VMware Server 2.0 Backups (VIX 1.6.2 only)

[fixitchris]

Vix_Virtuozo_Suite enables domain-wide cold and hot backups of your guests. Windows and Linux (SAMBA required) Server 2.0.x host OSs are supported.

Linked is the current build of Vix_Virtuozo_Suite x86. The installer will install a Windows Service and provide GUI to configure the service options.  Windows x86 and 64bit are supported.

All feedback and suggestions are welcome.

Service GUI

Guest GUI

Live Backup Status

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Troubleshooting notes:

• VIX API 1.6 is required for this software to function. 

• VIX_Virtuozo_Service Windows Service must log on as a user with permission to create a custom Event Log as well as have access to protected shares (CIFS) defined throughout the configuration of each host and guest.

• SAMBA is required for VMware hosts running Linux.

• VIX 1.7 is NOT stable to work with Server 2.0!

_Download January 21, 2010 Release_

[prisoner881]

Does this have any restrictions on whether the host is 32-bit or 64-bit? All my hosts are 64-bit.

[fixitchris]

64bit compatible.  Bits are targeted for x86 not AnyCpu to support interaction with 32bit VIX.

[rightfoot]

This looks great, I'll give it a try and report. It does backups, not migrations right?

Mike

[fixitchris]

Correct, only backups:

• hot - create snapshot, copy VMDK/VMX, commit snapshot

• cold - stop guest, copy VMDK/VMX, power cycle

Mike, migration (aka restore/clone) could be part of future updates. I will wait on your feedback.

[rightfoot]

Installing on someone's XP desktop, I got,

Error 1406. Could not write value InstallPath to key \SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware VIX, Verify you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel.

Did I miss something? It offered to install .NET on another machine I was about to install it on but didn't on this one.

Mike

[fixitchris]

The computer on which you are installing VIX_Virtuozo_Suite requires that you install VIX API 1.6.x first.

It sounds like VIX API is not installed. After you install VIX, install VIX_Virtuozo_Suite. Please read parts of the README.PDF to become familiar with the software.

Also, .NET Framework 3.5 is required. This computer probably already has it installed.

[rightfoot]

Ok, I'll do it when I have a bit more time, I just thought I'd give it a quick check but didn't read anything yet .

[rightfoot]

I'm rather new to vmware and am trying this. At first I was getting WMI errors but I've not found a reason yet.

Are the paths for datastores.xml and vmInventory.xml the one's on the vm server? This is where these files do seem to be, /etc/vmware/hostd/.

Still see;

WMI Comm Status: Failed

CIFS Comm Status" Failed

Have not had time to do much else on this yet, sure want to. In the UI windows, I keep getting Host is Misconfigured.

Mike

[fixitchris]

I can make myself available via Crossloop to help with the configuration and a walk-through.

If anyone needs help, please download www.crossloop.com and PM me.

FYI: Most A/V will quarantine components of Crossloop called VNC. Restore this file for Crossloop to work if this happens.

[rightfoot]

Thanks very much for the offer.

I'll see if I can set up a machine which can be reached from remote using this tool.

Mike

[rightfoot]

It kind of looks like what I'm missing is the WMI service on Centos 5.2 in this case. I'm having a heck of a time finding much information on this service on Linux however. Anyone have any leads? Is this an RPM service I could simply yum into the system or something else?

Mike

[fixitchris]

So your Host OS is Linux.... Hmm, I didn't account for hosts other than Windows.

It is possible for me to recompile without WMI support since the only functionality WMI provides is obtaining the SystemDrive of the remote VMware host.

As far as CIFS/SMB goes, I am not sure that .NET Framwork System.IO Namespace will be usable against Samba or some other SMB implementation on Linux for file read/write operations... Are your guest OSs on a NAS volume or stored locally on the host?

[rightfoot]

>So your Host OS is Linux.... Hmm, I didn't account for hosts other than Windows.

Ah, that would explain some of my troubles :).

>It is possible for me to recompile without WMI support since the only functionality WMI provides is

>obtaining the SystemDrive of the remote VMware host.

If you're willing to, I'm willing to test.

>As far as CIFS/SMB goes, I am not sure that .NET Framwork System.IO Namespace will be usable against

>Samba or some other SMB implementation on Linux for file read/write operations...

All of my win machines have SMB access to several linux partitions. Since I thought we were talking Linux, I installed Samba

on the VM machine and have access to the servers directory from win now.

>Are your guest OSs on a NAS volume or stored locally on the host?

The guests are on the local drive and they have access to SAN based storage. So yes, the guests are local.

Mike

[fixitchris]

Just so that we are on the same page, you installed SAMBAon the Linux VM host, correct?

Let me install http://us6.samba.org/samba/ on Linux over here and I will make sure that file operations between Windows and Linux over SAMBA work correctly...

[rightfoot]

Right, I installed Samba on the CentOS 5.2 server and have access to the guests which I have in /servers path.

[fixitchris]

Mike,

Try the attached executable from your windows machine. Make sure you run this app as the user that has access to the samba server. You will need to create the 'test.file' in your samba share. Please post the message box results.

Thanks,

chris

[rightfoot]

Ok, I'll give this a try when I get back from an appointment I have. Looking forward to trying it.

Mike

[fixitchris]

I was able to access Samba shares ok in my setup.

I attached a new MSI and PDF file at the top of the thread for you to download. (I also included SambaTester.exe as part of setup.)

Once you install the new MSI, share out '/etc/vmware/hostd' on your Linux box. This is where your 'datastores.xml' and 'vminventory.xml' files are located. The user running the GUI and Windows Service will need read-only access to these files. This same user will also need read-only access to the 'servers' share you created and read and write access to the share where the guests will be backed up to (CIFS destination).

I don't anticipate that Vix_Virtuozo will have trouble parsing the XML files... However, if it does then let me know. (I'm in the process of installing Server 2.0 on Debian)

You will know that XML parsing failed if you right-click on the host in the GUI (after you successfully configured it with 'Edit Host Options...') , click 'Connect' and once the GUI connects to the host you will not see any of your guests that should be there. At this point I might have to tweak the way I parse XML files...

FYI: Server 2.0 hostd configuration locations:

Windows XP and Server 2003: ‘C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Server’

Windows Server 2008: ‘C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware Server\hostd’

Linux: ‘/etc/vmware/hostd/’

[rightfoot]

Yup, worked no problem. Will read the next message/s.