Slow backups

[jeffshead]

Just a little background -- I virtualized a physical Windows server. It's now an ESXi host. I use Veeam Agent for Windows to perform backups to a SATA III 7200 RPM 6TB HDD connected via a USB 3.0 docking station. Since the backups are so large, I can't afford to build a SSD array large enough to handle the size so I'm stuck with a single mechanical drive. Before virtualizing, a full backup would take about 8 hours. After virtaulizing, the same backup takes 13 hours.

The size of my backups increased so I purchased a larger HDD which is a tad faster than the original. I'm trying to shorten the backup window as much as possible so I also replaced the HDD, USB 3.0 PCI card with a wildly more expensive USB 3.1 card and I replaced the USB 3.0 HDD dock with a USB 3.1. I haven't ran a backup yet. Have to wait for the window but with all of the hardware changes, I did see a very noticeable speed increase in the benchmarks.

Below is what I get when I test the new hardware:





Is this about as good as I can expect to get from a single USB connected HDD?

[Lardman]

So many factors at play here and not just your destination drive performance. It looks like you're doing this commercially, if there's a local IT firm they will be able to design you a robust scalable backup solution holistically. The transfer results are in line with what I'd expect for USB 3.0, what drive are you actually using?

FYI : Naked 3.5" internal drives aren't really designed for the physical kicking around they get when used as backup drives in a dock, especially in a commercial environment.

[ShaneWard]

Try connecting the drive directly by SATA, or get a HDD case with SATA port and a backplate with a SATA Port and away you go.

[jeffshead]

...what drive are you actually using?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... drive.html
It's for home/lab, not commercial.

Try connecting the drive directly by SATA...

Already vested in USB.