Protecting vCenter

[Dryv]

Hi All,

Running vCenter in a VM.

Can you someone please help me understand my own logic!!!?? All this time, I thought I was good taking snapshots of vCenter before doing anything potentially dangerous, until it dawned on me today, that if I did actually lose vCenter, or it got corrupted to a point where its inaccessbile, then how on earth would I restore the snapshot anyway as I can no longer access vCenter?

Given this, whats the recommended way to protect vCenter, seeing as HeartBeat is no longer available?

Is my only option in such a scenario to restore from a backup, i.e. log into an ESXi host directly (as I will no longer have a vCenter), create a new VM, slap an OS on it, put my backup agent on it, and restore from the last FULL backup of my vCenter server?

As usual, thanks in advance!

Dryv

[Madmax01]

Hi theire,

i'am not quit Familiar with HeartBeat vCenter. BUt i sense it as an additional Layer maybe more hard to analyze in Case of Troubles.

i just would use VDP 6.0  to backup the vCenter VM. in Case of vCenter failing you could restore in an Emergency Mode every VM you need to an esxi Host.

Which License you have? it's part of minimum Essentials Plus as far as i remember

Best regards

Max

[jasoncain_22 · Accepted solution]

Dryv,

You can still use your snapshot if you lost your vCenter. Remember the snapshot files will still reside on your datatore.
1. You just need to login to the ESXi host that vCenter is on. #affinityRule
2. Power off the vCenter server vm if it isn't off already.
3. Revert to last snapshot.
4. power on VM.

Another way, and the way I prefer is to simply clone your vCenter server prior a major modification.
Then you simply bring the clone to life if needed.

I hope this helps.

Jason C.

[ggautam7741]

Hi Dryv

Indeed snapshots can not be used as backup solution and restoring VMs from backup in case of vcenter failure is lot of time consuming as your vcenter might be hosting multiple VMs. Best suited solution (based on budget and requirements) is vSpehere SRM. Site Recovery Manager will be useful in case of disasters to any primary site VMs and they can keep the data center running with recovery options.

[Dryv]

Guys,

Thanks you for your efforts... Great Help... I think it will need to be snapshots... Is there a way I can schedule snapshots on a cycle that will retain them for x amount of days and then delete old ones?

Dryv