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I want to backup servers with disk size larger than 1 TB

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Nerdio Accelerator

Applies to: Nerdio For Azure (NFA) Managed Service Partners (MSPs)

Symptom

Some servers in NFA show errors while taking backup. However, no errors are displayed under the "Logs" module on Nerdio Admin Portal (NAP). Logs in the Azure management portal show an error similar to this one:

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Cause

This typically happens when one or more disks attached to the server are larger than 1 TB in size. An error is reported by Azure as Nerdio's Backup module can only backup VMs that have disks of size 1TB or less.

Resolution

Azure launched a new feature called "Azure Backup Instant Restore". This new feature offers support for backing up VMs with disk size > 1TB through upgraded VM backup stack. This new feature offers the following enhancements:

  • Ability to use snapshots taken as part of a backup job that is available for recovery without waiting for data transfer to the vault to finish. It reduces the wait time for snapshots to copy to the vault before triggering restore
  • Reduces backup and restore times by retaining snapshots along with the disk(s) for seven days
  • Supports disk sizes up to 4 TB
  • Supports Standard SSD disks
  • Ability to use an unmanaged VM's original storage accounts (per disk), when restoring. This ability exists even when the VM has disks that are distributed across storage accounts. It speeds up restore operations for a wide variety of VM configurations
Nerdio Tip
  • As of Jan 1, 2019, Nerdio correctly handles backups for VMs with disks larger than 1 TB. NAP uses backup stack v2 for NFA accounts created on and after Jan 1, 2019.
  • Older NFA accounts created before Jan 1, 2019 will need to:

- either upgrade to new VM backup and restore stack (follow instructions below in this article) or

- turn backup off and turn it back on in NAP to enable v2 (the downside being they will lose existing backed up data)

 

To upgrade to new VM backup and restore stack:

1. Login to Azure admin portal

2. Go to "Recovery Services Vaults" tab

3. Click "NerdioBackupVault" option

You will see a notification on the vault dashboard. Click the notification "Support for > 1 TB disk VMs and improvements to backup and restore speed":

screen1.png

To open a screen for upgrading to Instant Restore, select the banner:

screen2.png

4. Alternatively, go to Properties tab of the vault and then click Upgrade option under VM backup stack:

screen3.png

 

 

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