Pull-model backup for ESX 3.5 with Linux

[hhedeshian]

We have 7 ESX3.5 hosts which need to be backed up. The preferred format of the backups is full vmdk images. This is easy to accomplish with vcbMounter and a couple of scripts on Windows. However, VCB does not run on Linux. All of this backup solutions I have looked at require VCB meaning it runs on Windows only. All of our backup systems run linux and have no services exposed for security reasons.

The current setup is a double-pull model where a windows server pulls the snapshots with vcbmounter, and then the linux server will pull the images from the windows server. This is really slow and requires each VM to be copied twice.

The questions are as follows:

1. Does anyone know of a way to implement a pull model backup where the system pulling the backups is running linux?

2. Has anyone succeeded in getting vcbMounter to run under linux?

I have tried the following:

-Running the windows version of vcbMounter with wine/wineconsole. I can get it to connect but no matter what path I pass it with the -r option, it complains about the path not being writable.

-Force installing / extracting the rpm packages directly from the ESX cd image. I'm currently having the linux equivalent of DLL hell. (Let's call it lib*.so hell)

Though an interesting side note, I managed to macgyver the 4.0 version of vcbMounter from a vSphere4 ISO into a CentOS 11 box. I got through lib*.so hell and got it to the point where it would whine about some special device in /dev not being available for version verification. pfft.

[AndreTheGiant]

VCB can do FullVM (image level) backup of all Guest OS.

Only filelevel backup require Windows Guest.

Andre

[hhedeshian]

I don't care about the OS of the guest. I care about the OS that the backup software is running on.

I should add before I'm told to STFW that ghettoVCB doesn't fit the bill because that is a push model backup.

[hhedeshian]

Some progress...

I managed to get vcbmounter.exe to start copying files but it segfaults part way through.

Wine version: 1.0.1

System: CentOS release 5.3 (Final)

Kernel: 2.6.18-128

Here is the output from vcbMounter: (important stuff in red)

Edit: I can't fix the messed up formatting issues on this forum

root@apollo VMware Consolidated Backup Framework# wine vcbMounter.exe -h tarkin.foo.bar -u foo -p bar -a moref:560 -m nbd -r /mnt/data/file2s -t fullvm 2>/dev/null

2009-08-06 11:36:57.814 'App' 9 info Current working directory: C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Consolidated Backup Framework

2009-08-06 11:36:57.817 'BaseLibs' 9 info HOSTINFO: Seeing Intel CPU, numCoresPerCPU 2 numThreadsPerCore 1.

2009-08-06 11:36:57.817 'BaseLibs' 9 info HOSTINFO: This machine has 1 physical CPUS, 2 total cores, and 2 logical CPUs.

2009-08-06 11:36:57.970 'BaseLibs' 9 info Using system libcrypto, version 90709F

2009-08-06 11:36:58.107 'BaseLibs' 9 warning

SSLVerifyCertAgainstSystemStore: Failed to retrieve the subject name

for certificate. LastError = -2146885628

2009-08-06 11:36:58.108 'BaseLibs' 9 warning SSLVerifyCertAgainstSystemStore: Subject mismatch: vs tarkin.foo.bar

2009-08-06 11:36:58.108 'BaseLibs' 9 warning SSLVerifyCertAgainstSystemStore: The remote host certificate has these problems:

• Failed to get the subject name from the certificate

• The host name used for the connection does not match the subject name on the host certificate

• A certificate in the host's chain is based on an untrusted root.

2009-08-06 11:36:58.109 'BaseLibs' 9 warning SSLVerifyIsEnabled:

failed to read registry value. Assuming verification is disabled.

LastError = -2146885628

2009-08-06 11:36:58.110 'BaseLibs' 9 warning

SSLVerifyCertAgainstSystemStore: Certificate verification is disabled,

so connection will proceed despite the error

Copying "[tarkin:storage2] testbackup/testbackup.vmx":

0%=====================50%=====================100%

**************************************************

Copying "[tarkin:storage2] testbackup/testbackup.nvram":

0%=====================50%=====================100%

**************************************************

Copying "[tarkin:storage2] testbackup/vmware.log":

0%=====================50%=====================100%

**************************************************

Converting "/mnt/data/file2s\scsi0-0-0-testbackup.vmdk" (compact file):

0%=====================50%=====================100%

*****2009-08-06 11:37:10.566 'App' 35 error Exception: Not Reached: @ C:/ob/bora-64559/bora/vim/lib/vmacore/win32/threadPool.cpp:1188 2009-08-06 11:37:10.566 'App' 35 error Backtrace: (backtraces not supported) ********************************************* 2009-08-06 11:37:10.582 'vcbMounter' 9 error Error: Failed to export the disk: invalid NBD error code 2009-08-06 11:37:10.582 'vcbMounter' 9 error An error occurred, cleaning up... 2009-08-06 11:37:10.776 'ThreadPool' 35 panic Unhandled exception of unknown type Deleted directory /mnt/data/file2s