An engineer is configuring Veeam Backup and Replication for an organization to protect a VMware environment using vSAN. The backup proxy must be…

The Virtual appliance (Hot-Add) transport mode is the recommended method for protecting VMware environments using vSAN. In this mode, the backup proxy, which is a virtual machine, directly attaches the snapshots of the target VM's virtual disks. Data is then read directly from the vSAN datastore through the proxy's storage controller, bypassing the VMkernel network stack for data transfer. This architecture effectively isolates the backup data traffic from the production VMkernel network, fulfilling the specified requirement while providing efficient, LAN-free backup performance.

A. Direct NFS access: This transport mode is specifically designed for VMs residing on NFS datastores and is not applicable to vSAN storage.

B. Direct SAN access: This mode is used for Fibre Channel or iSCSI LUNs. vSAN does not present storage as traditional LUNs that an external proxy can access.

C. Network mode: This mode transfers data from the ESXi host to the proxy over the network via the VMkernel interface, which directly contradicts the requirement for isolation.

1. Veeam Backup & Replication V12 User Guide for VMware vSphere

"Transport Modes

" Page 1. Retrieved from helpcenter.veeam.com.

Quote/Paraphrase: The guide explicitly states

"For VMs that are hosted on a vSAN datastore

it is recommended that you use the Virtual appliance transport mode." It further explains that in Virtual Appliance mode

"Data is retrieved directly from the datastore

" which confirms it bypasses the network stack.

2. Veeam Backup & Replication V12 User Guide for VMware vSphere

"Virtual Appliance Transport

" Page 1. Retrieved from helpcenter.veeam.com.

Quote/Paraphrase: "In the Virtual appliance transport mode

Veeam Backup & Replication uses the VMware vSphere API to mount and unmount VM snapshots to a backup proxy... This transport mode is recommended if the backup proxy is a VM." This describes the mechanism that avoids the VMkernel network for data transfer.

3. Veeam Backup & Replication V12 User Guide for VMware vSphere

"Network Transport

" Page 1. Retrieved from helpcenter.veeam.com.

Quote/Paraphrase: "In the Network transport mode

data is retrieved over the local network (LAN). The ESXi host reads data from the storage and sends it to the backup proxy over the LAN." This confirms that Network mode uses the VMkernel

making it incorrect for this scenario.