Step 4: Adding a New Storage Vault

Zmanda Pro allows you to store backup data on various storage media, from on-prem NAS/SAN devices to S3-compatible cloud services. Some storage targets can be templatized, allowing for easy addition to user profiles.

Before you begin...

Key Points About Zmanda Pro Storage Vaults

Overview

• Definition: Storage vaults are logical partitions of a larger storage medium, allowing multiple vaults to exist within a single physical or cloud storage target.

• Concurrent Access: Multiple, simultaneous backups into the same Vault are usually not a problem, and doing so can result in better deduplication ratios. Some devices that shut down frequently, such as laptops, can occasionally cause issues. Lock issues are rare unless a device unexpectedly stops or pauses. Consider separate Vaults for these cases.

Encryption and User Access

• Vault encryption keys are tied to the backup user's password. (For more information, see here).

• Vaults cannot be shared between different backup users.

• Deleting and recreating a user can cause issues if the new user points to an existing storage vault. This will trigger the warning: "Couldn't decrypt vault contents," and result in a failed job.

Deduplication

• Deduplication Unit: Data from different protected items backed up to the same vault will be deduplicated against existing data.

Resource Usage

• RAM Requirements: For every 1TB of storage vault size, expect approximately 1GB of RAM usage during backup jobs.

  • Example: If source data is 2TB but deduplicates to 1TB, the backup job will require about 1GB of RAM.

  • Note: Actual usage may vary; this is a conservative estimate.

Best Practices for Managing Storage Vaults

1. Consistent Naming:

   • Properly name each vault in the Zmanda Pro console and your storage target using a consistent naming convention for easy configuration.

2. Ensure Adequate RAM:

   • Verify you have enough RAM to support the size of your data.

   • If RAM is insufficient, configure the system to use temporary files instead (available on the schedule configuration page of each protected item).

How to add a storage vault

1. Go to the User's account page on the Zmanda Pro console.

2. Navigate to the Storage Vaults tab.

3. Click Add New Vault and choose the type of storage:

   • Storage provided by (...): Use this option if you have already configured a storage template

   • Custom...: Select this to manually enter details for a different storage location not covered by the templates.

4. Fill in the required fields for your chosen storage type, including retention policies to apply on the storage level, and click Save Changes.

Create a storage template (optional)

Storage templates allow you to easily provision new storage vaults for users without manually inputting storage details within each user profile.

1. Go to Settings

2. Select the Storage tab

3. Click Add under the Storage Templates section

1. Select your storage target and input the corresponding connection details

1. Click Save on the creation wizard, and Save Changes on the settings page

1. You can now add storage vaults with a click of a button (see step 3 from this section)