Backing up ESX 3 VM's (noob)

[pkharte]

Hi. First poster here, new to ESX. I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but I was wondering what people are using to backup their virtual machines. I saw a good demo from Acronis, and I hear Symantec integrates with ESX but I haven't been able to find anyone who uses it for that purpose. Is there an application "used by most?"

Another question is,

I was under the impression I would be able to export VM snapshots to storage, do I need Consildated backup to do this?

Thanks,

PK

[Dave_Mishchenko]

If you're looking for a software package, both and . esXpress has a free version which provides full backups. I use both and they both work well. My personal preference is for esXpress. If you're looking for a free backup script, there are a number listed here: .

Consolidated backup allows you to take LAN free backups. The backup server where VCB is installed would have access to the LUNs storing your VMs and would be able to copy them directly from there to tape. You would still need a backup application for VCB. You can also still use snapshots without VCB. Both products listed above as well as the scripts use snapshots to get a copy of the VMDK files for your VMs.

[alhamad]

I'm using VCB in conjunction with Veritas NetBackup 6.0. It is working fine for me and planning to upgrade to 6.5 soon.

I recommend it as I'm getting a good support from both vendors!

[alhamad]

Wrong post, sorry about that.

I ment to say:

Yes you will need VCB f u want to have this process while the VM is running

[ejward]

I've been using VRanger Pro. It's really flexible. You can use it with VCB or over the network. For a DR test, I used Vranger to backup VMs to an external USB drive. At the DR site, I install VRanger on my laptop and restore the VMs to a new host. Not the way you would really do DR but just pointing out how flexible it is.

I tried ESXEXpress a while ago. What I didn't like was that you had to install it on the ESX server itself. It puts stuff in the notes field of every VM. And, it's not easy to uninstall. I still have it running on one of our lab servers and can't get rid of it. It was a while ago and I'm not sure if I ever got it to work. But, it IS free. Vranger was $299 per CPU the last time I bought it and I think it might have gone up. It's very intuitive.

[kharbin]

EJ,

"It puts stuff in the notes field of every VM"

esXpress can be configured to display live backup statistics in the notes field. This is easily turned on or off via the esXpress GUI options tab. This is covered in the README file and the User Manual.

"And, it's not easy to uninstall. I still have it running on one of our lab servers and can't get rid of it."

To the contrary. Very, very simply to uninstall. Just type: rpm -e esxpress. Literally a 5 second process. This is covered in the README file and the Installation Guide

Ken Harbin

www.esXpress.com

[ronzo]

Ejward-

"I still have it running on one of our lab servers and can't get rid of it."

To remove esXpress you simply just:

rpm -e esxpress

rpm -e esxpressVBA

And it is gone, it leaves the config files, but all the programs are gone.

"It puts stuff in the notes field of every VM"

This feature is turned on by default, but can be tuened off, there is even a command to remove the esXpress notes from all of your VMs.

This feature is so cool, that the ranger boys just copied it for their newer stuff, so you still have notes to deal with!

But thanks for at least trying out esXpress.

thanks

ron

[ejward]

Actually it was version 2 that I had played with and I've been meaning to try the latest version. I think I tried it when it first came out because the installation guide made several refrences to a user guide that didn't exist at the time. They kept saying that the user guide would be out in a few weeks and it never happened. It wasn't so much the product that I had issues with. It just seemed like the product was rushed out without all of the documentation. I couldn't sign off on it as an enterprise class solution at the time. At least not to my boss. I could picture "What? It's free? No no no, we can't have that". Pretty sad actually.

[gdesmo]

I am using esx ranger pro in non vcb mode. Takes too long for 80 vm's. They average 40 minutes a piece, with 20 gig vmdk's on each.

I have been testing vcb 1.0.3 with tivoli storage integration module. Without using ranger anymore. Works great and has cut vm image backup times down to 10 minutes. Using converter to restore vm images. And a tsm client in each vm. This is where I am headed for a final solution.

Gotta love backup's !

[ejward]

have you tried Ranger with VCB? The speed difference is like night and day. Although I really don't like their DOS-like windows that pop up while jobs are running. They have a very nice GUI to set things up then they go to these DOS windows while jobs are running.

[gdesmo]

I am sure ranger would speed up in vcb mode. But if we already own tivoli storage mgr. Why incur the additional cost?? This is what i have been trying to weigh.

I do not see a real good reason to keep ranger. I asked their support for some and got no response.

[ejward]

I am sure ranger would speed up in vcb mode. But if we already own tivoli storage mgr. Why incur the additional cost?? This is what i have been trying to weigh.

I do not see a real good reason to keep ranger. I asked their support for some and got no response.

I though you already owned Ranger. I don't think there's an additional cost to use it with VCB. How much is the TSM client for each VM?

[gdesmo]

Correct we already own ranger. But I am getting ready to buy more esx licenses and would not have to purchase more ranger licenses. And also will not have to renew the anual maintenance of each ranger license I already own.

TSM is our enterprise backup solution we use for all physical operating systems. I don't have any idea on the cost but it is going to always remain in place. A tsm client is the same price for a vm or physical server.

[ejward]

The reason we went with VCB and Ranger was to avoid paying the $650 for the Netbackup agent on each VM. We just have one agent on the VCB server rather than on 160 VM's. We also avoid the middle of the night CPU spike on our ESX hosts when all of those agents start their backups. The only reson I ask is because we also have TSM in-house. I wasn't sure if the agent was free. Because that would change everything for us.

[gdesmo]

You are correct I am using a tsm client on the vcb server. So that is only one tsm license for all vm's in an image mode. And it gets me fast image backups with no overhead on the esx hosts.

From what I have read this method gives me file level backup as well. So I am going to investige removing the tivoli client from each vm. Possibly saving even more dinero. Since you already have a tsm infrastructure. It might save you a lot of money too....

[petedr]

hey gdesmo,

An alternative for you may be our product esXpress which was brought up earlier in this thread. Our free product ( no licenses required ) will give you 100% Full hot VM image backups and then can send them to a backup target (ftp/ssh/smb) where TSM can pick them up from there. Our fulls are comparable to going with the VCB solution. We run our backups in the virtual space using Virtual Backup Appliances (VBAs) that are tiny VMs that run on each host.

We do also have licensed versions available which enable additional features like Delta backups, File Level backups, encryption, templates, archive management, backing up VMs with snapshots, more VBAs, etc.

pete@esxpress

[ejward]

yeah, our backup situation is a mess and Vmware further complicates it. We've got TSM, Ranger, VCB, Netbackup, and backupexec. And I think they're using something else for Exchange.

[alhamad]

I'm using only NetBackup as my consilidated solution. I backup VMware, AD, Exchange, Unix, Oracle and many other things!