Why does Data Protection Manager need a Virtual Tape handler to backup remotely? Could we just not use one somehow?

ME 311 Reputation points
2023-06-16T15:24:29.4866667+00:00

So the environment I now have access to uses Microsoft DPM to backup everything in our environment. No special setup is required to store data locally, but our organization requires us to also have an off-site copy. To facilitate this, we have access to some drive space on an environment we do not directly manage, which we map on the backup server.

In order to get DPM to treat this as a long term off-site backup, however, it requires us to set up a virtual tape library - but DPM itself does not appear to actually let you do this inside DPM. So to set up a virtual tape arrangement, we use a third party software we can point DPM at.

At the end of the day this works, but why is this setup required at all? Why does DPM need to have a virtual tape library, rather than just letting me toss some form of update file on to an arbitrary file path? I know local backups are stored in a database, but if remote backups are going to be an exception regardless why can it not just be files? I believe this is how Symmantec did it, but it has been some years.

Is there any way around this? Alternatively if we are stuck using a tape virtualizer what have others here been using? We will need to renew a license soon and we have only experienced the one currently in place.

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Microsoft System Center
A suite of Microsoft systems management products that offer solutions for managing datacenter resources, private clouds, and client devices.
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Windows Server Backup
Windows Server Backup
Windows Server: A family of Microsoft server operating systems that support enterprise-level management, data storage, applications, and communications.Backup: A duplicate copy of a program, a disk, or data, made either for archiving purposes or for safeguarding valuable files from loss should the active copy be damaged or destroyed.
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  1. XinGuo-MSFT 17,931 Reputation points
    2023-06-19T09:16:24.77+00:00

    Hi,

    Data Protection Manager (DPM) can back up data to tape for short-term protection, long-term protection, or both. When using tape-based protection, DPM backs up data directly from the protected computer to tape. DPM may also use short-term disk-based protection and long-term tape-based protection together. When this method is used, DPM will back up data from the replica volume onto tape to avoid a negative impact on the protected computer.

    To facilitate a long-term off-site backup, you will need to set up a virtual tape library. This is because DPM requires virtual tapes to be used as backups when you are using remote storage locations. DPM itself does not allow for the creation of virtual tapes; therefore, it is necessary to use third-party software to set up this arrangement.

    The virtual tape handler is required because DPM uses tapes as a format for backup, and the software requires a virtual tape to be created in a virtual tape library to be able to store backup data remotely. If you are looking to store remote backups without the use of virtual tapes, you may need to look into alternative backup solutions that do not rely on tape-based backup formats.

    Unfortunately, there is no way to bypass the virtual tape library requirement in DPM if you need to store backups remotely. However, there are several third-party software options available for setting up virtual tape libraries for use with DPM. The decision on which virtual tape library software to use will depend on several factors, including budget, compatibility, and specific backup needs.

    References:

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