Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments Guide to Proxy Sizing

Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments V6.3

Step by Step Guide To vStorage Backup Server (Proxy) Sizing

12 September 2012

1.1

Author: Dan Wolfe, Tivoli Software Advanced Technology

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 Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments Guide to Proxy Sizing

Revision History
Revision Revision Summary of Changes Changes
Number Date marked
1.0 08/22/12 Final version
1.1 09/12/12 Formatting changes and typos
Added “constraint checking” section

Disclaimer
The information contained in this document is distributed on an "as is" basis without any warranty either
expressed or implied.

This document has been made available as part of IBM developerWorks WIKI, and is hereby governed by the
terms of use of the WIKI as defined at the following location:

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/tivoli/community/disclaimer.html
Throughput numbers contained in this document are intended to be used for estimation of proxy host sizing.
Actual results are environment and configuration dependent and may vary significantly. Users of this
document should verify the applicable data for their specific environment.

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Contents
Contents .......................................................................................................................... 3
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 4
1.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................. 5
1.1.1 Performance ............................................................................................................. 5
1.1.2 Periodic Full Backup ................................................................................................. 7
1.2 A Few Definitions .................................................................................................................... 7
1.3 Scope of this document .......................................................................................................... 7
1.3.1 External Dependencies and Assumptions ................................................................ 8
1.3.2 Performance optimization and bottleneck analysis .................................................. 8
1.3.3 Proxy Hardware Configuration .................................................................................. 8
1.4 Scheduling of Backups ........................................................................................................... 8
1.4.1 “Rotating Fulls” backups by ESX Host ..................................................................... 9
1.4.2 Alternate Scheduling Methods .................................................................................. 9
2. Step by Step Proxy Sizing .................................................................................... 10
2.1 Assumptions .......................................................................................................................... 10
2.2 Example environment ........................................................................................................... 10
2.3 Perform the Estimate ............................................................................................................ 10
2.3.1 Determine daily backup workload ........................................................................... 10
2.3.2 Calculate Aggregate Throughput Requirement ...................................................... 11
2.3.3 Calculate the number of concurrent datamovers (backup processes) ................... 11
2.3.4 Determine the number of proxy hosts required ...................................................... 12
2.3.5 Summary................................................................................................................. 12
2.4 Constraint Checking and Architectural Considerations ........................................................ 13
2.4.1 Check for Constraints ............................................................................................. 13
2.4.2 Additional capacity requirements ............................................................................ 14
2.4.3 Physical or virtual proxy? ........................................................................................ 14
3. Your Estimate ....................................................................................................... 16
4. Proxy Host Resource Requirements .................................................................... 17
4.1 Determining proxy resource requirements ............................................................................ 17
4.1.1 Determining I/O resource requirements ................................................................. 17
4.1.2 Determining CPU requirements .............................................................................. 17
4.1.3 Memory estimation ................................................................................................. 17

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1. Introduction
Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments (TSM-VE) is a feature of the Tivoli Storage Manager product
family for backing up virtual machines in a vSphere (VMware) environment. Tivoli Storage Manager for
Virtual Environments uses the latest backup technology provided by VMware, called VStorage API (also
known as “VADP” or “VStorage APIs for Data Protection”).
An essential component of Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments is the VStorage Backup Server
which performs the data transfer from the ESX datastores that contain the virtual machine data to the Tivoli
Storage Manager server. The VStorage Backup Server offloads the backup workload from the ESX server
and acts as a proxy for a backup. Throughout this document, the VStorage Backup Server will be referred to
as the "proxy ". A proxy that is configured on a virtual machine is referred to as a “virtual proxy”, and if
configured on a physical machine is referred to as a “physical proxy”.
When you consider a backup solution using Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments, one of the
frequently asked questions is how to estimate the number of proxies required for a specific environment. This
paper guides you through the estimation process.
The following diagram provides a simplified, high level overview of the components involved with TSM-VE
image backup and restore:

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1.1 Overview
The proxy estimation method described in this document is intended to help you plan a deployment of Tivoli
Storage Manager for Virtual Environments. A recommended approach is described. However, there are
many variations depending upon customer preferences, infrastructure capabilities, and other factors.
Different vendors use various approaches to determine the number of proxies required, and may be
constrained by product design. Tivoli Storage Manager provides flexibility for deploying the proxies and
selecting virtual, physical, or a combination of both proxies. The intent is to provide a starting point for initial
estimation and solution architecture.
The proxy estimation process comprises the following steps:
 Define how the backups are scheduled.
 Decide whether to use virtual machine proxies, physical proxies, or a combination of both.
 Estimate the number of proxies required.
 Check for any constraints in the environment based on the assumptions used in the estimate.

1.1.1 Performance
Estimating the number of proxies requires some assumptions about the performance characteristics of
individual backup processes. Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments uses efficient disk block-level
I/O for the backup process, and the backup process itself consumes minimal CPU and memory resources.
Backup performance is determined primarily by the following system characteristics:
• I/O capabilities of the datastore storage arrays
• Back-end storage device used by the Tivoli Storage Manager server, for example, Virtual Tape Library
(VTL) or disk
• Infrastructure connectivity, for example, Storage Area Network (SAN) or Local Area Network (LAN)
bandwidth
It is recommended that you use benchmarking to refine the estimate of backup throughput specific to your
environment.
The throughput capabilities can range significantly depending upon the environment. Observed throughputs
have ranged from 40GB/Hour to well over 200GB/hour for a single, individual backup processes.

1.1.1.1 Deduplication
Tivoli Storage Manager client side (inline) deduplication is highly effective with Tivoli Storage Manager for
Virtual Environments and can substantially reduce back-end storage requirements as well as the proxy to
Tivoli Storage Manager server bandwidth requirements. Client side deduplication requires additional
processing (by the proxy host) that will slow the backup throughput. For a specific amount of data to backup,
you may require more proxies to meet a given backup window when using deduplication as compared with
not using deduplication. Generally the benefits of storage and bandwidth reduction will outweigh the cost of
additional instances of proxies. For estimation purposes, you can assume that backup throughput when you
use client deduplication is approximately 50% of the throughput without deduplication.
As an alternative to using client side (inline) deduplication, TSM server-side (post-process) deduplication may
be used if backup throughput requirements are the highest priority, and proxy to TSM server bandwidth is not
constrained.

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1.1.1.2 Data transfer/transport methods

The methods used for data transfer from datastore to proxy and from proxy to the Tivoli Storage Manager
server can have an impact on the per-process performance of Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual
Environments backups and restores.
The following diagram shows the data transfer/transport methods:

The following information on the methods available is listed here for reference. TSM user documentation
should be referenced for more details on the methods available and how to configure.
Data I/O from ESX datastore to Proxy
Transport Method Available to Virtual Available to Physical Comments
Proxy? Proxy?
NBD Yes Yes Uses LAN connection
NBDSSL Yes Yes Uses LAN connection
SAN No Yes Uses direct SAN connection to
datastore (for SAN-attached
datastores only).
HOTADD Yes No Uses SAN connection (via ESX host)
for SAN-attached volumes which is
nearly as efficient as the “SAN”
transport. For NFS datastores,
provides more efficient transport than
NBD.

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Data I/O from Proxy to Tivoli Storage Manager server

Communication Available to Virtual Available to Physical Comments
Method Proxy? Proxy?
LAN Yes Yes Data transfers over LAN to Tivoli
Storage Manager server
LAN-free No Yes Data transfers over SAN to Tivoli
Storage Manager server storage pool
devices (Tape or Virtual Tape)
Note: LAN-free with disk is possible
using SANergy or GPFS.

1.1.1.3 Estimated ranges for performance

The throughput capabilities can range significantly depending on the environment, transport/data transfer
methods, and whether client side deduplication is used. For the purpose of providing a conservative estimate,
the following values are used in this document:
• 100GB/hour without client-side deduplication
• 50GB/Hour with client-side deduplication

1.1.2 Periodic Full Backup

As a best practice for Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments V6.3, you should perform a periodic
full backup every 7-14 days, and regular daily incremental backups. (Incremental backups use VMware’s
Change Block Tracking feature.) Full backups can be scheduled less frequently, however restore
performance may increase with less frequent full backups.

1.2 A Few Definitions

Term Definition
Proxy The host that performs the offloaded backup. This host can be a virtual or physical
machine. Also called “VStor Backup Server” (VBS) or “Backup Server” (BUS). The Tivoli
Storage Manager Backup/Archive Client is installed on this host and provides the
VMware backup function.
Datamover An individual backup process that performs the VMware guest backups. Each
datamover is associated with one or more Tivoli Storage Manager backup schedules.
Typically there will be multiple datamovers per proxy to fully utilize the proxy host
resources. Also called “backup process”.

1.3 Scope of this document

This document is intended to provide a first order estimate of the quantity of proxy hosts required for a
specific Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments backup environment. Using these guidelines can

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help to provide a successful deployment by establishing a quantitative basis for determining the quantity,
placement, and sizing of the proxy hosts. There are many assumptions made within this document and actual
results can vary significantly depending upon the environment and infrastructure characteristics. Careful
evaluation of the environment is necessary and benchmarking during the planning phase is strongly
encouraged to characterize the capabilities of the environment.

1.3.1 External Dependencies and Assumptions

The estimation process in this document is based on the assumption that no constraints exist in the
environment, and that storage capacity per VM, ESX host, and cluster are consistent across the environment.
If there are large disparities in storage capacity for individual VM’s, for example, a separate sizing may need
to be done for the largest VM’s. The main assumptions are:
1. datastore I/O capacity is sufficient to sustain the backup workloads.
2. LAN or SAN connectivity is sufficient to sustain the backup workloads.
3. Tivoli Storage Manager server and storage device capacity and the number of instances are
designed and configured to sustain the backup workload provided by the proxies.
After completing an initial sizing estimate, it is important to validate the assumptions and other constraints
that may exist in the environment. For example, more than one Tivoli Storage Manager server may be
required to manage the workload to achieve the overall throughput requirement. Tivoli Storage Manager
server sizing is beyond the scope of this document.

1.3.2 Performance optimization and bottleneck analysis

This document does not address design for performance or bottleneck analysis techniques for a Tivoli
Storage Manager for Virtual Environments environment.

1.3.3 Proxy Hardware Configuration

Although some guidelines are provided for proxy host resource requirements, it is not the intent of this
document to provide specific guidance on hardware or system configurations of physical or virtual proxy
hosts. Hardware configuration (or in the case of a virtual machine, resource allocation) should be defined by
a qualified system engineer that is familiar with hardware capabilities, I/O throughput, and other system
requirements.
IBM Techline provides a service for pre-sales configuration of Tivoli Storage Manager hardware including
Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments proxy sizing. Consult your IBM Tivoli sales representative
for more information.

1.4 Scheduling of Backups

The estimation technique described in this document is based on distributing the periodic full backup
throughout the backup cycle. For example, with a seven day backup schedule, on any day in the week 1/7th
of the VM’s will have a full backup scheduled and the remaining 6/7th will have an incremental backup. This
distribution can be accomplished through various methods, two of which are described below (“Rotating Fulls
by ESX Host and “Rotating Fulls by VM”). Regardless of scheduling method, the estimation technique
described in this document can still be applied, by adjusting the daily backup workload appropriately.

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As with any backup technique, backup results should be monitored regularly to ensure that all VM’s are
backed up according to business requirements.

1.4.1 “Rotating Fulls” backups by ESX Host

All the VM’s on each ESX host are backed up once a week (full), and an incremental backup is scheduled
daily for six days. For more information on how to set up the schedules, see
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/wikis/display/tivolistoragemanager/Recommendations+for+Scheduling+
with+TSM+for+Virtual+Environments.
When you schedule backups on a per-ESX host basis, the VMs on each ESX host are backed up serially. A
proxy may not be able to back itself up, so if you use a VM proxy, exclude the VM proxy from its own backup
schedules.

1.4.2 Alternate Scheduling Methods

You can use other backup scheduling methods, based on business requirements or other characteristics of
the environment.

1.4.2.1 “Batched Fulls”

Full backups for all ESX host/VM’s are scheduled during an extended backup window (e.g., on the weekend).
The remainder of the week, all VM’s are backed up using incremental. This is usually suitable for smaller
environments in which a full backup for all VM’s can be completed within a 20-40 hour window.
Typically, the full batch backup window requires a larger number of proxies than the incremental backups, so
the proxies are sized for the full backup window. The estimation technique and calculation method is the
same as described for “Rotating Fulls” except that the backup workload consists of 100% of all the VM’s data.

1.4.2.2 “Rotating Fulls” by VM

This method will require backup scheduling by individual VM and can include concurrent backup of multiple
VM’s on the same ESX host. Although it is possible to do this with the TSM scheduler, it is usually not
practical for large environments. Custom scripting methods can be used, via VMware’s PowerCLI to obtain
VM lists and drive TSM backup commands (“dsmc backup vm”) via a command line.
IBM Tivoli Lab Services provides an offering for custom backup scheduling based on specific customer
criteria (such as balancing load within clusters, between datastores, etc.).
The same proxy sizing method described in this document can be used for the Rotating Fulls by VM.

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2. Step by Step Proxy Sizing

This section provides the steps for sizing a proxy for a specific deployment scenario across an entire data
center. The same approach may be applied individually to separate environments that may have different
characteristics, such as the average VM size.

2.1 Assumptions

 Reasonably equal distribution (within 20%) of utilized virtual machine storage capacity (datastores)
across all ESX hosts.
 Backups are scheduled on a per ESX host basis. See scheduling section for more information.
 Full backup is scheduled weekly and an incremental backup is scheduled 6 days a week. This means
th th
that on any day, 1/7 of the ESX hosts will have a full backup, and 6/7 of the ESX hosts will have an
incremental backup. Since we assume an even distribution of storage and VMs across all ESX
th
hosts, this means that 1/7 of the total amount of data is backed up daily (via the full backups) and
the remainder of the data is backed up incrementally.

2.2 Example environment

The following example environment is used to illustrate the estimation process:
Environment Description
Total Number of virtual machines 5000
Average Utilized Storage per VM 50GB
Total Utilized Storage 5000 * 50GB 250,000 GB
Number of ESX Hosts 250
Number of DRS Clusters 50
Backup Window 10 Hours
Assumed daily change rate 2%

2.3 Perform the Estimate

The following sections demonstrate the estimation process.

2.3.1 Determine daily backup workload

You must determine how much data is backed up daily. Based on the previously stated assumptions, we will
th th
perform a full backup on 1/7 of the hosts and an incremental backup on the remaining 6/7 of the hosts.
Since we assume a relatively even distribution of data across hosts, we can apply these proportions to the
aggregate amount of data to backup.

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Determine Daily Backup Workload

250,000GB ÷ 7
Daily backup workload from full
NOTE: periodic full every 7 35,700GB/Day
backups
days
(6 ÷ 7) * 250,000 * 0.02
Daily backup workload from th
NOTE: 6/7 of total data 4,300GB/Day
incremental backups multiplied by incremental
change rate of 2%
Total Daily Backup Workload 35,700 + 4,400 GB 40,100GB/Day

2.3.2 Calculate Aggregate Throughput Requirement

The aggregate throughput requirement is determined by the total amount of data that is backed up daily that
was computed in the previous section. We assume a 10 hour daily backup window. The goal is to meet the
overall backup window, and we can adjust the number of datamovers appropriately to achieve this.

Calculate aggregate throughput requirement

Total daily backup workload 35,700 + 4,400 GB 40,100GB
Backup window 10 hours
Aggregate throughput required 40,100GB ÷ 10 hours 4010 GB/Hour

2.3.3 Calculate the number of concurrent datamovers (backup

processes)
The number of datamovers required is simply the aggregate throughput requirement divided by the estimated
per-process (per datamover) throughput. Assume the per-process throughput is 100GB/hour.

Calculate number of concurrent datamovers

Aggregate throughput required 40,100GB ÷ 10 hours 4010 GB/Hour
Per process throughput 100GB/Hour
estimate
Number of datamovers (backup 4010GB/Hour ÷ 100GB/Hour 40
processes)

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2.3.4 Determine the number of proxy hosts required

To determine the number of proxy hosts required, we need to know how many concurrent datamovers
(backup processes) can run on a single proxy host. For estimation purposes, you should plan for no more
than ten concurrent datamovers. (The maximum number of concurrent datamover processes is dependent
upon proxy host resources. See the section on proxy resource requirements. However, an excessive
number of concurrent datamover processes will cause performance to degrade.) We will discuss resource
requirements later in this document, and you may decide to run more or less concurrent processes per proxy,
but this will provide us a reasonable estimate to start with.

Determine the number of proxy hosts required

Number of datamovers (backup 4010GB/Hour ÷ 100GB/Hour 40
processes)
Number of concurrent 10
datamovers per proxy
Number or proxy hosts required 40 ÷ 10 4

2.3.5 Summary
We have finished crunching through the numbers to estimate the number of proxies required for a TSM-VE
deployment. This gives us a good starting point, but now we need to think more about the architecture of the
overall solution to determine if any adjustments are necessary. We will cover this in the next section. Here is
a table that summarizes all of the steps up to this point:
Environment Description
Total Number of virtual machines 5000
Average Utilized Storage per VM 50GB
Total Utilized Storage 5000 * 50GB 250,000 GB
Number of ESX Hosts 250
Number of DRS Clusters 50
Backup Window 10 Hours
Assumed daily change rate 2%
Determine Daily Backup Workload
Daily Backup Workload from Full 250,000GB ÷ 7
35,700GB/Day
Backups NOTE: periodic full every 7 days
(6 ÷ 7) * 250,000 * 0.02
Daily Backup Workload from th
NOTE: 6/7 of total data 4,300GB/Day
Incremental Backups multiplied by incremental change
rate of 2%
Total Daily Backup Workload 35,700 + 4,400 GB 40,100GB/Day
Calculate Aggregate Throughput Requirement

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Total Daily Backup Workload 35,700 + 4,400 GB 40,100GB/Day

Backup Window 10 hours
Aggregate throughput Required 40,100GB ÷ 10 hours 4010 GB/Hour
Calculate Number of Concurrent Datamovers
Aggregate throughput Required 40,100GB ÷ 10 hours 4010 GB/Hour
Per Process Throughput Estimate 100GB/Hour
Number of datamovers (backup 4010GB/Hour ÷ 100GB/Hour 40
processes)
Determine Number of Proxy Hosts Required
Number of datamovers (backup 4010GB/Hour ÷ 100GB/Hour 40
processes)
Number of concurrent datamovers 10
per proxy
Number or proxy hosts required 40 ÷ 10 4

2.4 Constraint Checking and Architectural Considerations

Now that we have an estimate of the number of proxies required to achieve the daily backup workload, we
must now consider whether this makes sense in practical terms. TSM-VE provides a great deal of flexibility
in deployment options, so we need to determine which options makes the most sense. We will consider other
factors and determine if adjustments are required.

2.4.1 Check for Constraints

The estimation method for proxy sizing will provide an arithmetically accurate result based on the accuracy of
the underlying assumptions of the capacity of data to back up, assumed throughput, and even distribution of
utilized storage capacity across all virtual machines and hosts. However, there are several constraints that
should be validated to ensure that the resulting estimate is practical and feasible for the environment.
The following table lists some of the constraint conditions that should be validated, although there may be
other conditions unique to the environment that are not listed below.

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Constraint
Proxy i/o throughput: Can each individual proxy
sustain the required i/o throughput?
TSM server throughput: Can the TSM server support
the required aggregate i/o throughput for all of the
proxies?
TSM server sessions: Can the TSM server support
the required number of concurrent backup sessions
from all of the datamover processes?
Infranstructure bandwidth: Can the LAN or SAN
accommodate the aggregate workload required for
all of the backup processes?
Datastore I/O Capacity: Can the ESX datastore
accommodate the i/o required to support the required
backup throughput?
Per-ESX host backup window: Will an ESX host
have an excessive number of VM’s or storage
capacity that cannot be backed up within the required
window? This constraint applies when schedules are
created based on ESX hosts. Since VM’s are
backed up serially for each ESX host, it is possible to
exceed the backup window if the total storage
capacity for an ESX host significantly exceeds the
average.
Validation
Ensure that the proxy can be configured with
sufficient adapter cards (NICs and HBAs) to support
the required throughput.
Ensure that the TSM server is configured to support
the required aggregate throughput. Multiple TSM
servers may be required in some cases.
Ensure that the TSM server is configured to support
the required number of concurrent backup sessions.
Ensure that the LAN and SAN networks have
sufficient bandwidth to accommodate the backup
(and restore) bandwidth requirements.
Ensure that the Datastore I/O devices are capable of
supporting the I/O data transfer rates required for the
backup processes. The assumption for the per-
process backup throughput may need to be adjusted.
Determine if it is possible for any one ESX host to
have an excessive number of VM’s and storage that
will result in not achieving the backup window.

2.4.2 Additional capacity requirements

We have estimated the number of proxies based only on the backup requirement during the backup window
(in our case 10 hours). However, full image restores of virtual machines require the use of a proxy as well.
The proxy can be located anywhere within the datacenter and could be a separate, dedicated proxy used
only for restore purposes.
If you intend to use the same proxies for image restores during the backup window, you will need to add this
to your workload estimate which may increase the number of proxies required. You may also want to
consider a spare proxy in the event of a failed proxy host.

2.4.3 Physical or virtual proxy?

The first consideration is to determine whether physical or virtual proxies will be used. Note that you don’t
need to decide all one or the other. It is entirely possible to use virtual proxies for part of an environment, and
physical proxies for another where it makes sense.
For simplicity, we assume that the number of data movers will be the same whether you use a physical or
virtual proxy host. This assumption is based on equivalent resources and connectivity when comparing the
physical and virtual hosts. In practice, a virtual proxy will share resources (e.g., i/o adapters, CPU, etc.) with
other VM’s whereas a physical proxy will have dedicated, static resources.

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2.4.3.1 Questions to ask when you decide between a physical and a virtual proxy
Following is a list of questions you should consider when deciding between physical and virtual machines
showing which type of proxy would be preferred. If the answer to the question is “Yes” then preference
should be given to the type of proxy in the “Yes” column. . If the answer to the question is “No” then
preference should be given to the type of proxy indicated in the “No” column.

Question Yes No
Do you require backup traffic to flow over the SAN as much as possible? Physical* Virtual
*Note: Virtual machine proxies can take advantage of Hotadd data transfers from
a SAN datastore to the proxy which primarily uses SAN I/O via the ESX host
HBA. However, a virtual machine proxy cannot take advantage of LAN-free data
transfers from the proxy to the Tivoli Storage Manager server.
Does your LAN (IP Network) have sufficient bandwidth to accommodate the Virtual Physical
backup traffic.
Do you want to use LAN-free data transfers from the proxy to the Tivoli Storage Physical Virtual
Manager server?
Note: LAN-free is usually only used with Tape or Virtual Tape backup storage
devices.
Do you prefer or require that all new hosts are virtual and not physical machines? Virtual Either
Do you want to minimize the number of proxy hosts? Physical Virtual
Note: The preference is based on the assumption that you will dedicate more
resources to a physical proxy than a virtual proxy.
Do you use NFS attached datastores? Virtual Either
Is 10Gbit Ethernet connectivity available to the Tivoli Storage Manager server? Virtual Either

2.4.3.2 ESX Clusters and distribution of virtual proxies

It is important to consider the distribution of virtual proxy hosts within the infrastructure. In the example, there
are 4 proxies that backup 50 ESX hosts each, or 10 ESX clusters. Although you can achieve the desired
throughput with 4 proxies, you may want to consider using at least one virtual proxy per ESX cluster. This is
because a virtual proxy within an ESX cluster can access datastore storage via Hotadd. Hotadd provides an
efficient (and low overhead) data transfer method. For SAN attached storage, the proxy transfers data
directly through the ESX host’s fibrechannel adapter.
Using the example, you can use 10 proxies to cover all 10 ESX clusters. You can reduce the number of data
movers per proxy to distribute the workload over a greater number of proxies and reduce the resource
requirements for each proxy. Using 10 virtual proxies will also provide additional “reserve” capacity for
restores which occur during the backup window.

2.4.3.3 Deduplication choices: TSM Deduplication vs. Appliance Deduplication

Although the choice of deduplication methods does not relate. Normally, a choice is made between Tivoli
Storage Manager deduplication and a deduplicating appliance (such as a Protectier Virtual Tape Library). If
you use a deduplicating VTL device and Tivoli Storage Manager data is backed up directly to VTL, LAN-free
can be considered, but only for a physical proxy. Also, LAN-free cannot be used with TSM client-side
deduplication.

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3. Your Estimate
You can use this table to provide your proxy sizing estimate, using the example as a guideline:

Environment Description
Total Number of virtual machines ___________
Average Utilized Storage per VM ________GB
_____ * ___ GB
Total Utilized Storage _______ GB
# of VMs * Avg. Storage Per VM
Number of ESX Hosts _____
Number of DRS Clusters ___
Backup Window ___ Hours
Assumed daily change rate __%
Determine Daily Backup Workload
Daily Backup Workload from Full ______GB ÷ 7
_______GB
Backups NOTE: periodic full every 7 days
(6 ÷ 7) * ______ * 0.0_
Daily Backup Workload from th
NOTE: 6/7 of total data _________GB
Incremental Backups multiplied by incremental change
rate of __%
Total Daily Backup Workload _______ + ______ GB ______GB
Calculate Aggregate Throughput Requirement
Total Daily Backup Workload (from previous calculation) ______ GB
Backup Window ______ hours
Aggregate throughput Required ______ GB ÷ ___ hours ______ GB/Hour
Calculate Number of Concurrent Datamovers
Aggregate throughput Required ______ GB ÷ ___ hours ______ GB/Hour
Per Process Throughput Estimate 100GB/Hour
Number of datamovers (backup ______ GB/Hour ÷ 100GB/Hour ______
processes)
Determine Number of Proxy Hosts Required
Number of datamovers (backup ______ GB/Hour ÷ 100GB/Hour ______
processes)
Number of concurrent datamovers 10
per proxy
Number or proxy hosts required ______ ÷ 10 ______

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4. Proxy Host Resource Requirements

Resource requirements for a proxy are driven by the following key factors:
 I/O data transfer capacity
 CPU capacity
Of the two factors, I/O capacity is the most important factor because the proxy’s main role is to move data.
When you use client deduplication, the CPU resources may become the constraint for throughput.

4.1 Determining proxy resource requirements

4.1.1 Determining I/O resource requirements

In the case of LAN data transfers the critical I/O resources for the proxy are the network adapter cards
(NICs). In the case of SAN data transfers (which includes SAN transport from the datastore to the proxy and
LAN-free from the proxy to the TSM server), the FC adapters (HBA’s) are the critical I/O resource. When both
LAN and SAN transfers are used, then both NICs and HBAs are critical to support the required data transfer
rates. An example of this is when LAN transport is used between the datastore and proxy, and LAN-free is
used between the proxy and the TSM server.
For virtual proxies, the resource requirements apply to virtual adapters and the requirements (number and
speed of adapters) will remain the same as a physical proxy. However, dedicating shared resources across
an ESX hypervisor may require additional planning and configuration for a virtual machine to ensure that
sufficient resources are available to other VM’s hosted by the same ESX host.
The NIC and HBA adapters should be sized to ensure adequate capacity to handle the expected i/o data
rates through the IP network and SAN, respectively.
Machine backplane i/o capacity must also be considered, but generally is not an issue for a properly
configured system.

4.1.2 Determining CPU requirements

For estimation purposes, plan for 50% of a 2.2Ghz physical or virtual processor cores (or equivalent) per
individual backup process when client-deduplication is not used. Thus, a proxy that runs 8 concurrent backup
processes would require 4 processor cores.
Note: Processor core refers to a processing unit. A quad-core socket has 4 processor cores.
When you plan for deduplication, 150% of a 2.2Ghz processor core should be configured per backup
process. For example, a 16 core proxy host should have no more than 10 concurrent backup processes.
An advantage of considering virtual proxies is that you can distribute a larger number of proxies with smaller
resources to accommodate the same backup workload as fewer, physical proxies,that require more
resources each.

4.1.3 Memory estimation

The memory requirements for Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments backup processes are small
and generally not a constraint. The memory should be sized adequately for the proxy host operating system

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 Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments Guide to Proxy Sizing

(for example, Windows 2008R2). A minimum of 4GB of RAM should be considered when running four
concurrent backup processes, with an additional 1 GB for each additional backup process.

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