BE 2012 virtual machines and GRT

[nitsuj7]

Hi

I'm trying to backup a virtual machine. When I set the job up, the backup selections only shows the whole VM vmdk file. I was under the impression I would be able to backup individual files and folders. After a backup I have no option to restore individual files or folders. I have the agent for VMware. I have checked credentials etc.

Thanks

[Lothar_Müller]

Hello

You can´t select individual files to backup.

If you want to restore individual files, you have to look after the original Servername not under the VMware section. The Server will be schown as like as it was backuped like a non VM.

If you want to restore the hole VM you have to go to VMware section in restore selections.

Please mark as solution, if this helps you.

[nitsuj7]

Hi, 

Thanks for your fast reply, a lot faster than the 18 days I have been waiting for a symantec tech to call me.

After a backup I have no option to restore individual files or folders. I have looked in all locations:

1.Files, folders or volumes (shows only files from the backup server itself)

2.VMware data (the whole vmdk file)

Forgot to mention I also get completed with exceptions "V-79-57344-38721 - Failed to mount one or more virtual disk images:"  when I back up the virtual machine.

[Lothar_Müller]

Have you tried an other VM?

Can you provide the LogFile from the Job?

[Colin_Weaver]

Do you happen to have GPT partitions inside your VMs?

[nitsuj7]

This happens to all 4 Vm's. Lothar, I will send you some logs soon.

I don't have GPT partitions. I have checked with diskpart and the drive does not indicate that it has GPT partitions.

I have just realised that I cannot restore anything other than a full VM. So I cannot restore individual files from a VM or any other backup. (I also backup some folders from inside a VM like a normal physical machine backup would).

Thanks

[Lothar_Müller]

Does any newly created backups appear in Restore Selections?

[nitsuj7]

Sorry, I do have the files and folders availible as a restore option from physical machines and any files and folders from vurtual machines that are backed up like psyhical machines. Just getting use to the new layout, sorry. 

But I still cannot find files and folders from inside a VM backup. Also I cannot duplicate to tape as mentioned in this post:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/duplicate-tape-be-2012

Thanks

[Lothar_Müller]

ok. No problem. You are not the only one with this problem of the new layout.

This changes many things.

Let us see the logs, then perhaps I can say more to this issue.

[Lothar_Müller]

Please describe your Backup Device where the first Backup-to-Disk goes to.

NAS, SAN or local Disks?

What type of NAS/SAN?

[nitsuj7]

I have sent a message to you with the log.

[nitsuj7]

The VM is backed up to a local disk on my backup server, then to tape.

[Lothar_Müller]

I reviewed the log an found nothing that helps.

Check this:

Have you special charakters in password?

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH129185

Next step would be an SGMon trace of the job.

Enable all options, Log to File let run the job and send me the file.

No other job should run at this time.

[nitsuj7]

In have sent the log. thanks

[Lothar_Müller]

Please check if any other Snapshots exists for this maschine.

The error came direktly from the Vmware Software while it tries to open the disks from the vmfs.

[nitsuj7]

Im not sure what you mean "Snapshots"?

But I did have a snoop around and in Vsphere -> Tasks and Events for this virtual machine I found:

That just after a "Create virtual machine snapshot" task I get "XXX BackupTask.label not found XXX"

The virtual machine is reloaded then the snapshot is removed. This happens at the time of a backup.

Thanks

[Lothar_Müller]

Please check if other snapshots exist in vSphere.

Vsphere Client go to the Machine right-click, Snapshots, Snapshot Manager. Make a screenshot.

Also browse to the Folder of the VM in VMFS and make a screenshot of the folder.

[ZeRoC00L]

Where are you looking in the restore job, under the servername itself, or under the vcenter server?
As far as i remember you will have to look under the vcenter server (there are the servers selected to backup)

[nitsuj7]

I am looking at the vcenter server.

Lothar, the screen shots are attached.

Thanks

[Maxgeo]

Like OP I have this problem. The documentation/sales staff led me to believe that backing up your VM environment using SAN trasport mode was the only thing u needed to do and it would handle 'de-dupe at the source'.

I can not drill into the vmdk's and use GRT on any VM's and there is no step like there is when you add single role servers and you get to push out an agent.

So this leads me to believe that we need 2 backups for each server, the VMDK's and then an agent/application aware backup that backs up over the LAN and lets you use GRT. Can I get confirmation on this?