this backup does not run at the same time as your servers are backing up to starwind, it should be fine.

By the way, if you are using WSB please be aware that it has zero notification functionality. I get around this by attaching tasks to event log entries. For instance I have one office server that serves a web page (which for backup operators is one of their home pages) - when a backup is running, this page has a big red warning saying not to remove the drive. Important because backups are taken every 30 mins!

hope this helps,

Aitor

[tomcallaghan]

Thanks for the detailed answer. I think your second option of backing up targets on internal drives and then backing up the starwind server with Windows server backup sounds like the best choice.

[Aitor_Ibarra]

I should have added - whichever method you implement, do a test restore. You don't want to find out there's a problem with your backup procedures by finding that when you really need to do a restore, you can't! And any time you change anything in your backup procedure, re run the tests.

For me, if you were going with the second option, a test restore would involve getting starwind to work with the restored IMGs, and then getting your initiator servers to restore themselves from the backups held on the Starwind targets. You probably want to do all this with spare PCs on your network rather than the real hardware.

good luck!

[tomcallaghan]

Point taken. Thanks

[Anatoly (staff)]

Well first of all thank you Aitor - your answers are as always appreciated and helpful

I dont think that we can add something here technicaly.

tomcallaghan, could you please let us know what plan worked best for you?

Thank you