Install/Implement VMware Consolidation Backup

[LucianoPatrão]

Hi

I need to implement a backup on a ESX 3.01 environment(i will upgrade next week), and create a VMware Disaster Recover

I have no experience in VCB. In the VMware i have experience

I have two Dell Poweredge 6850 workink with VMware ESX 3.0.x

I have a Dell Poweredge working with Virtual Center. Untill now all is ok. I have also A EMC Storage

Now i need to implement a backup environment to my Dell ML6000 tape drive

What i need to do? I have donwloaded the VCB file from the VMware site, and have installed in the Virtual Center(just for now, i will create a server jus to use as Backup Server).

I have used the script from Alexander Storf to test. I have used to backup VMs from the storage to the storage just to test

But i need to use the ML6000.

So what is my next move?? And how will VCB work? Must i install any vcb agent(witch?) in the VMs?

And how can i use the VCB from the Virtual Center server(where i install the 32bit VCB file). I have no program, just services i think. For now i dont have any software backup, but how can i test this? Just to backup the VMs that are in the storage to the ML600. My Virtual Center is connected to the Storage and the ML6000

Can any one help on this?

My last implementation on this project is to creat another VMware just for Disaster Recover, that will have all the VMs that are in the production VMware Servers(Storage). But that is the last. No i need to understand the VCB, and how to use it, and backup the VMs in to the ML6000

Many thanks to any help

JailBreak

[fhpaschen]

For DR purposes, you're probably looking at the FullVM options for VCB. This allows you to copy a VMDK entirely to local disk on a Windows system. Using the scripts provided with VCB, you can put a copy of a virtual machine on your windows system. From there, how you get it to tape, is simply a function of your standard backup software. VMware provides "integration scripts" that work with many backup software packages to provide a more integrated solution. This is done by running those scripts pre-backup and post-backup so that the backup software can find the virtual machine file to back up.

You need either a single FiberChannel or iSCSI connection to your storage from the windows machine to use VCB. VCB will use this connection to copy the virtual machines locally.

[LucianoPatrão]

Hi fhpaschen,

Thank you for the reply

The DR issue is secondary for now. Now i need to backup my VMware environment

In my Virtual Center Server i have 2 Fiber. One connected to a Fiber Witch that is connected to the Storage and VMware hosts, another connected to the ML6000

Is there any example of the scripts that we run on the Virtual Center(where i have the VCB) to save to my Windows, then save to the ML6000?

Because the only scripts that i know is to run in the VMware Console, and to connect to the Storage(vmfs volumes) i need to connect trough a linux console(ex putty, or winscp)

JailBreak

[fhpaschen]

The scripts you use are included in the VCB installation in the backup software "integration modules". It is designed to be used with backup software. Honestly, if you just download the BackupExec module, you'll find the scripts are very generic and with VCB configured per the documentation (), you'll find you can just run the pre-backup.bat/cmd from a windows command prompt and see it mount or copy the vmdk locally. Then do what you want with it, and run the post-backup.bat/cmd to clean up.

See this link and scroll down to the VCB integration modules. They have the extra "wrapper" scripts. I've used the BackupExec ones before, as I mentioned, and found them simple because integration to BackupExec is nothing more than a pre script and a post script that set up and clean up the VMDK for BackupExec. I'm not sure if they other backup software modules are as simple or if they are more integrated into the product.

[opbz]

just as a gotcha...

1: before you install VCB ensure your windows box is not set to auto signature as you will otherwise have problems.

2: your VCB needs to see all the luns that are in use by ESX.

3: there is a very nice diags utility for it at the bottom of this link (from vmware) http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/drivers_tools.html

4: on the version you have for ESX 3.01 multipath support isn ot available for VCB so ensure you are using only 1 HBa and do not have powerpath or equivalent

hope this helps

[kumarkv]

Hi

Please go through this as you would understand the implementation in a better way:

http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-2661

regards

Kumar

If you find this helpful pleas award points

[LucianoPatrão]

Hi opbz

[i]1: before you install VCB ensure your windows box is not set to auto signature as you will otherwise have problems.[/b][/i]

Did not understand this question

[i]2: your VCB needs to see all the luns that are in use by ESX.[/b][/i]

In this i can only see the LUNs if i connect to the WVmware console trough putty, or the winscp i can see the LUNs that are in the VMware system console

Directly from windows i cannot see the LUNs, that off course is correct. In the Storage configuration, i add the Virtual Center host as part of the authorization to the LUNs group

[i]3: there is a very nice diags utility for it at the bottom of this link (from vmware) http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/drivers_tools.html[/b][/i]

I have tried to run the vcbSanDbg.exe, but i have no feedback, or output. I run vcbSanDbg.exe > output.txt, and i have no data.

[i]4: on the version you have for ESX 3.01 multipath support isn ot available for VCB so ensure you are using only 1 HBa and do not have powerpath or equivalent[/b][/i]

Thank you all for the reply´s and help

JailBreak

[opbz · Accepted solution]

HI,

Here is what I meant I got this from vi3_vm_backup on page 34

Disabling Automatic Drive-Letter Assignment

All versions of Windows, except Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition and Windows 2003

Datacenter Edition, automatically assign drive letters to each visible new technology

file system (NTFS) and file allocation table (FAT) volume.

For Consolidated Backup, change this default behavior so that volumes are not

automatically mounted on the proxy.

CAUTION If you do not perform this configuration step, data corruption for virtual

machines using RDM can occur.

To prevent Windows from automatically assigning drive letters to RDM

1 Shut down the Windows proxy.

2 Disconnect the Windows proxy from the SAN or mask all the LUNs containing

VMFS volumes or RDM for virtual machines.

3 Boot the proxy and log into an account with administrator privileges.

4 Open a command‐line interface.

5 Run the diskpart utility by typing:

diskpart

The diskpart utility starts up and prints its own command prompt.

6 Disable automatic drive‐letter assignment to newly seen volumes by typing at the

diskpart command prompt:

automount disable

7 Clean out entries of previously mounted volumes in the registry by typing at the

diskpart command prompt:

automount scrub

I have used the diags before and it generated all sorts of usefull information. Its particularly good at pointing out problems with lun access.. Kind of strange its not working for you. ARe you running it from the windows box where your VCB is installed?

Oh yeah one more thing on older versions of vcb you you where not supposed to have it on same server as your VC

[LucianoPatrão]

Hi again

Ahh ok i understand now the Windows issue. That part is correct

My VCB is the last version that i downloaded from the vmware site

Is any issue with VC v2.0.1 and VCB v1.1??

I only will upgrade the VC and the VMware to the new versions, when i get this backup working to get a safe upgrade

And yes i am running in the VC server, and from the directory C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Consolidated Backup Framework\

JailBreak

[opbz]

Hi,

Ah ok I was assuming you had equivalent VCB to your server...

I do not know if there are any issues with VCB and VC 2.01 I just know with older version of VCB it was supposed to be on separate box. It was one of the first TB we had to do...

Have you looked at http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35/esx_3/r35/vi3_35_25_vm_backup.pdf? Its the one that deals with your VCB.

[LucianoPatrão]

Hi

I am backing to this question to update

I trying to create a script that i backup the VMs using the VCB commands

But when i try to backup a VM:

vcbmounter -h VC-Server -u VCAdmin -p VCAdminPass -a name:XP Test -r C:\Backup\VM1-t fullvm -m san -M 1

I get this:

Current working directory: C:\Document

s and Settings\Administrator

HOSTINFO: Seeing Intel CPU, numCoresPerCPU 2 numThreadsPerCore 1.

HOSTINFO: This machine has 1 physical CPUS, 2 total cores, and 2 logical CPUs.

Error: Unexpected extra arguments encountered.

VMware Consolidated Backup -- Virtual Machine Mount UtilityVersion 1.1.0 (build-64559)

Copyright (C) 1998-2007 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved.

I have checked and double checked my arguments and i see no problem

Can any one give a help?

Thank you

Jail

[LucianoPatrão]

Hi

Can any one please explain how can i connect my Virtual Center(VCB Proxy) to my LUN that is on my VMware host.using VCB commands?

In my EMC Storage and in the RAID Group i add the VMware Hosts, and the Virtual Center(VCB Proxy) host

But how can i connect , or mount the connection between the Windows 2003 Server and the Storage, and the LUNs from the Storage?

Any help will be helpful

Thank You

Jail

[azn2kew]

On Petri's website has a brief introduction how VCB works and how to use vcbMount command for your backup procedures.

If you upgrade your ESX 3.5 you can run your VCB Proxy server on a Virtual Machine but also requires enough disk space to mount your source VM (vmdk) disk and than use backup software (BackupExec) to do the backup pointing to your ML6000 tape library.

If you found this information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful". Thanks!!!

Regards,

Stefan Nguyen

iGeek Systems LLC.

VMware, Citrix, Microsoft Consultant

[LucianoPatrão]

Hi

Thank you for the reply

I know that article from the petri site. I am using that site to test the VCB commands

But i cannot upgrade to 3.5, before i can backup all my VMs. This is why my backup is so urgent. So i must backup all first, then upgrade the VMware hosts

Like i said above when i use

vcbmounter -h VCBServer -u VCBAdmin -p VCBpass -a name:XP Test -r c:\mount\XP Test -t fullvm -m sda

I get:

'vcbMounter' 820 error] Error: Unexpected extra arguments encountered.

If i use:

vcbvmname -h VCBServer -u VCBAdmin -p VCBpass -s Any:

I can see the list of all the VMs. This command wokr fine and i have no problem

So my problem is to use the vcbmounter command, and mount to the Storage. How can i do that?

Thank you

Jail