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joost1981
Contributor
Contributor

VCB and Networker

Since a week or so we are trying to configure VCB with Legato Networker.

This is how we implemented VMware.

Every VM has (at least) one LUN, size 12 GB. The LUN is VMFS so the actual size is 11,75 GB, on this LUN is a vmdk file of 10 GB, then there is also the virtual swap file (HA) of 1 GB plus the vmx, log, etc files. The LUN/VMFS has about 650 MB free space.

We are able to backup this VM with VCB/Networker using snapshot technology. As long as the 650 MB of space is enough.

This setup has some things that are not very handy.

\- If we want to give more memory to a VM we have to create a new larger LUN and move al the files.

\- If we want to use snapshots (VCB) 650 MB is not enough space.

This would mean that we have to enlarge all our VM's LUN's.

Even then we would waste a lot of (expensive) SAN storage because we only use the snapshots for a short time (during the backup windows)

I think the best way to resolve the problems we have is to delete te VM, recreate it with the original disks, but the VM Working Location and VM Configuration File pointed to a central LUN for all the VM's (say 250 GB).

After we do this VCB/Networker doesn't backup the VM.

The backup does start, VC creates the snapshot, but doesn't mount the disk to the VCB-proxy.

Does anyone have experience with VCB/Networker? Or maybe an other suggestion? I don't know what to do next....

Unfortunately my knowledge of VCB is limited.

Thanks in advance....

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bjmoore
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

The first thing I'd check is to see if vcbMounter is giving you any errors when mounting the VM. With all the LUN swapping you've done it wouldn't surprise me if your LUNs weren't numbered the same on your ESX servers and VCB proxy. Either way, vcbMounter will probably point out the problem.

joost1981
Contributor
Contributor

Ok, I understand what you mean but I don't know how to do this.

Can you help me any further. Is there a guide for this?

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joost1981
Contributor
Contributor

By doing some more research I am a little further in troubleshooting the error.

This is the command that I'm using from my VCB proxy.

vcbmounter -h virtualcenter.roermond.lokaal -u user -p password -a ipaddr:leeuwen.roermond.lokaal -r C:\mnt\leeuwen.roermond.lokaal -t fullvm -m san

After executing this command this is the logging.

\[2007-07-28 12:10:18.321 'App' 4496 info] Current working directory: C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Consolidated Backup Framework

\[2007-07-28 12:10:19.071 'BaseLibs' 4656 warning] \[Vmdb_Unset] Unsetting unknown path: /vmomi/

That is all! VC has created the snapshot but does not mount it to the VCB Proxy. There is no error message.....

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joost1981
Contributor
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If I set the verbosity level to 6.

\[2007-07-28 13:55:22.459 'App' 1600 info] Current working directory: C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Consolidated Backup Framework

\[2007-07-28 13:55:22.459 'vcbMounter' 1600 trivia] Initializing SSL context

\[2007-07-28 13:55:22.475 'BaseLibs' 1600 info] Using system libcrypto, version 90703F

\[2007-07-28 13:55:22.881 'App' 1600 info] Vmacore::InitSSL: doVersionCheck = true, handshakeTimeoutUs = 120000000

\[2007-07-28 13:55:22.881 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Connecting to host virtualcenter.roermond.lokaal on port 902

\[2007-07-28 13:55:23.147 'vcbMounter' 1600 verbose] Connected to stream: \[class Vmacore::Ssl::SSLStreamImpl:01673AD0]

\[2007-07-28 13:55:23.147 'BaseLibs' 3852 warning] \[Vmdb_Unset] Unsetting unknown path: /vmomi/

\[2007-07-28 13:55:23.178 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Authenticating user roermond\backup

\[2007-07-28 13:55:23.412 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Logged in!

\[2007-07-28 13:55:23.412 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Performing SearchIndex find.

\[2007-07-28 13:55:23.631 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Attempting index search.

\[2007-07-28 13:55:23.631 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Found VM using index search.

\[2007-07-28 13:55:23.631 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Got VM MoRef

\[2007-07-28 13:55:24.397 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Got access method

\[2007-07-28 13:55:24.397 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Got coordinator object

\[2007-07-28 13:55:24.397 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Attempting data access.

\[2007-07-28 13:55:24.615 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] No snapshot info for this VM, nothing to do.

\[2007-07-28 13:55:24.615 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Creating snapshot

\[2007-07-28 13:55:28.662 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Snapshot created, ID: snapshot-2830

\[2007-07-28 13:55:28.662 'vcbMounter' 1600 info] Mount operation created snapshot.

Still no error message that helps me....

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joost1981
Contributor
Contributor

Ok, I guess I didn't have enough patience...

After 45 minutes there is a error message!

VCBmounter "Error: Host unreachable"

This problem has to do with .vmx/.vmdk placement.

It seems that the location of the VM Working Directory has to be with the first .vmdk file. This is a shame. This meens that I have to setup my VM's in a different way that I wanted.

You can split the vmx and vmdk file, but then your snapshot and vswp file have to be on your VM Working Directory, and this is the same location where the vmdk file is.

I would like to have all my VM Config files (vmx, vswp, snapshot) on one LUN, and per VM a VMFS-3 volume/LUN that contains the disk.

I think that in this way you create the most efficient situation to manage your SAN diskspace.

I found a document on another site that describes the problem: http://virtrix.blogspot.com/2007/04/vmware-vcbmounter-host-unreachable.html.

Case closed, I will create a new post to see if anyone has an other ideas about vmx/vmdk replacement.

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