vRanger 7.8.4 - Integration Guide for EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost)

Quest® vRanger® 7.8.4 

Integration Guide for EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) 

© 2023 Quest Software Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described in this guide is furnished under a software license or nondisclosure agreement. This software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the applicable agreement. No part of this guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for any purpose other than the purchaser’s personal use without the written permission of Quest Software Inc.

The information in this document is provided in connection with Quest Software products. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property right is granted by this document or in connection with the sale of Quest Software products. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AS SPECIFIED IN THE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR THIS PRODUCT, QUEST SOFTWARE ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER AND DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTY RELATING TO ITS PRODUCTS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL QUEST SOFTWARE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR LOSS OF INFORMATION) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS DOCUMENT, EVEN IF QUEST SOFTWARE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Quest Software makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and reserves the right to make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time without notice. Quest Software does not make any commitment to update the information contained in this document.

If you have any questions regarding your potential use of this material, contact:

Quest Software Inc.
Attn: LEGAL Dept.
4 Polaris Way
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

Refer to our website (https://www.quest.com) for regional and international office information.

Patents

Quest Software is proud of our advanced technology. Patents and pending patents may apply to this product. For the most current information about applicable patents for this product, please visit our website at https://www.quest.com/legal.

Trademarks

Quest, the Quest logo, Foglight, NetVault, vRanger, and Join the Innovation are trademarks and registered trademarks of Quest Software Inc. vCenter, vSphere, vMotion, VMware, and ESXi are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Active Directory, Hyper-V, SharePoint, SQL Server, Windows, and Windows Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Data Domain and DD Boost are trademarks or registered trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. For a complete list of Quest marks, visit https://www.quest.com/legal/trademark-information.aspx. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

vRanger Integration Guide for EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™)
Updated - April 2023
Software Version - 7.8.4

Getting started

•    vRanger integration quick start for DD Boost

•    Product overviews

vRanger integration quick start for DD Boost

Integrating EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) with vRanger is achieved by adding an EMC® Data Domain® appliance running DD Boost to vRanger as a repository. Backups written to that repository are deduplicated according to your configuration. The following steps describe the integration process at a high level, and provide links to the remaining topics for more exploration. Before implementing this solution in a production environment, read this documentation thoroughly.

1    Install DD Boost: To install and enable DD Boost, perform the following operations:

▪    Obtain the license required to enable DD Boost on the Data Domain system. You can purchase a DD Boost license key directly from EMC. The DD Boost license allows you to back up and restore data.

▪    Enable and configure DD Boost on the Data Domain system. At a minimum, configuration includes specifying the DD Boost user name and password.

▪    Install vRanger, which contains the DD Boost Libraries.

2    Configure DD Boost: After DD Boost is licensed and enabled, perform the following steps, if applicable:

▪    Create DD Boost User: vRanger uses the DD Boost user credentials to connect to the Data Domain system.

▪    Create Storage Units: When used with vRanger, a DD Boost repository is configured at the Storage Unit level, meaning each DD Boost repository in vRanger equates to exactly one Storage Unit. You may create storage units through the vRanger user interface (UI), or directly on the Data Domain system, as described in Creating Storage Units.

▪    Configure Distributed Segment Processing: This step allows parts of the deduplication process to be performed by the DD Boost Library, which avoids sending duplicate data to the DD Boost repository. For more information, see Configuring distributed segment processing.

▪    Configure Advanced Load Balancing and Link Failover: This feature allows for combining multiple Ethernet links into a group. Only one of the interfaces on the Data Domain system is registered with vRanger. The DD Boost Library negotiates with the Data Domain system on the interface registered with vRanger to obtain an interface to send the data. For instructions, see Configuring Advanced Load Balancing and Link Failover.

3    Install vRanger: Using the vRanger installer, install vRanger on a machine meeting the vRanger system requirements. For an overview of the installation process, see Installing vRanger. For detailed information, see the Quest vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.

4    Create DD Boost Repository: After vRanger is installed, add the DD Boost instance to vRanger as a repository. Any backup written to this repository is deduplicated according to your Data Domain configuration. For more information, see Managing repository replication.

Product overviews

The following topics provide an overview of vRanger and EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™), and important information about the licensing required to integrate the two products.

What is vRanger?

vRanger is the leading VMware® data protection solution that also backs up and recovers Windows® physical servers and files with blazing speed and minimal storage requirements. With vRanger, you get comprehensive protection for both virtual and physical environments that you can manage from one intuitive interface.

vRanger has historically supported EMC® Data Domain® systems as repositories, but required that the Data Domain system was configured as a Common Internet File System (CIFS) share. vRanger extends this functionality to support the more advanced functionality offered by EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™), and allow direct configuration of DD Boost repositories.

vRanger licensing

For virtual machine (VM) backup, a license for vRanger controls the number of source CPUs that you can configure for backup. For licensing purposes, a multi-core processor is counted as a single CPU. For physical backup, each server protected consumes one physical backup license.

Every VMware® ESXi™ host for which vRanger is expected to provide protection must be properly licensed, both by VMware and in the vRanger Host Licensing tab.

DD Boost overview

EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) enables backup servers to communicate with storage systems without the need for EMC® Data Domain® storage systems to emulate tape. There are two components to the software:

•    The DD Boost Libraries for integrating with the DD Boost server running on the Data Domain system.

•    The DD Boost server that runs on Data Domain systems. A Data Domain system can be a single Data Domain system or a gateway.

The Data Domain system exposes pre-made disk volumes called storage units to a DD Boost-enabled backup server. By using the DD Boost Libraries, multiple backup servers can use the same storage unit on a Data Domain system as a storage server. Each backup server can run a different operating system, if it is supported by Data Domain.

DD Boost licensing

EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) software is an optional product that requires a license to operate on the EMC® Data Domain® system. You can purchase a DD Boost software license key for a Data Domain system directly from EMC.

Getting started

•    vRanger integration quick start for DD Boost

•    Product overviews

vRanger integration quick start for DD Boost

Integrating EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) with vRanger is achieved by adding an EMC® Data Domain® appliance running DD Boost to vRanger as a repository. Backups written to that repository are deduplicated according to your configuration. The following steps describe the integration process at a high level, and provide links to the remaining topics for more exploration. Before implementing this solution in a production environment, read this documentation thoroughly.

1    Install DD Boost: To install and enable DD Boost, perform the following operations:

▪    Obtain the license required to enable DD Boost on the Data Domain system. You can purchase a DD Boost license key directly from EMC. The DD Boost license allows you to back up and restore data.

▪    Enable and configure DD Boost on the Data Domain system. At a minimum, configuration includes specifying the DD Boost user name and password.

▪    Install vRanger, which contains the DD Boost Libraries.

2    Configure DD Boost: After DD Boost is licensed and enabled, perform the following steps, if applicable:

▪    Create DD Boost User: vRanger uses the DD Boost user credentials to connect to the Data Domain system.

▪    Create Storage Units: When used with vRanger, a DD Boost repository is configured at the Storage Unit level, meaning each DD Boost repository in vRanger equates to exactly one Storage Unit. You may create storage units through the vRanger user interface (UI), or directly on the Data Domain system, as described in Creating Storage Units.

▪    Configure Distributed Segment Processing: This step allows parts of the deduplication process to be performed by the DD Boost Library, which avoids sending duplicate data to the DD Boost repository. For more information, see Configuring distributed segment processing.

▪    Configure Advanced Load Balancing and Link Failover: This feature allows for combining multiple Ethernet links into a group. Only one of the interfaces on the Data Domain system is registered with vRanger. The DD Boost Library negotiates with the Data Domain system on the interface registered with vRanger to obtain an interface to send the data. For instructions, see Configuring Advanced Load Balancing and Link Failover.

3    Install vRanger: Using the vRanger installer, install vRanger on a machine meeting the vRanger system requirements. For an overview of the installation process, see Installing vRanger. For detailed information, see the Quest vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.

4    Create DD Boost Repository: After vRanger is installed, add the DD Boost instance to vRanger as a repository. Any backup written to this repository is deduplicated according to your Data Domain configuration. For more information, see Managing repository replication.

Product overviews

The following topics provide an overview of vRanger and EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™), and important information about the licensing required to integrate the two products.

What is vRanger?

vRanger is the leading VMware® data protection solution that also backs up and recovers Windows® physical servers and files with blazing speed and minimal storage requirements. With vRanger, you get comprehensive protection for both virtual and physical environments that you can manage from one intuitive interface.

vRanger has historically supported EMC® Data Domain® systems as repositories, but required that the Data Domain system was configured as a Common Internet File System (CIFS) share. vRanger extends this functionality to support the more advanced functionality offered by EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™), and allow direct configuration of DD Boost repositories.

vRanger licensing

For virtual machine (VM) backup, a license for vRanger controls the number of source CPUs that you can configure for backup. For licensing purposes, a multi-core processor is counted as a single CPU. For physical backup, each server protected consumes one physical backup license.

Every VMware® ESXi™ host for which vRanger is expected to provide protection must be properly licensed, both by VMware and in the vRanger Host Licensing tab.

DD Boost overview

EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) enables backup servers to communicate with storage systems without the need for EMC® Data Domain® storage systems to emulate tape. There are two components to the software:

•    The DD Boost Libraries for integrating with the DD Boost server running on the Data Domain system.

•    The DD Boost server that runs on Data Domain systems. A Data Domain system can be a single Data Domain system or a gateway.

The Data Domain system exposes pre-made disk volumes called storage units to a DD Boost-enabled backup server. By using the DD Boost Libraries, multiple backup servers can use the same storage unit on a Data Domain system as a storage server. Each backup server can run a different operating system, if it is supported by Data Domain.

DD Boost licensing

EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) software is an optional product that requires a license to operate on the EMC® Data Domain® system. You can purchase a DD Boost software license key for a Data Domain system directly from EMC.

Getting started

•    vRanger integration quick start for DD Boost

•    Product overviews

vRanger integration quick start for DD Boost

Integrating EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) with vRanger is achieved by adding an EMC® Data Domain® appliance running DD Boost to vRanger as a repository. Backups written to that repository are deduplicated according to your configuration. The following steps describe the integration process at a high level, and provide links to the remaining topics for more exploration. Before implementing this solution in a production environment, read this documentation thoroughly.

1    Install DD Boost: To install and enable DD Boost, perform the following operations:

▪    Obtain the license required to enable DD Boost on the Data Domain system. You can purchase a DD Boost license key directly from EMC. The DD Boost license allows you to back up and restore data.

▪    Enable and configure DD Boost on the Data Domain system. At a minimum, configuration includes specifying the DD Boost user name and password.

▪    Install vRanger, which contains the DD Boost Libraries.

2    Configure DD Boost: After DD Boost is licensed and enabled, perform the following steps, if applicable:

▪    Create DD Boost User: vRanger uses the DD Boost user credentials to connect to the Data Domain system.

▪    Create Storage Units: When used with vRanger, a DD Boost repository is configured at the Storage Unit level, meaning each DD Boost repository in vRanger equates to exactly one Storage Unit. You may create storage units through the vRanger user interface (UI), or directly on the Data Domain system, as described in Creating Storage Units.

▪    Configure Distributed Segment Processing: This step allows parts of the deduplication process to be performed by the DD Boost Library, which avoids sending duplicate data to the DD Boost repository. For more information, see Configuring distributed segment processing.

▪    Configure Advanced Load Balancing and Link Failover: This feature allows for combining multiple Ethernet links into a group. Only one of the interfaces on the Data Domain system is registered with vRanger. The DD Boost Library negotiates with the Data Domain system on the interface registered with vRanger to obtain an interface to send the data. For instructions, see Configuring Advanced Load Balancing and Link Failover.

3    Install vRanger: Using the vRanger installer, install vRanger on a machine meeting the vRanger system requirements. For an overview of the installation process, see Installing vRanger. For detailed information, see the Quest vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.

4    Create DD Boost Repository: After vRanger is installed, add the DD Boost instance to vRanger as a repository. Any backup written to this repository is deduplicated according to your Data Domain configuration. For more information, see Managing repository replication.

Product overviews

The following topics provide an overview of vRanger and EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™), and important information about the licensing required to integrate the two products.

What is vRanger?

vRanger is the leading VMware® data protection solution that also backs up and recovers Windows® physical servers and files with blazing speed and minimal storage requirements. With vRanger, you get comprehensive protection for both virtual and physical environments that you can manage from one intuitive interface.

vRanger has historically supported EMC® Data Domain® systems as repositories, but required that the Data Domain system was configured as a Common Internet File System (CIFS) share. vRanger extends this functionality to support the more advanced functionality offered by EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™), and allow direct configuration of DD Boost repositories.

vRanger licensing

For virtual machine (VM) backup, a license for vRanger controls the number of source CPUs that you can configure for backup. For licensing purposes, a multi-core processor is counted as a single CPU. For physical backup, each server protected consumes one physical backup license.

Every VMware® ESXi™ host for which vRanger is expected to provide protection must be properly licensed, both by VMware and in the vRanger Host Licensing tab.

DD Boost overview

EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) enables backup servers to communicate with storage systems without the need for EMC® Data Domain® storage systems to emulate tape. There are two components to the software:

•    The DD Boost Libraries for integrating with the DD Boost server running on the Data Domain system.

•    The DD Boost server that runs on Data Domain systems. A Data Domain system can be a single Data Domain system or a gateway.

The Data Domain system exposes pre-made disk volumes called storage units to a DD Boost-enabled backup server. By using the DD Boost Libraries, multiple backup servers can use the same storage unit on a Data Domain system as a storage server. Each backup server can run a different operating system, if it is supported by Data Domain.

DD Boost licensing

EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) software is an optional product that requires a license to operate on the EMC® Data Domain® system. You can purchase a DD Boost software license key for a Data Domain system directly from EMC.