Backing up guest files through vCenter/ESX

[bonne]

I am backing up a couple of servers through BE Windows Agents.

What is needed if I want to backup up these through ESX? Do I need an ESX Agent license even though I have a Windows agent license?

Regards, Lars.

[pkh]

Yes. You do because you need the VMware agent licence to backup anything through the vCenter server.  You would be backing these machines up as VM's not as physical servers.

You need one Vmware agent licence per VM host.  You can re-use the Windows agent licence for other physical servers.

[Colin_Weaver]

As well as pkh answer, bear in mind that once you backup via the ESXi host  it becomes a complete image level backup of the VM. So backs up everything but gives better DR capability as well as individual file restore from within the VM (using GRT) . There is no way to do a virtual agent backup and only backup a selection of files from inside a VM. This of course needs more storage resources (tape and/or disk space) on the Backup Exec server and will also affect the time to run your backups.

[bonne]

Ok, well I am running a 3rd part product to do a virtual backup of the full VM... so I have got that part covered.

I just need an additional application level backup of certain guests. Then I understand that I need to keep backing up through the network keeping the Windows agent licenses for this purpose.

I would just have hoped that I could do it from the (ESX) management network subnet rather from the windows clients subnet

Regards, Lars.

[Colin_Weaver]

Yep no point in switching your method - unless you stop using the 3rd party product and look at what Backup Exec VM backups with GRT enabled can do 

You will have to continue with backups over the LAN. 

When backing up VMs via host is it likely that both the 3rd party product and Backup Exec would use the same mechanism (as provided by VMware's backup API) hence can only backup what that mechanism provides

Basically the ESXi host provides snapshot backup at VMDK level hence why that type of backup is a complete backup and cannot separate the files inside the VMDK (which the Agent for Windows backup does)  The GRT mechanism uses the same VMDK snapshot process to backup the whole of the VM, but then uses the capability to mount the VMDK to do a restore of individual files or to access supported application database content such as Exchnage or SQL later (which by the sounds of it your current image level product does not do)

[pkh]

If by application you mean things like SQL Server databases or Exchange then you need to get an Agent for Applications and Databases licence. The Windows agent licence is not good enough