VCE Word Template

Table of Contents

www.vce.com

VBLOCK SYSTEMS BACKUP AND RECOVERY

BEST PRACTICES
July 2012

WHITE PAPER

C
EC
2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Contents
Executive summary ................................................................................................................. 4
Benefits .................................................................................................................................. 4
Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 5
Use cases: backup and recovery ........................................................................................... 5
Audience................................................................................................................................. 5
Feedback ................................................................................................................................ 5
Technology overview............................................................................................................... 6
Vblock Systems................................................................................................................... 6
EMC Avamar .......................................................................................................................... 7
EMC Avamar virtual machine image proxy ............................................................................. 7
EMC Avamar file-level recovery proxy .................................................................................... 7
VMware vCenter Server.......................................................................................................... 7
VMware ESXi ......................................................................................................................... 7
VMware VADP ........................................................................................................................ 8
VMware Changed Block Tracking ........................................................................................... 8
VMware VMDK ....................................................................................................................... 8
Data Domain target hardware ................................................................................................. 8
Data Domain Boost................................................................................................................. 9
Architecture overview .............................................................................................................10
Avamar architecture with Vblock systems ..............................................................................12
Avamar and Data Domain architecture with Vblock systems..................................................13
Avamar architecture and best practices ...............................................................................14
Integration of EMC Avamar with Vblock systems ...................................................................15
Recovery ............................................................................................................................15
Replication..........................................................................................................................19
Avamar with Data Domain architecture and best practices .................................................20
Integration of Avamar and Data Domain with Vblock systems ...............................................20
Recovery ............................................................................................................................21
Replication..........................................................................................................................21
Using Avamar/Data Domain centralized control and management .....................................22
Example One: Configure a Data Domain system within the Avamar Administrator interface
..............................................................................................................................................22
2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Example Two: Specify a dataset policy within the Avamar Administrator interface .............27
VCE-recommended solutions for daily data Protection .......................................................30
VCE Vblock Data Protection Cabinets ...................................................................................30
Avamar-only single cabinet .................................................................................................31
Avamar-only multi-cabinet ..................................................................................................32
Avamar and Data Domain 670 single cabinet .....................................................................33
Avamar and Data Domain 890 multi-cabinet.......................................................................34
Avamar and Data Domain 890 multi-cabinet.......................................................................35
VCE-supported configuration rules for Avamar with Vblock systems, and for Avamar and Data
Domain with Vblock systems .................................................................................................37
Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................38
Next Steps .............................................................................................................................38
References ..............................................................................................................................39

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Executive summary
Most corporate Information Technology departments are tasked with protecting an ever-increasing
volume of business applications and data. At the same time, budgets are not expanding to match this
growth. The only way to meet these business requirements is to do more with less. In a drive for
greater efficiency, the IT industry has moved rapidly toward server virtualization. Having now realized
the benefits of virtualization, the industry has moved to the next step for even greater efficiency:
converged infrastructures such as VCE Vblock Systems.
During the move to server virtualization, early adopters quickly discovered that the use of traditional
backup, recovery, and archiving solutions for daily data protection creates bottlenecks in a virtualized
infrastructure. Those bottlenecks not only extend the required backup window, but they also set a cap
on the number of virtual servers that can exist on each physical server blade.
The EMC Avamar data protection product on VCE Vblock systems directly addresses and resolves
the backup bottleneck problem in virtual environments. Avamar is extremely effective at delivering
backups in less time, using fewer network resources and fewer virtual server resources than other
options. In addition, it is tightly integrated with VMware. All of this translates into real capital savings
and operational benefits. For these reasons, Avamar is an excellent choice to be used with Vblock
systems.
When used along with EMC Data Domain on Vblock systems, Avamar will, in many scenarios,
expand backup scalability and further lower the cost per terabyte of data backup.
This VCE-recommended backup solution includes two options, along with best practices for each:
An Avamar-only solution on Vblock systems
A highly effective combination of Avamar and Data Domain on Vblock systems
Using the Avamar interfaces and workflows, one can quickly and easily direct enterprise-wide
backups to both of these EMC deduplication platforms, while simplifying the backup management
infrastructure. This combination offers the benefits of Data Domains scale and performance and
Avamars simplicity and efficiency, as well as Vblock systems power and scalability.
This paper highlights the specific features of these integrations, and explains how the integration of
Data Domain systems into the Avamar management framework can enhance the management and
optimization of backup operations without additional management overhead.
Described are the solutions architectures hardware, software, and best practices for each solution, as
well as the cabinet modules offered for these solutions.
This paper also explains how to use the Avamar Administrator management tools to control data
flow, and provides two examples with steps for using Avamar Administrator.

Benefits
The benefits of using the data protection solutions and best practices described in this paper include:
The best of breed compute, networking, storage, and virtualization technologies
2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

 A fully virtualized environment with the inherent efficiencies and flexibilities of VMware
Elimination of bottlenecks that hamper scaling up
Greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the customers Vblock systems investment

Objectives
This white paper explains best practices and the Avamar Administrator tool use through scenarios
and steps for two options:
1. Avamar-only on Vblock systems
2. Avamar and Data Domain combined on Vblock systems

Use cases: backup and recovery

Avamar is a backup-and-recovery software solution and a backup data target, whereas Data Domain
is a backup data target that requires backup-and-recovery software to function. Together, Avamar and
Data Domain support once-per-day backups and daily movement of a backup copy to an offsite
archive without the risk inherent in transporting physical media. The products have tight integration
with VMware deduplication capabilities, which reduces network I/O requirements, and have modules
that support databases and Microsoft Exchange.
The Avamar target hardware (where the backup data is stored) and the Data Domain target
hardware are both de-duplication technologies, but the way they perform the deduplicated backups is
different. As a result, Avamar and Data Domain targets have different advantages. Rather than having
to choose one type of technology over the other, customers can use a combination of the two types of
targets, resulting in the fastest and most cost effective solution possible.

Audience
This white paper is intended primarily for backup systems administrators and IT administrators who
are responsible for architecting and deploying data protection solutions across the virtualized
enterprise. Knowledge of basic data deduplication concepts is assumed.

Feedback
To suggest documentation changes and provide feedback on this paper, send email to
docfeedback@vce.com. Include the title of this paper, the name of the topic to which your comment
applies, and your feedback.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Technology overview
This solution uses the following components and technologies:
Vblock Systems
EMC Avamar v6.1
EMC Avamar virtual machine image proxy
EMC Avamar file-level recovery proxy
VMware vCenter Server
VMware ESXi
VMware VMware vStorage API for Data Protection (VADP)
VMware Changed Block Tracking
VMware Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK)
EMC Data Domain target hardware
EMC Data Domain Boost

Vblock Systems
Vblock systems are enterprise- and service-provider-class IT infrastructure units that are preengineered, tested, and validated with pre-defined performance, capacity, and availability service
levels. The standardized converged infrastructure of Vblock systems is a foundation block for cloud
computing that helps customers realize the benefits of applications running in a virtualized
environment.
Vblock systems are characterized by:
Repeatable units of construction based on matched performance, operational characteristics,
and discrete requirements of power, space, and cooling
Repeatable design patterns that facilitate rapid deployment, integration, and scalability
An architecture that can be scaled for the highest efficiencies in virtualization and workload
mobility
An extensible management and orchestration model based on industry-standard tools, APIs,
and methods
A design that contains, manages, and mitigates failure scenarios in hardware and software
environments
Vblock systems provide pre-engineered, production-ready (fully tested) virtualized infrastructure
components, including industry-leading technology from Cisco, EMC, and VMware. Vblock systems
are designed and built to satisfy a broad range of customer implementation requirements.
Note:
Refer to the Vblock Infrastructure Platform Architecture Overview for detailed information on the
Vblock systems architecture.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

EMC Avamar
EMC Avamar is a deduplication backup-and-recovery software and system solution. It performs
deduplication on the client, which eliminates data from backup streams before it crosses the network.
Client deduplication realizes savings on bandwidth, storage, and backup windows. VMwares
vStorage API (in vSphere as deployed in Vblock systems) also provides the ESXi hypervisor
architecture.

EMC Avamar virtual machine image proxy

Avamar image proxy servers are a key element of image-level protection. They are delivered as
vSphere-deployable Open Virtualization Archive (OVA) templates. An OVA template contains a
packaged image proxy virtual machine that includes both VMware and Avamar code for the purpose
of image-level backups and recoveries. This machine is configured with a single CPU and consumes
1 GB of memory. Avamar image proxy machines use the VMware vStorage APIs to mount the virtual
machine files that require protection. The administrator has the flexibility to deploy multiple proxies
based on the operating system environment requirements. Multiple proxy deployments allow
simultaneous backups and recoveries. During the initial deployment, the administrator assigns
separate proxy servers to protect Windows and Linux virtual machines (VM)

EMC Avamar file-level recovery proxy

An Avamar file-level recovery proxy is a VM that allows a single file to be recovered into a VM from a
full image backup. Avamar file-level recovery proxies require a VM that is running Windows Server
2003 SP2. EMC recommends one CPU and 1 GB of memory for this VM. This proxy VM leverages
the Avamar Virtual File System (AvFS) to create a browseable view within a VMs VMDK file for easy,
selectable recovery.

VMware vCenter Server

VMware vCenter Server provides a scalable and extensible platform that forms the foundation for
virtualization management. It centrally manages VMware vSphere environments and allows IT
administrators to dramatically improve control over the virtual environment. It manages the ESXi
server, VMs, and user access, and helps provide Avamar with the information it requires. This
information can encompass anything from a simple list of VMs within the environment to the
information needed to configure VMs for backup and recovery.

VMware ESXi
VMware vSphere is the virtualization platform that provides the foundation for the private cloud. The
core VMware vSphere components are the VMware ESXi enterprise hypervisor and VMware vCenter
Server for management. The VMware vSphere ESXi hypervisor runs in the Vblock systems.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

VMware VADP
VMware VADP produces in-depth details of sizing, deployment, and data flow, providing a total
VMware data protection plan that can be used in conjunction with Avamar on Vblock systems.

VMware Changed Block Tracking

VMware Changed Block Tracking is a VMware feature that helps perform incremental backups.
VMware Data Recovery uses this technology, and so can developers of backup and recovery
software. Avamar leverages this feature for efficient backup of VMware guest servers.

VMware VMDK
VMware VMDK is a file format used for virtual appliances developed for VMware products. The format
is a container for virtual hard disk drives to be used in VMs like VMware Workstation or Virtualbox.
VMDK is an open format.
A VM is a tightly isolated software container that can run its own operating system and applications as
if it were a physical computer. A VM behaves exactly like a physical computer and contains it own
virtual (software-based) CPU, RAM, hard disk, and network interface card (NIC). A VM is composed
entirely of software and contains no hardware components whatsoever. As a result, VMs offer a
number of distinct advantages over physical hardware. An operating system cant tell the difference
between a VM and a physical machine, nor can applications or other computers on a network. Even
the VM thinks it is a real computer.

Data Domain target hardware

EMC Data Domain is a storage target for deduplicated backup savesets. Data Domain targets
provide:
High-speed deduplication of backup data, with a consistent ingestion rate, regardless of how
well any particular data set will deduplicate. A good example is deduplication of unstructured
data backups. Even though databases do not typically deduplicate very well, a Data Domain
target does not bog down while ingesting and storing the backup.
More backups, and faster completion of backups, which relieves pressure on already tight
backup windows.
Network-efficient replication. Data Domain sends only deduplicated and compressed data
across the network, requiring a fraction of the bandwidth, time, and cost of traditional replication
methods.
End-to-end data integrity. Data Domain and its Data Invulnerability Architecture (DIA) provide
safe and reliable continuous recovery verification, fault detection, and healing.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Data Domain Boost

Data Domain Boost significantly increases database backup performance by distributing parts of the
deduplication process to the application clients.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Architecture overview
The VCE-recommended backup solution includes two options, along with best practices for each:
Avamar on Vblock systems
Avamar with Data Domain on Vblock systems
Product

Definition

Avamar

1
2
3

Avamar is backup and recovery software.

Avamar is also a hardware platform where deduplicated backup data is stored.
It is client side, also referred to as source-based, deduplication technology.

Data Domain

1
2

Data Domain is a hardware target that deduplicates and stores backup data.
Data Domain requires backup and recovery software. Avamar is the VCErecommended software to use with a Data Domain target.
Data Domain performs in-line deduplication (as the data is streaming into the
target).
Certain Data Domain models are suitable for meeting archival backup
requirements.

3
4

The Avamar and Data Domain targets have different backup advantages. Which of them is best for a
particular customer situation depends on the backup workload. Where certain low commonality
workloads (data that does not deduplicate well) could bog down an Avamar-only solution, the addition
of Data Domain as a target for storing the backups allows for an integrated solution that takes
advantage of each products strengths.
With Avamar, client-side deduplication of the data is done right in the server whose data is being
backed up. During the backup, the Avamar deduplication process only sends variable-length blocks
of data that have not previously been backed up to the Avamar target. This process dramatically
reduces the nightly backup load on shared network components within the virtual infrastructure. A
typical server backup runs in minutes instead of hours. Therefore, more backups can be run in parallel
and completed within a given backup window.
Alternatively, Data Domain target-based deduplication requires the files that are being backed up to
flow through shared network components to the backup hardware, where it is deduplicated in-line.
The advantage of Data Domain target-based deduplication is its consistent and predictable ingestion
rate, regardless of whether the data has high commonality, making it easy to deduplicate, or low
commonality, which means there is less to deduplicate. Large databases are the most common
backup workload with low-commonality characteristics.
The architectures for the two solutions are shown in Figures 1 and 2.
EMC Avamar NDMP Accelerator
The EMC Avamar NDMP Accelerator is a dedicated single-node Avamar client. When used as part of
an Avamar system, the accelerator provides a complete backup and recovery solution for supported
EMC VNX IP storage systems by using Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) to communicate
with the storage devices.
Data from the storage device is not stored on the accelerator. The accelerator performs NDMP
processing and real-time data deduplication, then forwards that data to the Avamar server. The
2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

10

accelerator is a full peer to other Avamar clients (for example, Avamar for Linux Clients, Avamar for
Windows Clients, and so forth) with one exception: whereas the Avamar Administrator graphical
management console can be used to browse the live filesystems of most other clients, it cannot
browse the live filesystem of storage devices; it can only browse to the volume level (Avamar 6.1 and
earlier).

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

11

Avamar architecture with Vblock systems

The following figure depicts the high-level architecture, configuration, and integration of Avamar on
Vblock systems.

Figure 1. Vblock systems solution with Avamar

In Figure 1, Datacenter 1 has Avamar clients and proxies running on Vblock systems. During nightly
backups the Avamar agents copy the changed variable-length blocks from the Avamar grid and create
a virtual full backup from just the changed variable-length blocks.
To enable data recovery in the event of a site disaster, all data in the Avamar grid in Datacenter 1 is
replicated to an offsite Avamar grid. Not only is transmission fast and efficient, but it is much more
secure than shipping physical tapes to an offsite location.
The Avamar software is used to schedule the backup jobs and to monitor and report on both backup
and Avamar system status.
Also shown in Figure 1 is a single-node Avamar solution backing up the remote location. To protect
the data in the event of a total loss of the remote office, the single-node Avamar replicates its data to
Datacenter 1.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

12

Avamar and Data Domain architecture with Vblock systems

The following figure depicts the high-level architecture, configuration, and integration of the combined
Avamar and Data Domain on Vblock systems solution.

Figure 2. Vblock solution with Avamar and Data Domain

In the combined Avamar with Data Domain solution, the backup jobs with low data commonality (large
databases, video files, audio files, and so forth) are routed to the Data Domain device. The metadata
for the backup is stored in the Avamar grid. Backups with high-commonality profiles are targeted to
the Avamar grid. This combined Avamar and Data Domain solution allows the backup administrator
the flexibility to use the best backup target for each backup workload.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

13

Avamar architecture and best practices

Avamar is backup-and-recovery software and it is also the hardware where the backup data is stored.
Used with Vblock systems, Avamar data deduplication technology seamlessly integrates and provides
rapid backup and restoration capabilities.
Avamar is integrated with VMware vSphere beginning with version 4.0. VMware has features that
protect VM images, called VMwares vStorage APIs for Data Protection (VADP). VADP produces indepth details of sizing, deployment, and data flow, providing a total VMware data protection plan that
can be used in conjunction with Avamar on Vblock systems.
The two most common recovery requests made to backup administrators are:
File-level recovery: File-level recoveries account for the vast majority of user support requests.
Common actions that require file-level recovery are individual users deleting files, application
recoveries, and batch-process-related erasures.
System recovery: Although complete system recovery requests are less frequent than filelevel requests, this capability is vital to the enterprise. Some common causes for full system
recovery requests are viral infestation, registry corruption, or unidentifiable unrecoverable
issues.
The Avamar integration with VMware delivers capabilities for both backup and recovery for either filelevel recovery or system-level recovery. Integration with vStorage API, virtual proxy server pools, and
changed block tracking allow Avamar to deliver extremely efficient data protection for Vblock systems.
There are several ways to implement the VCE data protection solutions for daily backup. The best
possible method really depends upon the exact customer requirements. The most common
recommendations would be:
For specific applications that require it, use the Avamar guest-level agents to backup daily
The Avamar agents ensure application-consistent data recovery.
Perform daily backup of each VMware guest server, also known as VMDK-level backup, using
CBT.
This provides rapid restore capability in the event of a server crash. It also supports single filelevel restore.
The following illustrates how combining both guest-level backup and server-level backup would be a
very smart way to protect a database:
Use the Avamar agent to backup the database once per day
This assures that the database is recoverable. Backing up a database more than once per day
is often not practical.
To speed up fully recovering a database, use the Avamar agent to backup the database log
files several times per day (staying outside of the Avamar daily maintenance windows)
Back up at the server-level the VM that hosts the database.
This assures a rapid restore in the event the server malfunctions.
Proxy server considerations:
2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

14

- In Avamar 6.1 there needs to be one proxy server for backup and recovery
- If single-file Windows recovery is desired, a second proxy server is needed

Integration of EMC Avamar with Vblock systems

Figure 1, in the Architecture overview section, depicts the high-level architecture of the Vblock
solution with Avamar. See the References section to find information on configuration and setup.
Avamar backup-and-recovery software provides integrated source/global data deduplication. An
Avamar agent on the client system deduplicates the data and then backs it up to an Avamar server,
such as an Avamar data store. Unlike traditional backup software, Avamar deduplicates backup data
before it is transferred across the network and stored to disk. And, Avamar deduplicates data globally
by storing a single instance of each subfile, variable-length data string, or data segment that it
identifies as unique across all of its protected sites and servers. Thus, Avamar enables rapid, daily full
backups even across congested or slow WAN/LAN links and virtual infrastructures.
Avamar is used in this solution not only to store the backup data, but also because its software
provides integration with vCenter to manage, monitor, and configure the backup of the virtual
infrastructure from a single administrative interface.
Avamar image proxy machines use the VMware VADP, and in particular the SCSI hot-add capability,
to mount the VM files that require protection. The administrator has the flexibility to deploy multiple
proxies based on the requirements of the operating system environment. Multiple proxy deployments
allow simultaneous backups and recoveries. During the initial deployment, an administrator assigns a
separate proxy server to protect either Windows or Linux VMs.

Recovery
Avamar file-level recovery proxy
An Avamar file-level recovery proxy is a VM that allows a file, or files, to be recovered into it from a full
image backup. Avamar file-level recovery proxies require a VM that is running Windows Server 2003
SP2, and EMC recommends one CPU and 1 GB of memory for this VM. This VM leverages the AvFS
to create a browseable view within a VMs VMDK file for easy, selectable recovery.
Recovery options with Avamar include guest-level recovery and image-level recovery.
Guest-level recovery
The process of guest-level recovery is the same in this solution for VMs as it is for traditional recovery
from a backup application. The administrator has the ability to recover directories, files, and
applications in the Avamar Administrator GUI.
Image-level recovery
There are three options for recovering data from an image-based backup:
Recover to original machine
2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

15

 Recover to existing machine

Recover to new virtual machine
The administrator may often choose either Recover to original machine or Recover to existing
machine. However, choosing Recover to new virtual machine gives the administrator the ability to
create a new VM on the fly without having to create it with vCenter first. Recovery to a new VM is
unique to Avamar, as it incorporates a second process to also protect and store the .VMX files needed
to create a new VM container and register it with vSphere.
When recovering a VM to its original location, the Avamar Administrator window displays the source
just as it appears currently within vCenter, and also shows how it will look after a recovery.
To recover to a new VM:
1. In the Avamar Administrator GUI select New Virtual Machine (Figure 3).
2. In the Virtual machine name field specify a name for the new machine.
3. From the Host/Cluster list select the folder location within vCenter for the new virtual machine.
4. Click Next.

Figure 3. Choosing a name and location for the new virtual machine

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

16

5. Select a Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) cluster location for the new VM.

Figure 4. Choosing the DRS cluster for the new VM

Once a host/cluster is selected in the GUI, Avamar queries vCenter and allows the administrator to
select a different VMware data store. The administrator can choose a different destination and a
different device for housing the VMs data. See Figure 5.
This recovery method permits the administrator to choose a different storage platform and/or drive
type (to the current source) for the destination of the new VM.

Figure 5. Selecting the VMware data store where each VMDK will reside

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

17

A systems boot drive and its data drive have different performance and storage requirements. This
wizard addresses both in one GUI, and it permits a single-step recovery to multiple locations.
Avamar also configures the creation of the container for a VM. Avamars approach to protection
protects the .VMX file of a VM, the configuration container for a VM. If Avamar did not create the
containers as it does, and should a disaster occur, the administrator would have to log on to vCenter
and create all the containers needed before conducting any recoveries. This Avamar capability is
superior to the traditional approach that relied on detailed tracking via spreadsheet listings of the VMto-container mappings.
File-level recovery from an image backup
The administrator can do file-level recoveries (FLR) for Windows VMs from the image-based backup.
To do this, Avamar leverages the VMware VM tools along with an Avamar Windows FLR proxy. The
proxy is a Windows 2003 server provided by the administrator, with code provided by Avamar. No
agents are needed within the VM for this recovery type. The key is that Avamar moves no data until
there is a need to recover data, and that no other interface nor client-side software is needed for this
recovery.
The Avamar Administrator console is used to manage and monitor FLR jobs.
When backups are selected for recovery, the FLR proxy server reads the VMDK data from the
Avamar system and creates a browse tree, as shown in Figure 6 in the Avamar Administrator Backup and Restore window.

Figure 6. File-level recovery: selecting files and directories to restore.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

18

An administrator can recover the data in place, in order to move the data back to its original location. Or, the
administrator can perform an out-of-place recovery, which restores to a different location. As a prerequisite, the
VMware Tools need to be installed on the VM that the administrator would like to restore to. In the following
scenario there is no Avamar agent on the guest level. Therefore, the administrator logs on to that VM and uses
the browse tree for recovery. See Figure 7.
To recover the data to a different VM:
1. Log on to the VM and use the browse tree for recovery
2. Select the VM you want to recover.
3. Navigate the Browse for Folders or Directories window and select a destination for the data.

Figure 7. File-level recovery: browse for out-of-place recovery

Restore requests pass from the Avamar system, through the Windows FLR proxy, to the machine that
is being protected. Recovery speed depends on the FLR proxys ability to read in the data and send it
to the machine that is the recovery destination. Consequently, large data recoveries by means of the
FLR proxy recovery are unadvisable. An image-level out-of-place recovery is more efficient.

Replication
Replication for Avamar is also managed through the Avamar Administrator console.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

19

Avamar with Data Domain architecture and best practices

The combination of Avamar and Data Domain permits deduplication algorithms to operate at both the
client and the storage system levels. From the Avamar Administrator management console, the
administrator can direct a backup data set to target either the Avamar server or the Data Domain
system.
Protection of Vblock systems with the combination of Avamar and Data Domain involves an
understanding of the differences and benefits of client-side deduplication and in-line deduplication.
Client-side deduplication and in-line deduplication trade-offs
A decision whether to deduplicate at the client or at the storage system relates to protecting a growing
amount of data within a certain time objective:
Deduplication at the client offers the benefits of network traffic reduction and back-end storage
optimization.
However, this implementation can be less effective for high-change-rate environments, which
can negate some of its savings in backup time and network bandwidth.
Deduplication in-line at the storage system offers the benefit of massive scale and very rapid
ingestion of data.
However, this implementation is not optimized for network-bandwidth utilization because the full
backup payload must be moved across the network to the storage system before it is
deduplicated.
Integration of Avamar and Data Domain allows some of the deduplication processes normally
run at the storage system to be distributed to a backup server. This can provide some of the
network relief offered by client-side deduplication, while retaining the data ingestion and scale
attributes of deduplication at the storage system.
Today, two challenges that face IT backup administrators are:
Deploying two separate solutions to optimize for varying workloads
Minimizing administrative costs for management of two solutions separately
With the features and implementation details highlighted in the sections below, one can clearly see
how the newly introduced integration of Avamar with Data Domain on Vblock systems addresses
these challenges.

Integration of Avamar and Data Domain with Vblock systems

Figure 2 in the architecture overview section depicts the high-level architecture of the combined
Avamar and Data Domain solution on Vblock systems.
At a high level, starting in Avamar v6.1, the administrator can direct whether specific datasets in an
Avamar backup policy will target an Avamar server or a Data Domain system.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

20

When an Avamar data store is the backup target, the Avamar client installed on each host works as a
typical Avamar client that is performing client-side deduplication. It processes and sends capacityoptimized blocks, and any required metadata, over the WAN/LAN to the Avamar server. This dataflow
is not a change from the well-known implementation in previous versions of Avamar.
When specifying a Data Domain system as the backup target of a particular dataset from within
Avamar Administrator, the same Avamar client leverages Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) software
to redirect this data directly to a Data Domain system. DD Boost extends the optimization capabilities
of Data Domain solutions. It significantly increases performance by distributing parts of the
deduplication process to the backup server, and simplifies disaster recovery procedures.
Rather than performing intensive deduplication processing only on the client, DD Boost transfers the
source data in an efficient transfer method for processing by the Data Domain system.
Besides transferring backup payload data optimally to the Data Domain system, the Avamar client
simultaneously sends the relevant metadata it has generated to the Avamar server for storage. This
metadata allows the Avamar management system to direct the client in performing restore operations
directly from the Data Domain system without going through the Avamar server. This functionality,
implemented within the Avamar client software, is the same DD Boost API and technology that are
supported on many other Data Domain implementations today.

Recovery
The process of data recovery, whether from an Avamar data store or from a Data Domain system, is
completely transparent to the backup administrator. The backup administrator uses the same
recovery processes that are native to previous Avamar versions. The Avamar front end automatically
retrieves datasets that are stored on Data Domain systems. No special retrieval mechanisms or
processes are required.

Replication
As shown in Figure 2 in the architecture section, replication between primary and replica Data Domain
systems is also integrated into the Avamar management feature set. This is controlled by the
replication policy applied to each dataset in Avamar Administrator. All typical Avamar replication
scenarios are supported for datasets targeted to Data Domain. These include:
Many-to-one, one-to-many, cascading replication
Extension of data retention times
Root-to-root replication
Like the recovery process, the replication process normally configured within the Data Domain
platform is automated within the Avamar framework and is transparent to the backup administrator.
This replication functionality requires that a remote Avamar server exists, along with the remote Data
Domain system.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

21

Using Avamar/Data Domain centralized control and

management
This section presents two examples that show how some of the processes highlighted in the previous
sections are controlled from within the Avamar Administrator GUI:
Example One: Configure a Data Domain system within the Avamar Administrator interface
Example Two: Specify a dataset policy within the Avamar Administrator interface

Example One: Configure a Data Domain system within the Avamar

Administrator interface
This example shows the procedure for using the Avamar Administrator GUI to configure a
DataDomain system for use with SQL database backups.
1. Log on to Avamar Administrator.
2. Access the Avamar Administrator main menu.
Here, the administrator can provision either a new or currently deployed Data Domain system
within the Avamar environment, in order to specify it as a backup target when backing up
policy datasets.
3. Click the Server icon to access the Avamar backend system configuration settings, as shown in
Figure 8.

Figure 8: Avamar Administrator main menu

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

22

4. Select Server Management.

5. Click the icon in the toolbar (Figure 9) to display the Data Domain system configuration dialog
box.
Note:
Here, we can provision a Data Domain system for use by the Avamar client. To configure a Data
Domain system within an Avamar environment there is no need to launch the Data Domain Enterprise Manager
GUI or CLI interface.

Figure 9: Specify a target Data Domain system from within Avamar

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

23

The Add Data Domain System window appears (Figure 10).

Figure 10: Add Data Domain System dialog box: System tab

6. Select System (Figure 10) and enter the system name (or IP address) for the Data Domain
system to be targeted for backup.
7. Enter the DD Boost User Name. It is used for authentication. It specifies for the Avamar
environment the credentials needed to access the Data Domain system and to authenticate the
Avamar clients to write backups to the Data Domain backup target.
The DD Boost account name is created in the Data Domain Enterprise Manager during the setup
of the Data Domain system.
For systems that are already implemented and have the DD Boost license installed, this
authentication account is configured on the Data Domain system. For newly implemented Data
Domain systems with a DD Boost license, reference EMC Data Domain documentation for the
procedure to configure this account.
8. Complete the Max Streams field.
This setting indicates to the Data Domain system the total number of client backup streams
launched simultaneously from Avamar clients managed by this Avamar server. This setting is
especially important in deployments where the Data Domain system is being targeted by backup
applications besides Avamar, such as EMC Networker.
This setting assures that Avamar backup streams do not oversubscribe the Data Domain system
if other backup jobs are being targeted to it within the same backup window.
9. Click Okay.
10. Click SNMP (Figure 11). The Add Data Domain System window appears.
2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

24

11. In the Getter/Setter Port Number field, the default value is usually used.
This number tells the Avamar server the port on the Data Domain system from which to receive
and on which to set SNMP objects.
12. Next, complete the SNMP Community String field.
This indicates to Avamar which community string will allow read/write access to the Data Domain
system from an SNMP perspective.
13. Enter the Trap Port Number.
This indicates the port on the Avamar server that Data Domain will use to send SNMP traps to the
Avamar server. The default number usually does not need to be changed. Refer to the Avamar
server SNMP configuration for the proper settings.
14. Click OK.

Figure 11: Add Data Domain System: SNMP tab

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

25

15. Click Events (Figure 12).

This window shows all the events that will be passed to Avamar Administrator from the Data
Domain system.

Figure 12: Add Data Domain System: Events tab

16. To complete the provisioning of a Data Domain system for use by Avamar, verify the entries and
click OK.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

26

Figure 13: Avamar Administrator: Server Management

The process of provisioning a Data Domain system for use with Avamar is easily and intuitively done.
Repeat this process for multiple Data Domain systems that may be required for a particular
Avamar/Data Domain joint solution. After adding a system, the administrator can return at any time to
the Server window (Figure 13) from the main menu for a quick dashboard view of Data Domain
system statistics such as capacity, DDOS version, and model number.

Example Two: Specify a dataset policy within the Avamar

Administrator interface
This example illustrates the procedure for setting a dataset policy within Avamar. The dataset policy is
needed in order to target backups.
For use in illustrating this procedure we have created a policy dataset named DDSQLDataset for
backup of a production SQL database.
Note:

Refer to EMC Avamar Administrator documentation for creating datasets from scratch.

The example re-directs the backups of this dataset from the Avamar Data Store to the Data Domain
system provisioned in Example One.
2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

27

Use the Avamar Administrator policy configuration feature, as shown in Figure 14, to edit the
dataset that is to be retargeted. Click Options on the Edit Dataset window to bring up the
configuration settings in the New Dataset dialog box, as shown in Figure 15.

Figure 14: Avamar Administrator: Edit Dataset window

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

28

Figure 15: Avamar Administrator - New Dataset dialog box

1. Click the checkbox Use Data Domain system. From the drop-down list, select the Data Domain
system target for this dataset.
The drop-down list shows all the available Data Domain systems. We have pre-provisioned only
one Data Domain system, so there is only one option in the box. If more Data Domain systems
were provisioned then multiple selections would appear.
2. Click OK.
The SQL dataset will be processed by the Avamar Windows SQL plug-in to target its data to the Data
Domain system. Upon the next backup policy execution (either manual or scheduled), the SQL
dataset will be sent to the Data Domain system for deduplication and storage.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

29

VCE-recommended solutions for daily data Protection

This section describes the Data Protection Cabinets directly available from VCE. These are VCE
recommended and tested solutions. Supported configuration rules are also provided.

VCE Vblock Data Protection Cabinets

The VCE Vblock Data Protection Cabinets include a variety of implementation choices for the
solutions described in this paper. These solutions have been architected and tested by VCE to
seamlessly integrate into a Vblock system. They are available directly from VCE, delivered in VCE
cabinets. The VCE Data Protection Cabinets contain the scalable solutions and provide the correct
amount of cabinet space for expansion devices.
The Data Protection Cabinets comprise two solution groups: Avamar in a VCE cabinet and Avamar
with Data Domain in a VCE cabinet
Available VCE Vblock Data Protection Cabinets:
Solution type

Description

Avamar-only single cabinet

Avamar with Vblock systems solution in 1 cabinet

(Figure 16)

Avamar-only multi-cabinet

Avamar with Vblock systems solution in multiple

cabinets. Figure 17 shows an example of 3 single
Avamar instances, although 3 cabinets is not a limit.

Avamar and Data Domain 670 single cabinet

Avamar and Data Domain 670 with Vblock systems

solution in 1 cabinet (Figure 18)

Avamar and Data Domain 890 multi-cabinet

Avamar and Data Domain 890 with Vblock systems

solution in 2 to 9 cabinets (Figures 19 and 20)

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

30

Avamar-only single cabinet

The single cabinet Avamar-only VCE Vblock data protection module has 1 cabinet with Avamar
switches, Cisco switches, data nodes and utility nodes with built-in networking, and two external
connection cables to the Vblock systems. The minimum configuration is 3 data nodes and 1 utility
node. Expansion space is provided in the cabinet for up to 14 additional nodes in any combination of
data nodes (up to 13 additional for a 16 total maximum), NDMP accelerator nodes, and/or media
access nodes.

Figure 16. Avamar only single cabinet module

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

31

Avamar-only multi-cabinet
The Avamar-only multi-cabinet Vblock data protection module provides three times the capabilities of
the Avamar-only single cabinet, as it has 2 additional cabinets each containing the same capabilities.
The module also has three times the expansion capabilities as the Avamar-only single cabinet.
Note:
If backing up multiple Vblock systems to a single Avamar and Data Domain Data Protection Cabinet,
each Vblock system must be connected to a group of dedicated uplink ports from the Data Protection Cabinet.

Figure 17. Avamar-only multi- cabinet module

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

32

Avamar and Data Domain 670 single cabinet

The Avamar and Data Domain 670 single cabinet Vblock data protection module has 1 cabinet with
Avamar switches, Cisco switches, 1 DD670 Head Unit, and 1 ES30 storage shelf. The minimum
configuration comprises 3 data nodes and 1 utility node. It has built-in networking, and 2 external
connection cables to the Vblock systems. It contains 3 expansion spaces providing room for an
additional Head Unit, and an additional storage unit, as well as an additional 10 nodes in any
combination of data nodes, accelerator nodes, and/or media access nodes.
Note:
If backing up multiple Vblock systems to a single Avamar and Data Domain Data Protection Cabinet,
each Vblock system must be connected to a group of dedicated uplink ports from the Data Protection Cabinet.

Figure 18. Avamar and Data Domain single-cabinet module

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

33

Avamar and Data Domain 890 multi-cabinet

The Avamar and Data Domain 890 multi-cabinet Vblock data protection module has 2 cabinets with
inter-cabinet connections that permit the cabinets to be placed at an unlimited distance from each
other within the data center. Cabinet 1 is configured in an identical manner to the single Avamar and
Data Domain cabinet, with the addition of inter-cabinet connections. The interconnected cabinets have
built-in networking, and two external connection cables from cabinet 1 to the Vblock systems. Cabinet
2 contains 1 Data Domain ES30 Drive Shelf, 1 Data Domain 890 Head Unit, and 2U space for a future
Head Unit upgrade. Expansion Space #1 can hold 2 additional ES30 Drive Shelves. Expansion
Space # 2 can also hold up to 9 additional storage trays.
Note:
If backing up multiple Vblock systems to a single Avamar and Data Domain Data Protection Cabinet,
each Vblock system must be connected to a group of dedicated uplink ports from the Data Protection Cabinet.

Figure 19. Avamar and Data Domain multi-cabinet module

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

34

Avamar and Data Domain 890 multi-cabinet

The Vblock Protection Avamar and Data Domain 890 maximum multi-cabinet configuration can have
up to 9 cabinets, with connections from each cabinet directly to Cabinet 1. (No other interconnections
exist among the additional cabinets.)
Cabinet 1 is identical to the Cabinet 1 contained in the first Avamar and DD 890 multi-cabinet
configuration (Figure 19).
Cabinets 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the example (Figure 20) are identical.
Note:
If backing up multiple Vblock systems to a single Avamar and Data Domain Data Protection Cabinet,
each Vblock system must be connected to a group of dedicated uplink ports from the Data Protection Cabinet.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

35

Figure 20. Avamar and Data Domain multi- cabinet configuration

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

36

VCE-supported configuration rules for Avamar with Vblock systems,

and for Avamar and Data Domain with Vblock systems
VCE Seamless Support is provided for configurations that adhere to the following rules:
Backup and recovery using only Avamar software and hardware with Vblock systems using
VCE-provided modules
Backup and recovery using Avamar software and hardware, plus Data Domain hardware using
VCE-provided modules
A dedicated Data Protection system for each Vblock system. No sharing is permitted
Current Avamar Gen 4 hardware
Current Avamar V 6.0 software
Vblock systems NAS backup via Avamar Accelerator nodes
Remote office Vblock systems backup with single node Avamar, but only if replicated to Avamar
in a different site
Avamar and Data Domain on Vblock systems in Datacenter 1 must be replicated to Avamar
and Data Domain on Vblock systems in Datacenter 2. Only Vblock systems can be connected
to VCE Avamar and Data Domain backup systems. Connecting any other servers to the VCE
Avamar and Data Domain system voids VCE Seamless Support.
Datacenter 1 and Datacenter 2 are cross-replicating. Only Vblock systems can be connected to
VCE Avamar and Data Domain backup systems. Connecting any other servers to the VCE
Avamar and Data Domain system voids VCE Seamless Support.
A single Vblock system is required per VCE Avamar and Data Domain backup system. Only
Vblock systems can be connected to VCE Avamar and Data Domain backup systems.
Connecting any other servers to the VCE Avamar and Data Domain system voids VCE
Seamless Support.
Virtual desktop backup/restore
Guest-level agent for crash-consistent backups
Virtual machine server image backups using proxies
Virtual machine server image backups using proxies and Change Block Tracking
Avamar Tape-out for archive, if compliant with EMC support rules
Retrofit to existing Vblock systems 300 and 700 customers
Bare metal servers in Vblock systems are supported only where they are fully compliant with
EMC Avamar rules. VCE Support will be limited to Avamar and Vblock systems and does not
extend to operating system issues on bare metal servers.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

37

Conclusion
With the integration and control of EMC Data Domain systems within the EMC Avamar client on
Vblock systems, the backup administrator can now eliminate separate backup processes and manage
enterprise-wide backup workloads associated with each dataset from a single management interface.
Furthermore, backups of VMware virtual machines, desktops and laptops, remote offices, NAS
systems, and enterprise applications are all optimized for faster backups, maximum deduplication,
and efficient recoveries.
VCE offers on Vblock systems both Avamar and Data Domain because these data targets have
different advantages. The combination of the two addresses a broader set of data protection
requirements and delivers the most cost effective solution.
There are several ways to implement the VCE data protection solutions for daily backups. The best
possible method depends upon the exact customer requirements. The most common
recommendations are:
Use guest-level backups daily to ensure crash-consistent data recovery. Restoration of
individual files is a far more common occurrence than full server restoration.
Backup the server VMDK once per week, or whenever a virtual machine server has been
updated. This provides rapid restore capability in the event of a server crash.
Using Avamar and Data Domain as described in this white paper is a VCE-recommended solution
because it simplifies data protection AND it is a critical element for getting the maximum return-oninvestment from Vblock systems.

Next Steps
To learn more about this and other solutions, contact a VCE representative or visit www.vce.com.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

38

References
VCE
Vblock Infrastructure Platforms 2010 Vblock Platforms Architecture Overview

EMC
Note:
To access this documentation EMC requires that you have registered and have a user id and password.
Contact EMC to set up your user id.

EMC Avamar 6.1 Administration Guide

Data Domain OS 5.1 Administration Guide

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

39

ABOUT VCE
VCE, formed by Cisco and EMC with investments from VMware and Intel, accelerates the adoption of converged infrastructure and
cloud-based computing models that dramatically reduce the cost of IT while improving time to market for our customers. VCE,
through the Vblock system, delivers the industry's only fully integrated and fully virtualized cloud infrastructure system. VCE
solutions are available through an extensive partner network, and cover horizontal applications, vertical industry offerings, and
application development environments, allowing customers to focus on business innovation instead of integrating, validating and
managing IT infrastructure.
For more information, go to www.vce.com.

THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS." VCE MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES
OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OR MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Copyright 2012 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Vblock and the VCE logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of VCE Company, LLC, and/or its
affiliates in the United States or other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

2012 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.