vLockStep and Backups (Best Practices)

[Craer]

With the limitations of vLockStep and not allowing you to create snapshots, VCB, or the vStorage API for Data Protection without FT being disabled, what are considered best practices for backing up an FT-enabled VM?  Currently on our other VM's we run a PowerCLI script that exports our vm's to another box. Would a client agent probably be the best approach to take for backing up FT-enabled VM's?

[DSTAVERT]

You would need to use an OS based backup or you can turn off FT temporarily to take a snapshot and do the backup and turn it back on when complete.

http://www.petri.co.il/backup-fault-tolerant-vms-vsphere-4.htm

[idle-jam]

check this out: http://www.petri.co.il/backup-fault-tolerant-vms-vsphere-4.htm

it shows your how to use powercli to remote stop the FT before the backup is being started.

[Craer]

Thank you both.  That link was extremly helpful.  I will probably look at trying to backup from the SAN and hope that the next release of VMware makes snapshots available to FT vm's

[idle-jam]

SAN is cool as long as it allows you to a crash-free backup.