VMware Backup
You can use DPX to protect VMware assets, such as virtual machines and specific files stored on these machines. For VMware users, data protection for virtual machines running on VMware ESXi servers is a critical component of any virtualization strategy, and it presents unique challenges compared to the protection of physical machines.
Typically, Agentless VMware Backup is a fast and reliable data protection method for VMware assets. Backup targets include Catalogic vStor Server or NetApp Storage Systems, from which previous backups can be restored.
All backups are done through one or more proxy servers, that communicate with VMs through vSphere. Backup agents are not required on VMs or any VMware components, thus VM data protection is referred to as “agentless”.
DPX backs up the VMs through the VMware vCenter and the Catalogic DPX virtualization proxy server, each of which must be added to the Catalogic DPX Enterprise. The virtualization proxy server handles VMware snapshot processing and communicates with the storage destination and master server. Agentless VMware Backup supports auto-discovery and protection of new and modified VMs.
DPX supports crash-consistent backup of all guest operating systems supported by the protected vSphere version, using the VADP interface and the DPX agentless feature. For a complete list of guest operating systems, refer to the VMware Compatibility Guide.
- Catalogic DPX supports Virtual Volume (VVol) datastore for Agentless VMware backup to NetApp and vStor storage. VMware Virtual SAN (vSAN), a network-based storage solution with directly attached disks, does not support the SAN transport mode for VADP backup. As vSAN uses modes that are incompatible with SAN transport mode, if the virtual disk library detects the presence of vSAN, VADP SAN transport modes are automatically disabled. The other transport modes for VADP backup will continue to operate.
- Rapid Return to Production (RRP) requires a Storage vMotion and valid ESXi license on vSphere. See Rapid Return to Production (RRP).
- Ensure the latest version of VMware Tools is installed for your vCenter version.
Advantages and Capabilities
Agentless VMware Backup provides significant advantages:
No Maintenance of Data Protection Software on VMs
Agentless backup eliminates the overhead of installing and maintaining a backup agent on each VM. Where there are hundreds or even thousands of VMs to protect, the savings in administrative costs can be substantial.
High-Performance Backups
The Catalogic DPX Agentless Backup for VMware combines several key technologies of Catalogic Software and VMware to provide high-performance, low-overhead backups:
- VMware vStorage APIs for Data Protection (VADP) enables off-host backup of virtual machines through DPX proxy servers. This dramatically reduces overhead allowing for frequent backups without affecting VM users and critical applications.
- DPX Virtualization proxy servers provide parallel load balancing for multiple VMs and associated virtual disks, promoting faster backups.
- VMware Change Block Tracking is utilized to recognize and back up only changed blocks. This improves backup performance by minimizing CPU, reducing storage needs, and reducing network overhead.
Flexibility, Administrative Simplicity
- No backup software to maintain on VMs.
- Auto-discovery and protection of new and modified VMs.
- Covers all VMs on all vSphere hosts.
- Supports most operating systems running on VMs.
- Optional automatic discontinuing of protection for deleted VMs.
- VMs selectable for backup at vCenter, datacenter, ESXi server, and VM levels.
- Simplified, wizard-driven recovery.
- Recovery of entire VM to original or alternative ESXi server.
- Recovery of individual VMDKs.
- File recovery for all VMs, using LUN mapping plus file system copy.
Agentless VMware Backup and Block Data Protection
Using Agentless VMware Backup to protect VMs has significant advantages, including simplified administration and tight integration with VMware vCenter. However, you can install Catalogic DPX in a VM to run Block backups of the VM. Block backup jobs are defined separately from Agentless VMware Backup jobs, though they are both defined, scheduled, and displayed in the management interfaces.
The VM data protection types are tightly integrated: both are controlled by a single master server and managed from either of the management interfaces. This enables you to deploy data protection strategies in a single data protection system.
The following table compares Agentless VMware Backup and Block Data Protection:
| Description/ Benefits | Agentless VMware Backup (Proxy-Based backup) | Block Data Protection (Agent-Based Backup) |
| Agent installation | Agent installation only on proxy servers. | Agent installation on each VM to be protected. |
| Applicability | Data protection of all VMs, with application consistent protection through VM quiesce, see Job Source Options for Agentless VMware Backup. | Applicable for Windows and Linux VMs requiring application-aware protection of SharePoint, Exchange, SQL Server, or Oracle. See Application-Consistent Protection. |
| Advantages | No agent installation and maintenance on VMs. Low impact on ESXi servers. | Application-aware protection, including granular recovery for SharePoint and Exchange. Backup of iSCSI-based volumes. |
Proxy-based agentless backup is highly efficient for protecting many VMs, but agent-based backup with the Catalogic DPX Block Data Protection is required for protecting application servers or iSCSI-based volumes.
Recovery Options
Agentless VMware Backup provides the following types of restores:
| Restore type | Description |
|---|---|
| Agentless File Restore | Restores specific files or directories from a VM backup snapshot. You specify the VM, the backup snapshot with a time stamp, and the files or directories. |
| Single VM Restore | Restores one VM to the original or an alternate location. |
| Multi-VM Restore | Restores several VMs in a single job. |
| Agentless VMware Restore Job Operations | Instant VM Restore, Full VM Restore, Instant VMDK Restore, and Full VMDK Restore in the desktop interface. Instant restores use iSCSI LUN mapping and transfer no data; full restores physically transfer the data to a production datastore. |
After an Instant VM Restore, you can use the Rapid Return to Production (RRP) Wizard to restore the VM permanently. See Rapid Return to Production (RRP).
For considerations that apply to every restore from an Agentless VMware Backup, see Restore Considerations for Agentless VMware Backup.
Prerequisites
Before creating an Agentless VMware Backup job, ensure the following conditions are met:
- A virtualization proxy server is available. In smaller environments the master server can act as the proxy. To use dedicated proxy servers, deploy one as a virtual appliance – one for each vCenter is recommended – or install DPX on a client node with the Virtualization Proxy Server setup type selected; every dedicated proxy server must be added to the Enterprise. Unless a job definition selects specific proxy servers, DPX chooses among the available ones automatically to optimize load balancing. See DPX Proxy Server.
- The VMware vCenter is added to the Enterprise as a VMware node. See Adding Other Node Types to the Master Server.
- The account DPX uses to connect to the vCenter holds sufficient privileges. vCenter administrative privileges cover every operation DPX performs. To run Agentless VMware Backup under a dedicated service account instead, grant it the privileges required by the operations the backup performs: browsing the inventory and the datastores, creating and removing VM snapshots, enabling disk change tracking, and reading virtual machine files. The vSphere privilege model changes between releases, so check the privilege definitions for the vCenter version you run – see vSphere Security. To browse VMs for backup without interruption, the Sessions privilege Validate session is required.
- VMware Tools is installed on each VM protected by Agentless VMware Backup.
- Virtual hardware release 7 or later on each VM protected by Agentless VMware Backup.
- A backup destination is available: a Catalogic vStor Server or a NetApp storage system. When the destination is a vStor volume, it must have an NFS share so that DPX can access it. See Creating a new share using the vStor Web Interface in vStor 4.16 Documentation.
For the latest system compatibility details regarding supported hardware, file systems, applications, operating systems, and service packs, see DPX 4.16 Compatibility Matrix.