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NetVault Plug-in for VMware 10.0.5 - User Guide

Introduction Installing the plug-in Configuring the plug-in Defining a backup strategy Using the image-level backup method Using the file-level backup method Restoring image-level backups Restoring file-level backups Troubleshooting

Manually disabling CBT on a virtual machine

The plug-in versions earlier than 2.7 do not provide an option to disable CBT from the NetVault Backup Console. On such installations, if you want stop using CBT, you must manually disable this feature.
To manually disable CBT on a virtual machine
1
Power off the virtual machine.
2
In the virtual machine's configuration (“.vmx”) file, edit the following entry and set it to “False”:
ctkEnabled = “False”
3
In the “.vmx” file for each virtual disk, edit the following entry and set it to “False”:
scsix:x.ctkEnabled = “False”
4
Create and delete a snapshot for the virtual machine to complete a stun and unstun cycle.
The “.ctk” files for the virtual machine are automatically deleted when you power on the virtual machine.

Enabling virtual machine locking

If a virtual machine is migrated (for example, through Storage vMotion) while a backup or restore job is in progress, it can cause a job to fail or it can create orphaned virtual disks on the datastores. To temporarily disable migration, the virtual machines can be locked before a job starts and unlocked when the job is completed.
By default, the locking mechanism is disabled and it is not used during backups and restores.
To enable virtual machine locking
1
Open the vmware.cfg file in any text editor. You can find this file in <NetVault Backup home>\config on Windows and <NetVault Backup home>/config on Linux.
2
In the [Custom:GetMigrationLock] section, set the Value option to True:
[Custom:GetMigrationLock]
Value = True
3
Save the file.

Understanding backup consistency states

The Plug‑in for VMware supports the following snapshot consistency states.
Crash-consistent snapshots
Crash-consistent snapshots capture the volume state as it would be after a power outage. Such snapshots are not guaranteed to be free of incomplete I/O operations or data corruption. During a restore, there can be some data loss or corruption that can cause application failure.
On Linux-based Guest OS, the Plug‑in for VMware only supports crash-consistent snapshots.
File-system-consistent snapshots
For file-system-consistent snapshots, all file system I/O is temporarily frozen and dirty memory data is flushed to the disk before the snapshot is taken.
This consistency state is only supported on Windows-based Guest OS.
Requirements for file-system-consistent snapshots
 
Table 3. Requirements for file-system-consistent snapshots
Guest OS version
ESX Server version
Requirements
Any supported Windows version
ESX Server 3.5 U2 and later
Install VSS components on the virtual machine as part of updated VMware Tools.
Any supported Windows version
ESX Server prior to 3.5 U2
Install the SYNC driver included in the VMware Tools on the virtual machine.
 
 
*NOTE: The VMware SYNC driver can also be installed on Linux-based systems to freeze and thaw fileystem I/O and obtain a consistent snapshot that reduces the risk of data loss and data corruption after restore.
 
 
*NOTE: Creating quiesced snapshots using SYNC driver requires waiting for I/O to drain in the Guest OS. This action can affect time-sensitive applications.
VSS-based application-consistent snapshots
When backing up a Windows-based virtual machine, the Plug‑in for VMware uses VSS to perform application-level quiescing before generating a snapshot. Application-consistent snapshots reduce the amount of application crash recovery that you need to be perform for VSS-enabled applications, like SQL Server, Exchange, and SharePoint, after restoring an image-level backup.
This consistency state is only supported on Windows 2008 and Windows 2003.
Requirements for VSS-based application-consistent snapshots
 
Table 4. Requirements for VSS-based application-consistent snapshots
Guest OS version
ESX Server/vSphere version
Requirements
Windows 2008
Windows 2008 R2
vSphere 4.1 and later
•
Install VSS components on the virtual machine as part of updated VMware Tools.
•
Enable the UUID attribute for the virtual machine, if it is not enabled. To enable this attribute, see Enabling UUID on Windows 2008 Guest OS. (This attribute is enabled by default for virtual machines created on ESX 4.1 and later.)
•
Ensure that the virtual machines only use SCSI disks and have enough free SCSI slots as the number of disks. Application-consistent snapshots are not supported on virtual machines that use IDE disks.
•
Ensure that the virtual machines do not use dynamic disks.
Windows 2003
ESX Server 3.5 U2 and later
•
Install VSS components on the virtual machine as part of updated VMware Tools.
Enabling UUID on Windows 2008 Guest OS
To enable UUID on Windows 2008 Guest OS
1
Start the vSphere Client.
2
Log on to the vCenter Server, and select VMs and Templates.
3
Click the Virtual Machines tab.
4
Power off the virtual machine (right-click the virtual machine, and select Power > Power Off).
5
Right-click the virtual machine, and select Edit Settings.
6
Click the Options tab. In the settings column, select General, and then click Configuration Parameters.
7
In the dialog box that appears, click Add Row, and configure the following settings:
•
Name: Type disk.EnableUUID.
•
Value: Type TRUE.
Click OK.
8
Save the settings and power on the virtual machine.
 

Defining a backup strategy

•
About backup methods and types
•
Defining a backup and recovery strategy
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