iXsystems TrueNAS Cerfified for Veeam Backup

iXsystems, Inc., in storage and servers driven by Open Source, has passed the Veeam Backup and Replication v9.5 for VMware certification tests for the TrueNAS Z20, Z30, Z35, and Z50 TrueFlash line of unified enterprise storage systems that are running TrueNAS v9.10 or later.

This certification tests the speed and power of the storage repository using a testing methodology defined by Veeam for full backups, full restores, synthetic full backups, and instant VM recovery from within the Veeam backup and recovery environment.

iXsystems created a blog describing the tests and test results.

Test results exceeded Veeam’s minimums, with full backups taking half as long as Veeam requires. The certification shows that TrueNAS supports Veeam backups.

Backup Image Repository
A Z20 hybrid storage array with 8.4TB of data was used as the repository of the Veeam backup images generated by the certification testing. Two of the four certification tests required that these images be used during restoration, and the Z20 was used for that as well.

VMware Servers
Two servers, each with dual Xeon v4 CPUs, were used to run the certification tests. These servers ran all the VMs, including the Windows 2012 R2 server that ran the Veeam Backup and Replication 9.5 servers. In addition, these servers locally stored the test Windows server VMs and ran the vCenter server VM.

VM Repository
iXsystems’ FreeNAS all-flash array with 2.88TB was used to store all the Linux test VMs that were backed up and recovered for Veeam’s certification tests.

Following the requirements of the Performance Testing Guide for Backup Storage provided by Veeam, the Z20, Z30 Z35, and Z50 TrueFlash exceed all the requirements for the Veeam storage repository and achieved certification status as a result of the tests. Customers can feel confident implementing the TrueNAS storage platform as the backup and recovery storage repository within their Veeam infrastructure.

For backup, TrueNAS configurations include flash-assisted or all-flash storage solutions. Both have performance, share the same workflow, and act as a SAN and a NAS, meeting the needs of any enterprise storage and backup workload.

TrueNAS offers HA to continue providing backup services in the unlikely event of a failure. Every model supports storage controller redundancy, hot spares, and redundant power. This enables to provide non-disruptive firmware updates and around-the-clock backup services with zero-downtime. It also uses OpenZFS, which ensures that backup images stay pristine.

Gary Archer, director of storage marketing, said: “Backups are like insurance – needed when something goes wrong. The value of backups is to shorten the time to get a business back to work. Surveys show that more than half of our customers use TrueNAS to store their backup images and Veeam is the #1 backup product they utilize.“

Todd Lamonia, president and CEO, IT Worldwide Services, said: “The Veeam backups are working great. I am using Veeam’s Direct SAN Access transport mode which connects directly to the TrueNAS using iSCSI which improves the data transfer throughput and reduces the amount of time it takes to backup each VM.“

Andy Vandeveld, VP of global strategic alliances, Veeam, said: “Veeam is strategically focused on the virtualized server market. With iXsystems TrueNAS, our combined strengths give iXsystems clients a VM-aware backup and restore solution for their TrueNAS unified storage solution. The certification of Veeam Backup & Replication software with the TrueNAS Z product line enables iXsystems to offer a joint solution to a broader range of customers. The joint solution provides them with a high-performance, high-value, and self-healing storage for virtual server data protection and replication, that keeps backup images safe.“