Barracuda Message Archiver Vx Deployment Whitepaper
Document Scope This document provides guidance on designing and deploying Barracuda Message Archiver Vx on VMware vsphere Document Scope, and Microsoft Hyper-V platforms. Choosing the Right Platform Barracuda Message Archiver Vx can be deployed in supported VMware vsphere and Microsoft Hyper-V environments. A number of factors must be considered before deploying Barracuda Message Archiver Vx in a virtual environment: Barracuda Message Archiver is heavily dependent on memory resources for indexing searching performance. Typically, in a physical configuration, the appliance allocates a minimum of 4 GB of memory (RAM) per every 1 TB of allocated storage space. Barracuda Message Archiver can be heavily dependent on CPU resources during certain processes, such as the initial email import and indexing during peak mail times. Additionally, administrators may see CPU spikes during routine maintenance cycles. The recommended CPU configuration for Barracuda Message Archiver is a minimum of 2 CPU cores for every 2 TB to 4 TB of data. Generally, the more powerful the processor, the better the ingestion and retrieval rates. At minimum, memory resources should be dedicated (reserved). It is also recommended that the CPU be dedicated to Barracuda Message Archiver Vx, and not shared with other virtual machines on the host. This aligns with VMware and Microsoft s recommendations for virtualized Microsoft Exchange Server and SQL Server implementations. This is especially the case when organizations implement message stubbing. Other system components such as network and storage need to be sized accordingly to prevent them from becoming a bottleneck. If the above considerations are acceptable and supported by the customer environment, then it is likely that virtualizing Barracuda Message Archiver is a good fit for the organization. Sizing The most common mistake when designing an environment for a Barracuda Message Archiver Vx is to size for capacity as opposed to sizing for performance. Tasks such as Exchange message integration, PST import and export, and end-user search and retrieval can use a significant amount of system resources. When considering Barracuda Message Archiver deployment, it is best to take into account the use cases in addition to needed storage. Recommended Resources for Message Archiver VX MODEL DISK ALLOCATION CPU CORE MEMORY BMA VX 350 2 TB 2 CPU Cores 8 GB BMA VX 450 4 TB 4 CPU Cores 16 GB BMA VX 650 8 TB 8 CPU Cores 32 GB BMA VX 850 18 TB 8 CPU Cores 64 GB BMA VX 950 28 TB 16 CPU Cores 128 GB BMA VX 1050 66 TB 16 CPU Cores 256 GB
Deploying Once you deploy Barracuda Message Archiver Vx, you can provision it. You need your Barracuda Vx license token, which you should have received via email or from the website when you downloaded the Barracuda Message Archiver Vx package. If not, you can request an evaluation on the Barracuda Networks website at http://www.barracuda.com. The license token looks similar to 01234-56789-ACEFG 1. In your hypervisor client, start your virtual appliance, and then open the Console. 2. When the login prompt displays, log in using the credentials admin / admin. 3. Navigate to TCP/IP Configuration. Specify the virtual appliance IP address, Netmask, Default Gateway, and Primary and Secondary DNS Servers. You can later edit these fields from the BASIC > IP Configuration page in the web interface. 4. Navigate to Licensing, and enter your Barracuda license token and default domain to complete provisioning. 5. Navigate to Save Changes, and then press Enter. 6. The virtual appliance reboots. 7. Once the virtual appliance reboots, go to http://<your ip>:8000 to access the web interface and finalize configuration. Open Firewall Ports If your Barracuda Message Archiver Vx is located behind a corporate firewall, open the following ports on your firewall to ensure proper operation: PORT PROTOCOL DIRECTION USAGE 22 TCP Out Remote diagnostics and service (recommended) 1 53 TCP/UDP Out Domain Name Service (DNS) 2 80 TCP Out Virus, Policy and Document Definition updates 123 UDP Out Network Time Protocol (NTP) 443 TCP Out Initial Provisioning 3 1 Access via Port 22 is required only if Technical Support is requested. 2 Port 53 outbound is required only when internal DNS is not used. 3 You can disable the initial provisioning port once the initial provisioning process is complete. VMware vsphere Deployment 1. Download and extract the Barracuda Message Archiver Vx.zip archive to a location that can be accessed from a machine running vsphere. 2. Launch vsphere Client, and from the File menu, click Deploy OVF Template:
3. The vsphere Client launches the Deploy OVF Template wizard. 4. Click Browse, navigate to the extracted folder, and locate the Barracuda Message Archiver Vx OVF file (for example, BarracudaMessageArchiver-vm4.0.2-fw3.6.0.018-20140612-5x.ovf). Click Next: 5. In the wizard, complete the following: Review appliance information Accept the Barracuda End User License Agreement Name the appliance and define a location where the virtual machine is to be created Select the datastore where the VMDK file is to be stored Select the disk format as thin or thick provisioned Map the appliance to a network Review your settings, and then click Finish to deploy the appliance. 6. After deployment is complete, locate the appliance within the appropriate virtual machine and resource pool. Allocate Space for the Virtual Machine 1. With the virtual machine powered off, select the appliance. 2. Edit the appliance settings, and under Hard disk 1, specify the Provisioned Size: 3. Once defined, boot the virtual appliance by clicking the green arrow.
4. The Barracuda Message Archiver Vx expands its partition space: 5. The virtual appliance displays: Microsoft Hyper-V 1. Download and extract the Barracuda Message Archiver Vx.zip archive to a location that can be accessed from a machine running Hyper-V. If you are running Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (not R2), launch the WinServer2012Setup.bat file located in the BarracudaMessageArchiver-vm<version#>-fw<firmware#>-<version-date>-HyperV folder that was expanded as part of the archive. This batch file corrects a compatibility issue and takes less than a minute to run. If you are running a different version of Windows Server, you can skip this step. 2. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click your VM host, select Import Virtual Machine, and click Next.
3. Navigate to the HyperV folder within the extracted BarracudaMessageArchiver-vm<version>fw<firmware>-<version-date>-HyperV folder, and click Next. 4. Select the virtual machine to import: 5. Click Next. 6. Select the import type as Copy Virtual Machine (Create a new unique ID): 7. Click Next. Select the default location for configuration files, storage, and network settings for VHD, or define custom settings, and then click Next, and then click Finish. 8. Before booting the virtual machine define memory, processor, and expand virtual disk settings:
9. Select Expand: 10. Click Finish. Installation of the Message Archiver Vx is performed on the machine: 11. Microsoft Hyper-V is notified that the VHD file needs to be expanded and prompts during the installation that the disk needs to be expanded.
Activating virtual appliance 1. Enter the configuration menu using admin / admin, and specify network settings so the virtual machine can be activated: 2. Enter the unique token provided by Barracuda to activate the Vx appliance:
3. Once you save the settings the appliance is provisioned and requires a restart to finish activation: Upgrade and Change license for Barracuda Message Archiver Vx To upgrade a Barracuda Message Archiver Vx, a new token generated by Barracuda Networks is required. 1. Authenticate into the console of the virtual machine. 2. Select Licensing: 3. Enter new token provided by Barracuda Networks. 4. Shutdown the virtual machine. 5. Expand disk space in the vsphere console along with memory and CPU. 6. Power on the Barracuda Message Archiver Vx and allow the disks to expand to new capacity. To learn more about Barracuda s web security solutions, please visit www.barracuda.com/products or call Barracuda for a free 30-day evaluation at 1-408-342-5400 or 1-888-268-4772 (US & Canada). About Barracuda Networks, Inc. Protecting users, applications, and data for more than 150,000 organizations worldwide, Barracuda Networks has developed a global reputation as the go-to leader for powerful, easy-to-use, affordable IT solutions. The company s proven customer-centric business model focuses on delivering high-value, subscription-based IT solutions for security and data protection. For additional information, please visit www.barracuda.com. Barracuda Networks 3175 S. Winchester Boulevard Campbell, CA 95008 United States 408-342-5400 888-268-4772 (US & Canada) www.barracuda.com info@barracuda.com