Need Storage/Backup Solution Recommendations

[RomualPiecyk]

I have an Exchange server with a store that is close to 100GB in size. When backing it up, coupled with each individual mailbox "brick layer" backup, the job calculates to well over 200gb+ in size, and takes well over 30 hours to backup with the current backup solution that I have.

Along with this email server, I have a file server that is storing about 150gb+ of data, and growing every day.

I antipate the email store and the data file storage to double their size within the next 18 months.

I suppose I should be considering a small SAN solution, but I have absolutely no SAN experience. My questions are:

1) Does it sound like I can use a SAN?
2) I believe along with the SAN I will need a high capacity tape library to backup the SAN, correct?
3) I anticipate migrating the file server data to be easy enough, but my biggest concern is the email store. How easy/difficult is it to move an email store to a SAN? Is it even possible?

Any information that anyone has will be most appreciated. Thank you.

 

[fraxx]

in short:
1. Yes, but it's not the best bang for your buck.
2. It's common, but not necessary.
3. I'd say it's probably easier to migrate the email database than the file server.

A bit more elaborate
1. I'd go for a gigabit ethernet between the file, exchange and backup server. Install some cheap SATA drives on the backup server. Depending on your budget, you could spring for nice features such as hot-plug and hw raid.
Then, implement backups to disk which is then spooled to tape. This will depend on your backup software.

2. It's nice to have a SAN connected tape library, but you can probably make due with a smaller autochanger direct attached to the backup server.

3. If you do go for a SAN, all a SAN (usually) does is to centralize the disk LUNs. In other ways, if your local harddrive for the file server data is D:, a drive on a SAN attached disk subsystem will just appear as E:, or whatever you decided to name it. The migration process is then just the matter or xcopying D: E: /s /e etc, changing share paths as needed.

I haven't worked with Exchange in many years, but last time I did there was this tool "optimizer", where you could point exchange to which drives to use. That's why I think migrating the mail server will be easier.

/charles