Single Box VCB backups with ESX4

[gibsurfer84]

Hello, I am new to vmware ESX. I have been using the free esxi for about a year but my company is finally moving to virtualization. Anyway, we have client sites that will be single host ESX4 boxes. We will have 2 Server2k8 vm's running. Is it possible for us to use VCB to snapshot the 2 vms and then maybe put those snapshots onto a NFS mapping on a 3rd linux vm? That would be cheaper since linux is free. We would like to keep the VCB Proxy from having to be installed because if we snahpshot the vms and store the snapshots in one of those vms....then thats double data....on one of those vms. Any ideas or how to's? Also I read something about Independent disks and how they are not snapshoted, does that mean if I end up having to use a VCB proxy (inside a vm) I could just add a second hard drive to the vm and make it independent and all is well? My goal is to have the most supported solution possible so that if things go wrong, I can call VMware for support - the best they can.

Thanks,

Cliff

[Texiwill]

Hello,

Moved to vSphere Backup and Recovery forum.

Best regards,

Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009, Virtualization Practice Analyst[/url]
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[AndreTheGiant]

You can use VCB to make a "copy" of your VM.

You need local space on the VCB server to save the vmdk files, than you can what your want (save to tape, save to a NAS, ..)

See http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vcb_pubs.html

There are also other solutions (some free, some commercial), for example ghettoVCB, VMware Data Protector (included in some version), vRanger, esXpress, ...

Andre

[Lakshmi_Gayatri]

If your VCB proxy can have a network drive mapped to NFS as say X: then you can take backups pointing directly to that location.

[depping]

VCB is installed on a windows server so why would you want to use an additional linux NFS box?

Duncan

VMware Communities User Moderator | VCP | VCDX

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