Backing up User Data Disks

[eeg3]

For those with View environments utilizing User Data Disks for all of their user data, what are you all using to backup these disks?

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[maxel]

Bump..

Is there an doc for backup strategies of Linked Clone Desktops Persistent Disks?? Since View 4.5 we are not able to backup the VDIs with our IBM TSM 6.2 (via vstorageAPI).

How do you backup the View 4.5 Environment?

[maxel]

In the mean time we opened a VM support Request with this issue, here the answer from the engineer

"I have confirmed with the storage research engineers that for independent disks the only viable method of backup is a guest based agent."

What?? :smileyshocked: They mean that not serious, right?

this can not work because the VDI Clients are only online if a user is need them..and backup happens at night.

What can we do??

[eeg3]

The most common recommedation I've found since opening this thread is to simply separate off the UDD's onto separate storage and replicate that as means of "backing them up". That's more for DR purposes than backups, so it's not a very elegant solution. VMware has really dropped the ball in this area.

I think it's likely due to the fact they planned on going the route of virtual profiles with their RTO acquisition which has seemed to turn into vaporware.

[chillware1]

In our org we apply the same user policies as if they were on a physical PC.. User data is not backed up.. we enforce "You should be storing all your important/working documents on the share drives" which are backed up nightly. If you lose data then oh well we warned you that *would* happen.

However on the back end, I do nightly snapshots (5 days worth) of the user data stores on our EqualLogic SAN and also replicate them to another SAN

[mittim12]

We follow the same rule of thumb regarding backups.  We do as much folder redirection as possible to ensure the user's critical items are on shared disk that is backed up.  

[eeg3]

What happens if your user data disk SAN goes down? Is there a guide to failing over to the replicated SAN? How do you bring back the user data disks and ensure they're mapped to the right virtual desktop/user? Or vice versa, if the OS-side failed.