VCB on Windows

[skydoyle]

We have a VCB proxy server set up that has access to our SAN. I just noticed that the Backup Guide refers to installing a Backup Software Integration Module (page 36) that matches your third party backup software. We we don't have third party backup software (just the Microsoft backup command that comes with the OS). Is this a showstopper?

[java_cat33]

I would think so - as the integration modules are scripts called from within the backup software. Also there are no integration modules listed here for Native Microsoft Backup.

[Texiwill]

Hello,

You have several options here.... The first is you write a bat file that uses vcb to backup the VMDKs to your backup machine's local or remote non-VMFS non-ESX disks. THen use backup.exe to back them up.

Or you invest in some software that knows how to do the backups. http://vmprofessional.com/index.php?content=esx3backups has quite a few possibilities.

Best regards,

Edward L. Haletky

VMware Communities User Moderator

====

Author of the book 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise: Planning and Securing Virtualization Servers', Copyright 2008 Pearson Education.

CIO Virtualization Blog: http://www.cio.com/blog/index/topic/168354

As well as the Virtualization Wiki at http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Virtualization

[mittim12]

Hello,

You have several options here.... The first is you write a bat file that uses vcb to backup the VMDKs to your backup machine's local or remote non-VMFS non-ESX disks. THen use backup.exe to back them up.

We use this method with Commvault and it has worked very well for us.

[jguidroz]

We utilize VCB without integrating it with our third party backup software. We have a batch file that runs on our proxy server that connects to each host and backs up all the running VMs on that host to an external USB disk attached to the proxy server, or to another SAN LUN attached to the proxy server. It works well, but we will most likely invest in some software next year that will be able to dedupe our backups as we take them.

[joergriether · Accepted solution]

It would be interesting to take a look at these batches!!

I start with my batch, very simple, very easy:

cscript pre-command.wsf "c:\programme (x86)\vmware\vmware consolidated backup framework" fullvm

..takes snapshot, backups the vm in fullvm mode and deletes the snapshot. I repeat this line for all

my vm´s and backup all of the stuff to tape.

What are your methods?

best regards

Joerg

[mittim12]

It would be interesting to take a look at these batches!!

I start with my batch, very simple, very easy:

cscript pre-command.wsf "c:\programme (x86)\vmware\vmware consolidated backup framework" <VMNAME> fullvm

..takes snapshot, backups the vm in fullvm mode and deletes the snapshot. I repeat this line for all

my vm´s and backup all of the stuff to tape.

What are your methods?

best regards

Joerg

My batch is exactly likes yours very simple and effective. We have two batch files that run on different nights of the week and each file has about 50 VM's. The VM's are backed up to a local drive and them Commvault comes behind and backs up that drive. At the time of inception we did not have a backup person so this was easiest most effective way to get it done. I have thought about changing everything so that Commvault handles the kickoff of the backup per VM but haven't gotten around to it yet.

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[depping]

if you want commvault to kickoff per vm you would need to create a lot of subclients, takes a lot of time I can tell you.

I use this one for commvault:

for /f “tokens=2 delims=:” %%i in (’vcbvmname -h Duncan

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[depping]

I usually don't use the integration modules, scripting it yourself works probably better... and is a lot easier.

Duncan

Blogging: http://www.yellow-bricks.com

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[skydoyle]

Thanks to all for the responses..

I'm not a Windows guy..so your saying the integration module is an automation script to issue backup commands the same you would from the DOS command line?

So if I tried to use the vcbmounter command or vcbsnapall command (from DOS) it should work?

[mittim12]

You should be able to use vcbMounter from dos on the proxy you installed VCB to.

edited to add link to backup pdf

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35/esx_3/r35u2/vi3_35_25_u2_vm_backup.pdf

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Message was edited by: mittim12

[jguidroz]

Here is the command we use:

FOR /F "tokens=2 delims=:" %%i IN ('vcbvmname -h -u -p -s Powerstate:on ^| find "name:"') DO @rd /s /q "F:\vcbmnt\%%i" &vcbmounter -h -u -p -a name:"%%i" -r "F:\vcbmnt\%%i" -t fullvm -M 1 -F 0 > "F:\vcbmnt\%%i.log"

This command will backup all the running VMs on the server and write a log file for each backup. I set up the batch file to run this command for each host at each site. This reduces dependence on the one VirtualCenter server if a site would have issues with their WAN connection.

Justin

[skydoyle]

jguidroz, thanks for your response. Can you tell me if you have a VM that's say 500GBs and your only using 25% of that. When VCB makes a vackup does it create space for the 500GBs or the percentage used?

[jguidroz]

The command I posted uses a switch that will provide a compressed image, so it will be less than the size of the disk.