Live Backups of Virtual Machines - options?

[JRink]

Hello...

I am looking for input regarding what people use for backing up their entire Virtual Machine(s) while it's still up and running.  I know there are several products available out there.

I have used esXpress (PHD Virtual) in the past and have been extremely satisfied with it -- until the latest 5.x release which has proven abyssmal for several of my customers.  The constantly complain it performs far worse than the previous released versions and the reliability of the backups is virtually non-existant.  Support from PHD Virtual is also a hair-pulling experience and fingers always seem to get pointed at the customer's hardware being the problem (which coincidentally worked perfectly fine with their previous 4.x release).   Another thing that is bugging is that the product is advertised as working using CIFS as a backup storage, and while this worked fine with the 4.x release, the 5.x releases work like crap using CIFS and my customers are alwasy being told to switch to VMDK attached disk storage, or NFS, instead of CIFS.  That's fine and dandy, but the customers already purchased the CIFS storage for use with this software because it's "supposed" to work, and VMDK attached disk or NFS as a backup destination isn't always an option without purchasing even MORE hardware...  I'm tired of recommending a product to my customers that is causing them so much trouble and headache.

So I'm looking at other options... vRanger, Backup Exec, Veeam?  Does these work with CIFS backups?  How is the pricing?  Howis the reliability?  Most importantly, how is the SUPPORT? Do they actually answer phone calls or is it email-only support?  Looking for experiences both good and bad, thanks.

JR

[idle-jam]

all these are good and what i suggest is to actually trial it in your environment. from there then you will know that which is the best for you. In terms of support all are very good for my implementation experience.

[JRink]

There has to be other people doing this?  Any feedback?

[ThomasMc]

I've been trying out Veeam and have been completely satisfied with it, can't comment on the support side as anything I've had a problem with was easily solved by visiting there forums.

Does these work with CIFS backups?  Yes

How is the pricing?  Haven't got that far yet but everyone says its good lol

Howis the reliability?  Very Good

Most importantly, how is the SUPPORT? Do they actually answer phone calls or is it email-only support? Dunno but they responeded via twitter in seconds to any questions I asked

[malaysiavm]

If you are deploying your virtualization on Netapp, you should consider the SMVI and Snaprestore function from the box itself. Very easy, powerful and provide the capability you need.

[ChrisDearden]

Disclaimer: I work for a Veeam Partner.

I'm sorry PHD hasn't been working out for you - I've been trialing the latest version myself and so far it seems like it could have potential. That said I'm working in a test lab enviroment , so less sensetive to problems. Production Milage may vary.

I was a Veeam end user prior to working for a partner so I'll anwer your questions from that frame of mind.

Does these work with CIFS backups?  Yes

How is the pricing?  Its a lot cheaper than something like Netbackup !

Howis the reliability?  As long as you give the backup infrastructure the required horsepower you'll be fine.

Most importantly, how is the SUPPORT? Do they actually answer phone calls or is it email-only support?

During my Veeam POC ( as a customer , not as a blogger / partner ) I ran into a few little curiosities and was able to speak dirfectly to our local SE who on occasion had to refer cases back to support. Support via their forums and twitter is also pretty responsive.

[JRink]

Any more comments from users of these products?

Appreciate the info so far.!

[DSTAVERT]

You will always find ardent supporters of a particular product but it may not be suitable for a given situation. Some have great luck with support while others have a difficult time with the same supplier. I guarantee that you can find many posts in these forums with issues with all of the various vendors BU solutions. I would't let someone else decide your customers fate. Spend the time with the customer to help them decide on the right product for their needs. Bill them for your time.

I would also not ever rely on a single method for backup (poor choice of term since the only thing we care about is recovery). Within a single company different types of data, different importance of data, different volumes of data, and different ages of date can and perhaps should be treated differently.

A good list of BU solutions.

http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-10780