Microsoft has launched version 2 of MABS, the Microsoft Azure Backup Server v2, with support for Windows Server 2016 and vSphere 6.5.
So far we’ve had 2 versions (v1 and v1 update 1) of MABS, the freely licensed (but your pay Azure Backup pricing) slightly modified version of System Center Data Protection Manager. MABS v1 was based on DPM 2012 R2, and MABS v2 is based on DPM 2016, with the cool features of DPM 2016:
- Modern Storage, which improves performance and reduces consumption by leveraging ReFS Block Cloning, VHDX, and Deduplication.
- Improves Hyper-V backup, by supporting WS2016 hosts and by using the built-in (WS2016 Hyper-V) Resilient Change Tracking (RCT) for incremental backups without 3rd party software being placed into the kernal of the host’s management OS.
- Support for Shielded Virtual Machines, the ultra-secure platform on WS2016 Hyper-V.
- Support for Storage Spaces Direct (S2D).
- The ability to install MABS v2 on WS2016.
MABS v1 Update 1 added support for VMware vCenter & ESXi 5.5 and 6.0. MABS v2 adds vCenter & ESXi 6.5 to the list. Note that if you install MABS v2 on WS2016 then VMware protection will be in preview mode, while we wait for VMware to release support for VDDK 6.5 for WS2016. You can learn more on from this video.
You can download MABS v2 from here or from a recovery services vault in the Azure Portal.
The supported backup server configuration is:
- Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016
- Processor: Minimum: 1 GHz, dual-core CPU. Recommended: 2.33 GHz quad-core CPU
- RAM: Minimum: 4GB. Recommended: 8GB
- Hard Drive Space (program files): Minimum: 3GB, Recommended: 3GB
- Disks for backup storage pool: 1.5 times size of data to be protected