Backup VMWare Fusion v13 on Mac

max35 · ‎11-01-2023

Hi there, I am looking for a backup solution for VMWare Fusion v13 running on our Mac Pro.

We are hosting 5x Mac VM's which we need to backup fully so we can restore the VM's in case of hardware failure.

We currently use Veeam Backup & Restore to backup our Windows Hyper-V VM's. To backup the Mac VM's we have to manually switch off each Virtual Machine and back it up to our NAS storage which is a time-consuming process.

Ideally we would like to automate the backup process to run every week, without switching off the VM's if possible. Veeam offers a backup solution for Mac now but I believe the VM's themselves would still need to be switched off in order to run the backup.

I would be grateful for any suggestions on this matter.

Many thanks,

Max

RDPetruska · ‎11-01-2023

@wila has written a product called Vimalin for this very purpose.

wila · ‎11-01-2023

@RDPetruska wrote:
@wila has written a product called Vimalin for this very purpose.

That's correct.

One note though is that it currently only works like that if the VM isn't encrypted. If the VM is encrypted you -currently- do need to shut the VM down in order to make that backup.
Sadly we're still missing some API functionality from VMware for doing this when the VM is encrypted.
Hopefully that gets addressed soon as it is becoming quite urgent.

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva

Technogeezer · ‎11-01-2023

You also have the option to treat the VMs as physical systems and use a backup solution that runs in the VM.

- Paul (Technogeezer)
Editor of the Unofficial Fusion Companion Guides

Rudy3 · ‎11-11-2023

Hi,

is there any chance with Vimalin to backup a running VM with enabled auto protect snapshots ?

Thanks

Rudy

wila · ‎11-11-2023

@Rudy3 wrote:
Hi,
is there any chance with Vimalin to backup a running VM with enabled auto protect snapshots ?
Thanks
Rudy

Hi Rudy,

VMware does not provide an API (programming interface) to control or monitor the auto protect snapshot feature.
There is no way to pause auto protect snapshots or to determine exactly when the next one will run.

As such they are incompatible with Vimalin. If VMware Fusion would trigger an auto protect snapshot while Vimalin is actively making a backup, your backup would be worthless.

Sadly the answer boils down to not compatible.

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva

Rudy3 · ‎11-11-2023

Thanks for your quick answer !!