HPE StoreOnce as Primary Backup Target with Veeam

Name: HPE StoreOnce as Primary Backup Target with Veeam
Uploaded: 2026-06-17T11:47:51-04:00
Duration: 7 min 22 s
Description: Traditional guidance like Veeam KB2660 positioned deduplication appliances as secondary storage due to random read performance limitations. But things have changed. In this video, we explore how modern HPE StoreOnce platforms—including Gen4+ and Gen5 s...

Veeam

06/17/2026

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Transcript

Now we've been using StoreOnce. StoreOnce has been integrated with Veeam for quite some time now and when you need a high-capacity, aggressive data deduplication repository with Veeam, StoreOnce is great. Many different industries, many different verticals, many different sizes of organizations have been using StoreOnce for quite some time. Now I'm going to hand over to Christopher in a second and he's going to take us through some of the changes because where a StoreOnce can be placed in the architecture potentially can be different than it has been in the past from a Veeam point of view. So Chris is going to go into some detail around that and then take us through some of the different models that are available in the StoreOnce product range. Christopher. Yeah thanks Kevin. We've tried to make the discussion a little bit simple here by only having one graphic. We're going to cover off the architectural discussion here at the top and then I'll just briefly discuss your options for the Gen 5 and Gen 4 Plus portfolio to wrap it up. What we have pictured at the top is kind of a new story. It's a new dawn I would say for the StoreOnce as far as Veeam is concerned for architectural design and architectural recommendations. Typically we would have something like a HP storage server that's sandwiched in between the StoreOnce and the Electra MP pictured here. So in terms of that 32110 architecture you would have storage snapshots running on the Electra MP. You would send backups to a HP storage server. You might tear off then to a StoreOnce and even to CloudBank storage after that. But with the latest generations of the StoreOnce models starting out in like I said Gen 4 Plus, HP made very significant improvements to their catalyst operating system and also to the hardware architecture in StoreOnce. A couple of those changes to the hardware architecture were mainly around SSD and that may seem simple but it was a significant improvement for the hardware architecture that the SSDs internally in the StoreOnce are now handling metadata which drastically improves the disk or the data lookups on the spinning drives. The second improvement to the catalyst operating system was just for like housekeeping tasks and they also made some improvements for random IO performance from the catalyst operating system. So these Gen 4 Plus and Gen 5 models are much more performant than your Gen 2 and Gen 3 models that preceded them. Kevin, I joke around that this is not your grandfather's StoreOnce arrays anymore. These are modern arrays, very performant and there's been lots of collaborative testing with Veeam and StoreOnce engineering. So specifically, where have we documented this? If you look at KB article 2660, so that'd be a KB 2660 that we have this description of how do you use a purpose-built backup appliance in your backup architecture. Previously, we were very stringent about that. We would go to a field and say we don't care about performance basically, that's a secondary storage array. Well, that discussion has changed lately. I would say lately as of, I think this was updated a couple of weeks ago now, that you can now use a purpose-built backup appliance and specifically we're talking about the StoreOnce here today for a couple of different reasons. The first encouragement would be to go out to our Veeam Ready validation and see what models have been validated and you'll see a link to that in the KB article that we've referenced. So you'll see all of those storage platforms that we have listed at the bottom apart from the VSA because it's not a hardware device. So all of those have been validated in the Veeam Ready program. The second encouragement that that KB article discusses is have a conversation with the storage vendor themselves. So in this case, have the discussion with HPE to discover what collaborative testing has taken place even beyond Veeam Ready so that HPE understands how these more advanced backup features and restore features work with Veeam backup and replication. So as far as all your choices, what are your choices for running? We have most of these pictures. This is not an exhaustive list for all of the Gen 4 plus and Gen 5 models, but I would say you have a wide range of choices from that kind of low entry point of the 3760, which gets you in the kind of tens of terabyte usable space, all the way up to the 5660, which is that multi petabyte usable space. So you have lots of different choices no matter what your needs are in the environment. Thanks Christopher. Chris and I were discussing earlier that over the years we've seen different types of admins. There are admins that maybe would test themselves and understand whether the equipment is going to be performant enough for their needs, but then there are some, if they see a KB article that mentions to not do something, they will absolutely not do it regardless. So this gives them the ability to go beyond that and be more flexible in the architecture because of how we've worded and how we've relaxed and how we're using the Veeam Ready program. I would certainly encourage you to check out KB 2660 and also check out the Veeam Ready program. So hopefully you found this little session useful and check out some more content on the Veeam YouTube channel. Thanks Chris. Yeah, thank you.

TL;DR

Veeam has updated architectural guidance to support HPE StoreOnce Gen4+ and Gen5 models as primary backup repositories, eliminating the need for intermediary storage servers previously required in traditional 3-2-1-1-0 architectures.
Key hardware improvements include SSD-based metadata handling and enhanced random I/O performance in the Catalyst operating system, making modern StoreOnce platforms significantly more performant than Gen2 and Gen3 predecessors.
Updated Veeam KB2660 now explicitly endorses purpose-built backup appliances for primary use, validated through the Veeam Ready program and collaborative testing between Veeam and HPE engineering teams.
StoreOnce portfolio ranges from entry-level 3760 (tens of terabytes) to enterprise 5660 (multi-petabyte capacity), offering flexible deployment options for organizations of all sizes seeking high-capacity deduplication with improved recovery performance.

Architectural Shift for StoreOnce Deployment

This technical discussion addresses a significant change in Veeam's architectural guidance for HPE StoreOnce deduplication appliances. Historically, Veeam KB2660 positioned purpose-built backup appliances like StoreOnce strictly as secondary storage targets due to random read performance limitations. The traditional architecture required an intermediary HP storage server between the backup proxy and StoreOnce for primary backup operations. However, recent hardware and software improvements in Gen4+ and Gen5 StoreOnce models have fundamentally changed this positioning. These modern platforms now feature SSD-accelerated metadata handling, enhanced random I/O performance in the Catalyst operating system, and improved housekeeping operations that enable them to serve as primary backup repositories without the traditional performance trade-offs.

Validation and Implementation Guidance

Veeam has updated KB2660 to reflect this architectural evolution, now explicitly supporting StoreOnce Gen4+ and Gen5 models as primary backup targets. The guidance emphasizes two validation pathways: first, consulting the Veeam Ready program to identify validated StoreOnce models, and second, engaging directly with HPE to understand collaborative testing results beyond the Veeam Ready certification. This dual approach ensures customers can confidently deploy StoreOnce for both fast recovery operations and long-term retention without requiring additional storage layers. The Gen4+ and Gen5 portfolio spans from the entry-level 3760 (tens of terabytes usable) to the enterprise 5660 (multi-petabyte capacity), providing flexible options across different organizational scales and backup requirements.

Chapters

0:00 - Introduction to StoreOnce Changes
0:59 - Architectural Evolution Overview
2:15 - Gen4+ and Gen5 Hardware Improvements
3:48 - Updated KB2660 Guidance
5:44 - StoreOnce Portfolio Options
6:24 - Implementation Recommendations

Key Quotes

1:22 "What we have pictured at the top is kind of a new story. It's a new dawn I would say for the StoreOnce as far as Veeam is concerned for architectural design and architectural recommendations."
2:15 "With the latest generations of the StoreOnce models starting out in like I said Gen 4 Plus, HP made very significant improvements to their catalyst operating system and also to the hardware architecture in StoreOnce."
3:26 "Kevin, I joke around that this is not your grandfather's StoreOnce arrays anymore. These are modern arrays, very performant and there's been lots of collaborative testing with Veeam and StoreOnce engineering."
4:08 "Previously, we were very stringent about that. We would go to a field and say we don't care about performance basically, that's a secondary storage array. Well, that discussion has changed lately."

FAQ

Can I use HPE StoreOnce as a primary backup repository with Veeam instead of secondary storage?

Yes, for Gen4+ and Gen5 StoreOnce models. Veeam has updated KB2660 to support these modern platforms as primary backup targets due to significant hardware and software improvements including SSD-based metadata handling and enhanced random I/O performance. Check the Veeam Ready program for validated models and consult HPE for collaborative testing results specific to your deployment needs.

What changed between older StoreOnce generations and the Gen4+/Gen5 models that enables this new architectural approach?

Gen4+ and Gen5 models feature critical improvements including SSDs handling metadata internally (drastically improving data lookups on spinning drives), enhanced housekeeping tasks in the Catalyst operating system, and improved random I/O performance. These changes make modern StoreOnce platforms significantly more performant than Gen2 and Gen3 models, eliminating the performance limitations that previously required them to be positioned as secondary storage only.

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» Data Protection » Backup & Recovery
» Data Protection

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TL;DR

Architectural Shift for StoreOnce Deployment

Validation and Implementation Guidance

Chapters

Key Quotes

FAQ

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