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Review

First Look: Veeam Backup & Replication 6.1

Veeam has recently published a new version of its Backup Software: Veeam Backup & Replication Version 6.1. The last version I evaluated was around 2010. Back then it was definitely a great tool, but as my main environment is Linux based and veeam was lacking some features there I decided to stick with my old backup strategy.

Today I want to renew my view and test their current product. Please note that this review is focused on backing up Linux guests. Nevertheless if you are a Windows Admin, feel free to read on if you want to know why it sometimes could be a pain to backup Linux guests with VMware.

The first thing I am going to do is to just download the software and check out how intuitive the installation and configuration process will be. Later I am going to dig deeper into the functionality.

Part 1 – First Backup Job
Before we can start the installation we need to download the software. Downloading is very easy as veeam only provides one package, so the only decision is whether you need the 32-bit or the 64-bit version. Go to www.veam.com > Products > Veeam Backup & Replication > Download and select your architecture. You need to register to download anything, but it is free and quite quick.

Read More »First Look: Veeam Backup & Replication 6.1

vSphere 5 Homelab - ESX on HP ProLiant N36L/N40L/N54L Microserver

Hewlett Packard has launched an extremely affordable server for SMB and home users. Not only due to its price of approximately 200 euros, but also because of its low power consumption it is an great candidate for a virtualization home lab. An optional Remote Access Card (RAC) can extend ILO similar functions to the server.

hp-proliant-n40l-box

The HP N40L has 2 CPU cores and supports up to 8GB of RAM. Although this is quite low for a hypervisor, it should be sufficient for a pure test environment. The server does only have a software-based RAID controller which will not work with the ESX. If you want to use the local disks as an array, you have to buy an additional RAID controller. The P410 for example is supported. I decided not to buy a RAID controller, because I want to store my VMs on an shared Storage. The good news is that the server is shipped with 4 hard drive trays, which allows the installation of any SATA hard drive.

hp-proliant-n40l-front

Features

The Server is shipped with the following configuration:

  • Prozessor: AMD Turion™ II Neo N40L (2x 1,50GHz)
  • Memory: 2GB PC3-10600E UDIMMs DDR3
  • Hard Disk: 1x Seagate Barracude (250GB, 7200RPM, SATA)
  • LAN: 1x 10/100/1000 MBit (NC107i)
  • PSU: 150 Watt, non-redundant
  • Ports: VGA, eSATA, 7x USB 2.0 (4x Front, 2x Back, 1x On-Board)

Read More »vSphere 5 Homelab - ESX on HP ProLiant N36L/N40L/N54L Microserver