Question : Problem: Best way to backup SAN using Veritas Backup Exec

We recently installed a SAN and I need to optimize the backup solution.  I have been given a general outline, but no details on how to do it.  All servers are running either Windows 2000 or 2003.  I am using Veritas Backup Exec 10.  I currently have one server running Veritas Backup Exec which is connected to one tape library, that can hold 24 tapes.  

The Veritas Server is connected to the SAN and has been allocated 1 Tb of space for backup-to-disk purposes.  My idea is to backup-to-disk, then offload to tape later.

I have multiple Application Servers that have HBA's and are connected to the SAN for data partitions.

My goal is to have the backup stay on the SAN and not cross over our LAN.  I have been told that using the "SAN Shared Storage Option" can accomplish this.  BUT, from what I've found so far, the "SAN Shared Storage Option" seems geared towards sharing one or more tape libraries between more than one Veritas Server.

Can anyone point me in the right direction on the best way to do this?

Answer : Problem: Best way to backup SAN using Veritas Backup Exec

Windows can't bind TCP/IP to the HBAs so you can't use remote (LAN) agents across the SAN so indeed you install BE server plus the SSO and any needed agents on each server connected to the SAN and one server has control of the robot and 'shares' the tape drives out across the SAN. It decides which backup server can have access to a tape drive at any one time. You can buy the CASO option to drive all the jobs from a central server but it's not required.

Don't think it works with shared disk storage though unless you can configure your SAN disks as a virtual library, you'll probably have to carve up that 1TB of disk into individual B2D disks for each server to access on its own.

Can't delay the copy to tape function eeasily either, it starts when the backup job finishes if a tape drive is available.