With the 12.3 release of the Veeam Data Platform, integrating 11:11 Systems’ low-cost, Veeam-optimized Cloud Object Storage just got a whole lot easier. Now directly built into the Veeam UIs for both Backup & Replication and Veeam ONE, this integration gives you the best of both worlds—a seamless, streamlined setup and the unmatched efficiency of 11:11 Systems’ partnership with AWS S3. Plus, it’s simple to monitor separately from any other AWS-based storage you’re already using.
You’re not just limited to the Backup & Replication Console when it comes to interacting with Veeam’s new storage options. You can automate deployment, management, and monitoring with the new cmdlets in the PowerShell modules or through API calls. And if you’re looking for a full suite of monitoring capabilities, Veeam ONE has you covered.
Getting Started
Adding Storage – When it comes to creating storage buckets, I usually rely on the AWS CLI. Even if it’s just a quick one-off task, I tend to stick with being automation-centric. There are other options, like using a more GUI-friendly approach, but personally, I love the consistency and reproducibility that the CLI provides. It’s fast, efficient, and gets the job done the same way every time.
aws –profile premlab-ca-central-1 s3api create-bucket –object-lock-enabled-for-bucket –create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=us-west-2 –bucket lax01-premlab-ca-central-1-imm1
Add Backup Repository
Choose Additional Providers
Choose 11:11 Cloud Object Storage
Name repository – I like to use bucket name, but this should align to your own needs.
Select your added Cloud Credentials – You may have already added these via menu > Credentials > Cloud Credentials. If not, you can do so by selecting Add > AWS access key. For most use cases you will want to leave the Connection Mode to Direct, except where you may be doing a direct connectivity solution between your datacenter and AWS
Select Bucket Configuration Items
- Datacenter – specify your region. The 11:11 service is limited to a single region per account so this should be explicitly known to you.
- Bucket – your previously created bucket
- Folder – You will need to create one, I typically just call it Veeam. Do not in best practice share a bucket between repositories and definitely not between VBR servers actively backing up. If you need more repos, just create more buckets
- Immutability – If your bucket is created with object lock then you have to enable immutability. We recommend 30 days
- Use infrequent access storage class – recommendation is to leave this enabled. The 11:11 S3 product is optimized around this storage class. While there are use cases where you might want to and you can disable it and use Standard S3 instead know that those will result in burst charges on your bill.
Mount Server – Default is fine for most use cases.
Confirm and search for backups – Unless you are bringing in an existing 11:11 repository you can just Apply.
Finish up – Once completed you will receive a confirmation then prompted to Finish.
Job Setup Recommendations
- Encryption – Please use it. You are writing data out to the cloud, and the best practice is to encrypt the data before you write it.
- Health Checks – Keep it simple, when it comes to health checks, you don’t need to overdo it on your secondary, on-prem copy. These aren’t as crucial as they are for your primary copy. If you set up health checks, stick to a monthly schedule at most. Running them too frequently can lead to burst charges for API call.
Direct to Object Use Cases
For most Virtual Machine use cases I’ll always advocate for writing the data first to a local repository, then leveraging the 11:11 Systems Cloud Object Storage for your secondary immutable copy for compliance. There are also good use cases for writing backups directly to our object storage offering in a Veeam DR strategy, including Configuration Backup, and what Veeam calls Unstructured Data backups. This including NAS, SMB, or production object storage-based data. For these use cases it’s actually beneficial to take advantage of the external nature as well as the scalability that cloud object storage provides.
Conclusion
11:11 Systems is now fully integrated into the flagship Veeam Data Platform Suite, and with this new release is even easier to implement and consume. This storage product can help you enhance your organization’s cyber resiliency in a budget friendly way. If you’d like to learn more about 11:11’s Veeam-optimized cloud object storage capabilities, be sure to reach out and we’d be happy to help you get started!
