Offhost backup issues when using a hardware provider

Hardware disk array vendors may support VSS snapshots and the transporting of volumes to the media server for backup in a SAN environment. Using hardware providers requires a sound understanding of how disk arrays are configured for shared access between the remote computer and the media server in a SAN.

Consult the documentation for your hardware disk array on how to set up such disk arrays for offhost backup. Specifically, note any limitations on using the disk arrays in context with VSS snapshots, and note how to verify if the volumes are transportable. It is highly recommended that you make use of any tools provided by the vendor to help verify the setup and for troubleshooting issues.

Offhost backup issues that can occur when using Hitachi hardware include the following:

Table: Offhost backup issues when using Hitachi hardware

Issue

Description

Hitachi supports only basic disks for offhost backup.

If a computer uses a combination of dynamic and basic disks, a complete system backup using the offhost backup feature is not possible when the Hitachi provider is used.

Veritas Cluster Server (VCS) is not supported with the Hitachi provider.

The Hitachi provider does not support dynamic disks for offhost backup.

More Information

Requirements for offhost backup

Requirements for offhost backup when using the Veritas Storage Foundation for Windows Provider

Best practices for synthetic backup

Offhost backup issues when using a hardware provider