Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?
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So, I am repurposing a Supermicro server into a storage server to hold my Veeam backups. I have the chassis full with 8x6TB WD Gold SATA drives. I was going to put them into RAID 10 (OBR10 of course) and that would give me just enough usable space based on my estimations of the size of the Veeam files required to store 5 years of backups with a very small amount of headroom.
I was just wondering if I should think about using RAID 6 instead? It would give me quite a bit more extra space just in case my data set should unexpectedly increase in size. I will not be using reverse incremental with Veeam btw.
Concerns with RAID 10 were it just gives me enough space based on my estimates for the 5 years of storage. Concerns with RAID 6 would be performance related (long rebuild times in case of disk failure, write penalty during backup operations, etc.).
Thoughts on if I should stick with my original decision of RAID 10? Thanks!
P.S. If I decided to keep RAID 10 and did need additional space in the future unexpectedly, I did think about a fall back plan of using Windows Deduplication (server will be running 2012 R2).
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Backup storage rarely has the need to be RAID 10 for performance reasons.
But SATA drives are so cheap anymore I typically just do it anyway
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Gold drives, RAID 6 is just fine.
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@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
Concerns with RAID 10 were it just gives me enough space based on my estimates for the 5 years of storage. Concerns with RAID 6 would be performance related (long rebuild times in case of disk failure, write penalty during backup operations, etc.).
Is that a big deal on your backup server?
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@scottalanmiller said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
Concerns with RAID 10 were it just gives me enough space based on my estimates for the 5 years of storage. Concerns with RAID 6 would be performance related (long rebuild times in case of disk failure, write penalty during backup operations, etc.).
Is that a big deal on your backup server?
What's that? The performance penalty? I mean I suppose under normal conditions probably not. My concern was if I used Veeam's instant recovery for example or if the array needed to rebuild because of a failed disk.
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@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@scottalanmiller said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
Concerns with RAID 10 were it just gives me enough space based on my estimates for the 5 years of storage. Concerns with RAID 6 would be performance related (long rebuild times in case of disk failure, write penalty during backup operations, etc.).
Is that a big deal on your backup server?
What's that? The performance penalty? I mean I suppose under normal conditions probably not. My concern was if I used Veeam's instant recovery for example or if the array needed to rebuild because of a failed disk.
That's what I mean. So recovery from failed disk is like a 1% risk? It's a backup server, normally this isn't considered a problem. Even if you are using instant recovery, what are the chances that this would impact you?
You have to weigh it out. Look at the extra cost of RAID 10 and weigh that against the insanely unlikely chance that a recovery issue would impact you.
Because the impact only matters...
- IF you lose a server host and...
- IF you lose a drive on the backup server...
At the same time. So like even if you take the small chance that the server will fail, THEN you have something like a 1000:1 chance that the backup server would have a failed drive rebuilding at the same time.
See what I mean?
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@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
P.S. If I decided to keep RAID 10 and did need additional space in the future unexpectedly, I did think about a fall back plan of using Windows Deduplication (server will be running 2012 R2).
You're running Windows Server 2012 R2 on your repo? why waste a license?
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@scottalanmiller said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@scottalanmiller said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
Concerns with RAID 10 were it just gives me enough space based on my estimates for the 5 years of storage. Concerns with RAID 6 would be performance related (long rebuild times in case of disk failure, write penalty during backup operations, etc.).
Is that a big deal on your backup server?
What's that? The performance penalty? I mean I suppose under normal conditions probably not. My concern was if I used Veeam's instant recovery for example or if the array needed to rebuild because of a failed disk.
That's what I mean. So recovery from failed disk is like a 1% risk? It's a backup server, normally this isn't considered a problem. Even if you are using instant recovery, what are the chances that this would impact you?
You have to weigh it out. Look at the extra cost of RAID 10 and weigh that against the insanely unlikely chance that a recovery issue would impact you.
Because the impact only matters...
- IF you lose a server host and...
- IF you lose a drive on the backup server...
At the same time. So like even if you take the small chance that the server will fail, THEN you have something like a 1000:1 chance that the backup server would have a failed drive rebuilding at the same time.
See what I mean?
I see. I think I'll go with RAID 6 then. Will make sure I don't have to worry about capacity issues in the future.
BTW, what would you expect the rebuild time to be for such an array?
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@dashrender said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
P.S. If I decided to keep RAID 10 and did need additional space in the future unexpectedly, I did think about a fall back plan of using Windows Deduplication (server will be running 2012 R2).
You're running Windows Server 2012 R2 on your repo? why waste a license?
I'm a Windows guy and I have the license to spare so seems logical to me.
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@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@dashrender said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
P.S. If I decided to keep RAID 10 and did need additional space in the future unexpectedly, I did think about a fall back plan of using Windows Deduplication (server will be running 2012 R2).
You're running Windows Server 2012 R2 on your repo? why waste a license?
I'm a Windows guy and I have the license to spare so seems logical to me.
To me that license is likely more valuable as a second DC or a WSUS server, etc. Dropping an $800 license (and 2 VMs worth) on what is basically a NAS seems unnecessary.
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@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@dashrender said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
@beta said in Sanity check, which RAID level should I use for my Veeam repository?:
P.S. If I decided to keep RAID 10 and did need additional space in the future unexpectedly, I did think about a fall back plan of using Windows Deduplication (server will be running 2012 R2).
You're running Windows Server 2012 R2 on your repo? why waste a license?
I'm a Windows guy and I have the license to spare so seems logical to me.
If it isn't current, I'd call that an anti-reason. Spare licenses that depend on being free, but are not kept up to date means that what you are deploying you can't afford to deploy. It's out of date today and is already technical debt. It'll only get worse over time.
