VM configuration backup and restore

VMware VM configuration backup and restore

Rapid Recovery Core release 6.3 introduces a new feature, the ability to back up and restore VMware VM configurations, including the option to include VM configurations during virtual export to VMware/ESXi virtual machines.

Backup. Rapid Recovery Core release 6.3 and later automatically saves agentlessly protected ESXi virtual machine configurations in each volume image when snapshots are captured. VMware virtual machine configurations are stored in .vmx files (and related BIOS settings are stored in .nvram files). The relevant files are saved in the custom metadata for each relevant VM volume, and includes hypervisor version information to ensure compatibility.

Restore. Optionally, when restoring data from a recovery point of an agentlessly protected ESXi machine, you can choose whether to include in the VM all VM configurations and data, or only the data. This choice is presented in the UI through the Restore all configuration data check box. This option appears only for VMware machines protected agentlessly (replacing the Show advanced options check box that is relevant only for machines protected by Rapid Recovery Agent). When the option is selected, all VM configurations for volumes being recovered are restored. When the option is cleared, only data (and not VM configurations) are restored for those volumes.

Virtual export. Optionally, when performing virtual export from a recovery point of an agentlessly protected ESXi machine to VMware/ESXi, you can choose whether to export all VM configurations and data, or export only the data. This choice is presented in the UI through the Restore all configuration data check box. This option appears only for agentlessly protected ESXi machines. When the option is selected, all VM configurations for volumes being exported to a VM are included in the exported VM. When the option is cleared, only data (and not VM configurations) are included in the exported VM.

Based on the restore or virtual export type, The Restore all configuration data option is selected by default in the following situations:

• When restoring data or performing virtual export from a recovery point to the same agentless virtual machine.
• When performing virtual export to a different server .There is no backward compatibility between hypervisor versions.

Otherwise, the Restore all configuration data option is not selected by default, although you can change the default option by selecting or clearing this setting.

Linux LVM automapping and software RAID support

Improved Linux suport for BMR of LVM and software-based RAID volumes

Logical Volume Management (LVM) and software-based Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) are complex virtual volume types, similar in nature to spanned or striped complex Windows volumes. These volume types can be composed from different parts of other disks and partitions.

You can continue to protect machines running supported Linux distributions in the Rapid Recovery Core, both using Rapid Recovery Agent, and agentlessly using Rapid Snap for Virtual.

Rapid Recovery release 6.3 expands bare metal restore (BMR) support of protected Linux machines. In previous versions, if you wanted to perform BMR of a Linux machine using automatic volume mapping, and if the volumes on the original protected Linux machine contained LVM volumes or software-based RAID volumes, the restore produced simple volumes instead of LVM or RAID volumes. Now, if you specify automatic volume mapping, the restored volumes will automatically be created, matching the volumes from your recovery point to the appropriate virtual volumes on the BMR target machine. This new capability includes LVM volumes and RAIDs; LVMs and RAIDs with partitions; and complex LVMs and RAIDs.

Supported LVM types include linear, striped, mirrored, RAID1, thin, ThinPool.

For RAID volumes, Rapid Recovery supports Common RAID Disk Data Format (DDF). Supported RAID types include linear, striped, mirrored, RAID4, RAID5, RAID6, and RAID10.

Support for restore of software RAIDs on Linux machines

Managing virtual environments from your Core

With Quest's departure from manufacturing or supporting new hardware-based appliances that run Rapid Recovery Core, some appliance-like features have been ported to the Rapid Recovery Core software to increase our customers' ability to integrate with hypervisors and their guest VMs.

If your Core is installed on a Hyper-V or vCenter/ESXi virtual machine, you have access to a new Virtual Environments page, accessible from the (More) menu on the icon bar.

If protecting Hyper-V or vCenter/ESXi hosts or virtual machines in your Core, you can now perform the following tasks from the new Virtual Environments page:

• Manage hypervisor credentials. On the Virtual Storage sub-page, you can manage the credentials for Hyper-V or vCenter/ESXi hypervisor hosts added to or protected on your Core. If you add a hypervisor host and enter your credentials, Rapid Recovery caches them for future use.
• Manage hypervisor host storage locations. You can add, edit, or remove storage locations for hypervisor hosts added to your Core.
• Monitor virtual disks. From the Attached Disks sub-page, you can view and monitor all virtual disks currently attached to the virtual machine, including the subset of disks not specifically defined as storage locations in the Virtual Storage sub-page.

  NOTE: For this reason, the number of disks listed on the Attached Disks sub-page may exceed the number of volumes shown on the Virtual Storage sub-page.

• Define repositories or volumes. On the Provisioning sub-page, you can create a new repository for your Hyper-V or ESXi protected machines. You can also add an empty volume for your virtual environments.

  NOTE: Creation of either a repository or a virtual volume requires a storage location to be defined on the Virtual Storage sub-age as a prerequisite.