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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

Additional notes

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When you select a container node (for example, Datacenter, Resource Pool, or ESX/ESXi Server), any new virtual machine that is added to the host after a job has been defined is automatically included in the backup. Similarly, when you remove a virtual machine from the host, it is automatically excluded from the backup. You do not have to modify the job definition each time a virtual machine is added to or removed from the host.
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If a selected virtual machine is moved to a different host using Storage vMotion after a backup job has been defined, it is backed up as part of that job only if the following requirements are met:
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A vCenter Server has been added to the plug-in, and the access to the virtual machine is being authenticated through the vCenter Server.
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The ESX Server Host to which the selected virtual machine has been moved to is also controlled by the same vCenter Server.
If these requirements are not met, the plug-in fails to back up the virtual machine that has been moved.
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If Fault Tolerance (FT) is enabled for a virtual machine, the plug-in does not allow you to select it for a backup.
If this feature is enabled after including a virtual machine in a backup job, that virtual machine is not backed up and the message “Cannot backup VM — Fault Tolerance is enabled for the VM” is added to the job logs.
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You can select virtual machines that are part of a Virtual Application (vApp) along with the other virtual machines. Currently, the selection tree does not provide any indicators to distinguish between such virtual machines from other virtual machines that are not part of a vApp.
If you select a vApp node, only the virtual machines contained in the vApp are backed up. The metadata for the vApp is not included in the backup.
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To create the first Full Backup of a virtual machine with Changed Block Tracking enabled, the target virtual machine must be powered off to enable CBT. For more information, see http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1031873. The virtual machine can be restarted as soon as the backup starts transferring data.
During subsequent Full, Incremental, or Differential Backups, the virtual machine can remain powered on.
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At the time of enabling CBT, no snapshots should exist on the target virtual machine. For more information, see http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1033816.
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The re-configuration of Changed Block Tracking takes effect only after the virtual machine goes through a stun and unstun cycle, including power-on, resume after suspend, migrate, or snapshot create, delete, or revert operations.
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During an Incremental or Differential Backup, the plug-in does not attempt to enable CBT for any virtual machine included in the backup, unless you have selected the Enable Change Block Tracking for VM check box.
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If you add a new virtual machine to the Backup Selection Set (or to an ESX Server that is included in the Backup Selection Set) after the initial Full Backup or any subsequent Incremental or Differential Backup, the plug-in does the following:
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Creates a Full Backup of the new virtual machine if you run Incremental or Differential Backup.
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Creates a non-CBT Full Backup, unless CBT is already enabled for the virtual machine or you have selected the Enable Change Block Tracking for VM check box for the Incremental or Differential Backup.
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Runs subsequent Incremental Backups of the new virtual machine as Incremental if CBT is enabled and a CBT-based Full Backup has been performed for the virtual machine.
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Runs subsequent Differential Backups of the new virtual machine as Full Backups because these backups are based on the last Full Backup created for that Backup Selection Set.
Example:
1
Select any one virtual machine (for example, MyVM1) and create a Backup Selection Set (for example, MySelectionSet).
2
Perform a CBT-enabled Full Backup using MySelectionSet.
3
Modify MySelectionSet and add a virtual machine (for example, MyVM2).
4
Perform CBT-enabled Incremental and Differential Backup using MySelectionSet.
5
Perform another CBT-enabled Incremental and Differential Backup using MySelectionSet.
Result:
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When you select Incremental Backup, the plug-in creates a Full Backup of MyVM2 in step 4 and an Incremental Backup of that virtual machine in step 5.
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When you select Differential Backup, the plug-in creates a Full Backup of MyVM2 in step 4 and step 5 because these backups are based on the last Full Backup created in step 2.
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Once you enable CBT for a virtual machine, all subsequent Full, Incremental, and Differential Backups are performed as CBT-based backups for that virtual machine. You do not have to select the Enable Changed Block Tracking for VM check box for each job.
To stop using CBT, you must disable this feature. For instructions, see Disabling CBT on a virtual machine or Manually disabling CBT on a virtual machine.
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When using CBT for backups, virtual machine migration using Storage vMotion or VMware vSphere® Storage DRS™ is not recommended. For more information, see http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2048201.
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If you perform a Full Backup of a Thick Provisioned Lazy Zeroed disk without enabling CBT, the empty sectors are converted to actual zeros during backup. When you restore the backup, the disk type is changed to Eager Zeroed.
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After backing up the data, the plug-in writes the backup index to the NetVault Database. If an error occurs during this step (for example, if there is a file transfer error or the server runs out of disk space), the plug-in reports the following error:
Log message: Failed to write index of backup to the database.
Log context: The index for this backup may be retrieved and added to the database by scanning the backup media.
In such cases, you can scan the backup media to recover the index. However, before importing the index, you must review the log messages to verify that no other errors were reported during the backup.

Backup selection tree icons

 
Table 4. Backup selection tree icons
Icon
Description
vCenter Server
Datacenter Server
ESX or ESXi Server Cluster
Closed folder
Open folder
ESX or ESXi Server
ESX or ESXi Server in maintenance mode
Inaccessible ESX or ESXi Server
Virtual Appliance (vApp)
Resource pool
Virtual machine (powered on)
Inaccessible virtual machine
Mounted virtual machine
Suspended virtual machine
Powered off virtual machine
Virtual machine (powered on, CBT enabled)
Inaccessible virtual machine (CBT enabled)
Mounted virtual machine (CBT enabled)
Suspended virtual machine (CBT enabled)
Powered off virtual machine (CBT enabled)
Primary virtual machine (powered on) in a Fault Tolerant group
Inaccessible primary virtual machine
Suspended primary virtual machine
Powered off primary virtual machine
Secondary virtual machine in a Fault Tolerant group
Inaccessible secondary virtual machine
Suspended secondary virtual machine
Powered off secondary virtual machine

Resetting CBT on a virtual machine

During Incremental or Differential backups, if the plug-in is unable to determine the changed disk sectors for a virtual machine, it reports an error (“Failed to determine disk areas to back up”) and backs up the entire disk. When this error occurs, use the following procedure to reset change block tracking for the virtual machine. Before proceeding, delete any existing snapshots of the target virtual machine.
To reset CBT on a virtual machine
1
Start the Backup Job Wizard, and click Create New next to the Selections list.
2
Open the NetVault Backup Client on which plug-in is installed, and then open VMware Plugin.
3
Open the ESX/ESXi or vCenter Server and the other applicable container nodes (for example, Datacenter, Cluster, Resource Pool, and other nodes) to display the target virtual machine.
4
Select the target virtual machine, and in the Actions list, click Reset Change Block Tracking.
This option is available to only those virtual machines on which CBT is enabled.
5
After the virtual machine is reconfigured, a message is displayed. Click OK to close the dialog box.
Important notes
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When CBT is being reset, no snapshots should exist for the virtual machine. Otherwise, the reset operation fails.
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If CBT is reset for a virtual machine that is powered off, we recommend that you power on the virtual machine before running a CBT-enabled backup for that virtual machine. If you perform a CBT-enabled backup in the powered off state, the backup may report the following error and fail:
Log message: Failed to determine disk areas to backup.
Log context: A specified parameter was not correct. deviceKey.
•
After CBT is reset for a virtual machine, the next Incremental Backup backs up all blocks for that virtual machine. Subsequent Incremental Backups only back up the disk sectors that have changed.
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If an error message is displayed while CBT is being reset, check the “Recent Tasks” window on the vSphere Client for any messages that explain why the request failed.

Monitoring job progress

To monitor the progress of a job
1
In the Navigation pane, click Job Status.
2
In the list of jobs, select the applicable job, and click Monitor.
3
On the Monitor Job page, you can view the following information.
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Job details: This area displays the Job ID, title, phase, instance, client, plug-in, start time, expected completion time, run count, duration, size, and status.
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Data transfer chart: This area displays the data transfer chart.
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Job logs: This area displays the log messages.
 
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