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4,283 Views 7 Replies Last post: Mar 6, 2009 5:28 AM by dconvery RSS
malnic Novice
malnic
15 posts since
Apr 7, 2008
Currently Being Moderated

May 8, 2008 8:31 AM

Installing vRanger Pro and VCB

 

I have VC and 8 ESX hosts setup, with shared storage for VM's on a NFS share.

 

 

Using another physical machine, i'm trying out vRanger and VCB for backups.  I can get Vranger to backup VM's, no bother, but enabling the option for VCB results in a error.  I have installed vRanger, the vRanger VCB Plugin, and VCB and recieved no errors on install.

 

 

During the backup, the VCB Launcher starts then fails, and resorts back to a LAN backup which successfully completes.

 

 

I'm trying to backup to local storage on the server at the moment.  I've looked in the log files for vRanger cannot see anything which will help me pinpoint the error.  I'm guessing there is a problem with my VCB config, but i can't really see anything to change.

 

 

Some help please, i must have missed something obvious out.  Log files can be posted on request.

 

 

Tags: backup, vcb, vranger
java_cat33 Master
java_cat33
1,248 posts since
Aug 29, 2007
Currently Being Moderated
1. May 10, 2008 4:06 AM in response to: malnic
Re: Installing vRanger Pro and VCB

 

VCB will only work with either a Fibre Chanel or iSCSI SAN. This is why vRanger is only doing network backups.

 

 

Texiwill Guru User Moderators vExpert
Texiwill
11,346 posts since
Jan 13, 2004
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2. May 10, 2008 12:03 PM in response to: java_cat33
Re: Installing vRanger Pro and VCB

Hello,

 

VCB will also work with network backups if the -m nbd option is given, but I do not think vRanger does that.

 


Best regards,

Edward L. Haletky

VMware Communities User Moderator

====

Author of the book 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise: Planning and Securing Virtualization Servers', Copyright 2008 Pearson Education. CIO Virtualization Blog: http://www.cio.com/blog/index/topic/168354, As well as the Virtualization Wiki at http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Virtualization

malnic Novice
malnic
15 posts since
Apr 7, 2008
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3. May 12, 2008 12:09 AM in response to: malnic
Re: Installing vRanger Pro and VCB

Thanks guys.

 

If network backups are not supported for VCB, we'll have to look at other possibilities.

joergriether Hot Shot
joergriether
249 posts since
Sep 17, 2006
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4. May 12, 2008 1:48 AM in response to: malnic
Re: Installing vRanger Pro and VCB

no you didn´t read carefully;) - vcb CAN do network backups since the latest update! but we think vizioncore has not implemented that new feature yet.

 

best regards

joerg

malnic Novice
malnic
15 posts since
Apr 7, 2008
Currently Being Moderated
5. May 12, 2008 1:50 AM in response to: joergriether
Re: Installing vRanger Pro and VCB

I did read it correctly it's just that we need a backup solution, like yesterday!

cxo Enthusiast
cxo
42 posts since
Sep 15, 2008
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6. Mar 5, 2009 12:42 PM in response to: Texiwill
Re: Installing vRanger Pro and VCB

 

I know I am late to the game, but I too have the same question, mostly.  I have an 8 ESX farm using iSCSI for VM backend storage.  I am currently backing them up with VCB and vRanger Pro.  Works like a champ (esx 3.5u1).  I am now creating a new ESX farm (3.5u3) which will use NFS for VM storage. 

 

 

I have heard many things (many contradicting from Vizioncore themselves!), but ultimately, yes vRanger Pro will backup NFS stored VMs and utilizing VCB.  I am waiting for v3.2.9 (3/9/09?) before moving forward, but one representative wanted to do some fnacy mounting scheme on the ESX host itself and another is suggesting using tghe "-nbd" option but have the data pass through the service console.

 

 

 

 

 

Does this make sense?  Anyway to mount the NFS shares on my VCB proxy server (physical box) like it does for the iSCSI luns to keep the service console out of the picture?  If that can be answered (positively), then I would be estatic.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you,

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie

 

 

dconvery Virtuoso
dconvery
2,235 posts since
May 10, 2006
Currently Being Moderated
7. Mar 6, 2009 5:28 AM in response to: cxo
Re: Installing vRanger Pro and VCB

 

The only real reason to use VCB with vRanger is to leverage the virtual LUN driver that mounts the VMFS. This is only good for FC or iSCSI SANs. You are better off just using vRanger without VCB if you have NFS storage. IT still goes through the COS network.

 

 

If you do not want the load on the COS network, then you have a couple of choices:

 

  1. Investigate using VCB in "Hot-Add" mode as a stand-alone VM. I have not tried installing vRanger in this mode, but it should work in theory...

  2. add an ESX server that is not in the DRS/HA cluster, but mounts the VMFS store

 

Dave Convery - VMware vExpert 2009

 

************************

Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties.

Doug Larson

 

 

Dave Convery, VCDX3,4 #20 ** http://www.tech-tap.com ** http://twitter.com/dconvery ** "Careful. We don't want to learn from this." -Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"

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