Hot Backup questions

[Ritmo2k]

I am now looking for a means to backup my vm's and see several scripts here that do hot backups w/o any special vmware options. My question how does this backup a running vm? What state is the vm in when its restored? is it like its been shutdown hard?

Which script here is currently considered the best to use? I was hoping to either use nfs via a win2k3r2 server or ftp...

Thanks!

[wcrahen · Accepted solution]

The VM is put into redo or snapshot mode, which stops the I/O to the virtual disk. This type of backup is considered to be crash consistant, so like being shut down hard. Not sure which script to recommend, I often use esxRanger instead.

[esiebert7625]

Typically a hot backup of the vmdk file of a VM creates a snapshot which prevents any further writes to the original vmdk file. All changes from that point are made to the separate delta files that the snapshot creates. Once the backup is complete the snapshot is deleted which writes the changes from the delta files back to the original vmdk file. So yes since it is a hot backup it is similar to a VM that has been shutdown hard. The one below has been said to be very good....

http://www.xtravirt.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=75&func=startdown&id=7

[Ritmo2k]

Well gosh, a backup thats been vulcan nerve pinched? Huh...

And if thats a db server, sql/exchange etc? How is that useful?

So w/o any of those pricey options, your script has to safely shutdown the server, then copy out the files and restart, correct?

Thanks guys!

[esiebert7625]

In addition to backing up the whole vmdk you should also do OS level backups with the appropriate backup agents installed in your VM. Both backup types are complementary to each other and have their advantages/dis-advantages. DB servers should be backed up as recommended by the vendor, often with special database agents. Here's some links on backup info...

Virtual Machine Backup Guide - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_301_201_vm_backup.pdf

Consolidated Backup in Vmware Infrastructure 3 - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_consolidated_backup.pdf

Using VMware Infrastructure for Backup and Restore - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_backup_wp.pdf

Vmware Consolidated Backup Best Practices, Tips and Tricks - http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct4540.pdf

Backup and Recovery of Virtual Servers - http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/mdc9870.pdf

Hot Backups and Restores - http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9816.pdf

Non-disruptive Backups of Vmware Environments Using Veritas Netbackup - http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9912.pdf