Backing up ESX4.0 by Datastores in BE2010?

[virtualtechie1]

all,

Just a quickie,

Like in Veeam,

can i backup the VM's by using datastores,

instead of using (selecting) the VM's at individual level or folders through the Virtual Center in BE,

Can i select the entire datastore to backup all the VM's in the datastore or does BE2010 does not have this functionality.

What are the best practises for VM backups as per BE standards as all the servers are essentialy VMDK's so (basically same kind of file). you can argue that it uses VSS and has visibilty of lower level apps such as SQL, Exchange, Sharepoint (under VMDK).

Please reply.

Regards

[Striker_303]

You can backup Virtual machine with GRT and templates in datastores using Backup exec.

Please check: Best practices for Backup Exec 2010 Agent for VMware Virtual Infrastructure

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO21769

[Colin_Weaver · Accepted solution]

You can't actually select by datastore in the selection list, to be honest you might be the first notification that we have had indicating that customers might want that ability and we tend to base some of our product features on whether we have seen requests to do it.

If you can put some kind of business process around the requirement to justify why it might be a good idea, then please use the Create Content --> Ideas option at the top of these forums to submit an enhancement request.

[teiva-boy]

When you use the Agent for VMware Virtual Infrastructure (AVVI), you ARE backing up the data within the datastore either via SAN connectivity or via NBD (Console port)

When BackupExec initiates the bacckup, it communicates with vCenter, and asks what datastores contain the VM's in your selection list, initiates a snapshot, and performs the backup.

SAN is faster typically than NBD.  But NBD is cheap and simple.

[teiva-boy]

As an aside, connecting to VMFS directly and accessing the data directly goes against Vmware's best practice of using their backup API's.  They made those API's for a reason...

[virtualtechie1]

Thanks for the reply Colin; I am guessing you are a Symantec employee?

Reason I ask for the ability to backup by datastores is because we are using Veeam 5 for one of our other virtual DC’s which has that ability now weather that is a good practise or not I don’t know.

But it certainly makes it easier for backups and you know that you are backing everything up.

Now to achieve similar functionality in BE I am creating folders by server role in Vshpere, Such as

File servers

Database servers

Terminal servers

And moving the servers into their respective OU, I am creating selection lists and selecting these top level folders so that there is a bit of automation. We plan to move the servers into the right folders as a part of the build process (similar to moving an AD object into the right OU, either by script or manually).

I will certainly create the content, I definitely think it’s a nifty feature to have weather you use it or not, it gives more flexibility to the customers. And I would is also a lot easier and automated to setup.

Regards

[virtualtechie1]

Teiva thanks for the reply, I understand how it works and what it does. My question has been answred by Colin which was if I can create a selection list based on datastore.