NetVault Plug-in for VMware 10.0.5

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Deploying the plug-in

You can deploy the Plug‑in for VMware on any Windows- or Linux-based NetVault Backup Client that has access to the virtual disk storage. This type of deployment enables centralized backup administration and off loads backup I/O from the ESX Server. The ESX Server is only required to generate the snapshot checkpoint, which is recorded in the disk. This results in a minimal performance impact on the ESX Server. With a vCenter Server, the plug-in takes advantage of the Storage vMotion technology to track virtual machine migration and automatically back up a virtual machine from its current host.

Figure 1. Plug‑in for VMware deployment

Prerequisites

Before installing the plug-in, verify that the following requirements are met.

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Install NetVault Backup Client: Install the NetVault Backup Client software on the machine on which you want to install the Plug‑in for VMware. For LAN-free backups, you must obtain a NetVault Backup SmartClient license. For more information about installing the NetVault Backup Client, see the Dell NetVault Backup Installation Guide.


	NOTE: To perform file-level backups of virtual machines, you must install the plug-in on a Windows-based client. The plug-in version for the Linux OS does not support this feature.

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Review virtual disk storage requirements: Depending on your virtual setup, verify that the following requirements are met:

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Verify that the virtual disks that you want to back up reside on VMFS datastores created on local storage, iSCSI, or FC SAN. The plug-in also supports virtual machines that use Raw Device Mapping (RDM) disks in virtual compatibility mode.

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If the ESX/ESXi Server uses Fibre Channel SAN or iSCSI SAN to store the virtual machine disks, select a dedicated physical machine to host the plug‑in.

With other types of storage devices (including the local storage on the ESX Server), a physical machine is not necessary. You can configure one of the virtual machines as a NetVault Backup Client to host the plug-in.

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With SAN storage, the NetVault Backup Client requires read and write access to the SAN LUNs that contain the VMFS volumes (datastores) with virtual disks or the virtual compatibility RDMs.

To ensure access, add the NetVault Backup Client to the same fabric zones to which the ESX Server belongs. Additionally, set the same host mode (connection type) on the NetVault Backup Client and the ESX Server. For example, if you have an IBM array with the host mode set to LNXCL, use the same setting for the NetVault Backup Client.

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To access VMFS datastores through iSCSI, you can use iSCSI initiators that are enabled on the ESXi hosts. The iSCSI initiators allow the host to connect to the iSCSI storage device through dedicated hardware or standard network adapters. For more information about configuring your systems, see the VMware iSCSI setup documentation and vendor-specific documentation.

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Enable SSL certificate verification: When communicating with the vCenter or ESX Server, the Plug‑in for VMware can transfer data over an encrypted SSL connection or an unencrypted network channel.

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You can use an unencrypted channel if there is a trusted environment with fully isolated transmissions between the ESX Server and NetVault Backup Client. By disabling SSL, you can avoid the performance overhead associated with encryption.

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To secure the communication channel, enable SSL certificate verification in your virtual environment. This option is disabled by default.

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Install applicable libraries on Linux-based clients: On Linux-based clients, the Plug‑in for VMware and Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) require the following libraries:

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Plug‑in for VMware requirements: On Linux-based systems, the Plug‑in for VMware requires the following libraries:

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libssl.so

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libcrypto.so

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VDDK requirements: On Linux-based systems, VDDK requires the following libraries:

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libexpat.so.1.5.2: To use the advanced transport modes, install the XML library libexpat 1.95.8 on the client. Without the correct version of this library, the jobs that use the advanced transport modes may fail. If the libexpat library is installed on a client, the plug-in automatically detects it, and creates the symbolic link “libexpat.so.0” to the library during installation.

If you encounter any issues with the use of advanced transport modes, verify that the correct version of the libexpat package is installed. If necessary, create the symbolic link manually. If binary compatibility is present, you can also use a higher version of the library.

To create the symbolic link, type:

ln -s libexpat.so.1.5.2 <full file path to the library>

For example, if libexpat.so.1.5.2 is installed in the directory /lib, type:

ln -s libexpat.so.1.5.2 /lib/libexpat.so.0

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C++ Library Package: Verify that the C++ Library is available on the Linux client. Some old Linux distributions might not include this package in a base installation. On such systems, install the C++ Library Package from the distribution ISO.

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Additional library requirements: VDDK also requires the following libraries:

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libgmodule-2.0.so

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libxml2.so

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libgcc_s.so

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Add the NetVault Backup Client: Add the designated client to the NetVault Backup Server. For more information about adding clients, see the Dell NetVault Backup Administrator’s Guide.

Installing the plug-in

To install the plug-in

In the Navigation pane, click Guided Configuration, and then on the NetVault Configuration Wizard page, click Install Plugins. In the NetVault Backup Clients list, select the clients on which you want to install the plug-in.

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In the Navigation pane, click Manage Clients. In the NetVault Backup Clients list, select the client on which you want to install the plug-in, and click Manage. At the lower-right corner of the Installed Software table, click the Install Plugin button (


	NOTE: You can use the configuration wizard to install the plug-in on multiple clients at the same time (if the selected clients are all of the same type). When you select multiple clients, verify that the plug-in binary file is compatible with the OS and platforms of the target clients. From the Manage Clients page, you can only select one client for installing the plug-in.

Click Choose Plug-in File, and in the browse window, navigate to the location of the “.npk” installation file for the plug-in (on the installation CD or the directory to which the file was downloaded from the website).

Select the file named vmw-w.x.y.z-<platform>.npk (where w.x represent the version number, y represents the patch level, and z represents the build number), and click Next to begin installation.

After the plug-in is installed successfully, a message is displayed.