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Backup Exec 12.5 and Hyper V

Unewbie
Level 2

We are running an evaluation version of 12.5.  We were successfully able to backup the entire virtual machine.  I need to know if anyone knows the steps on how to backup certain files from the actual .vhd file?  When I drill down to the virtual machine folder it does not give me the ability to only choose data.  It backups up the entire machine including the 'white space".  Please help.

6 REPLIES 6

Hemant_Jain
Level 6
Employee Accredited Certified
You cannot backup individual files from vhd file, by using the Vritual server agent. You would need to access it as a regular machine, by establishing a communication between Backup Exec and the virtual machine and also you will need to install remote agent on the virtual machine. But, this type of backup is outside the Agent for MSVS backup. But, you really dont need to do this, if restoring individual files, is all you want. With Virtual server agent, Backup Exec has inbuilt GRT capability, which allows you to restore individual files and folders. So, after the backup using the Virtual server agent, if you click on restore, you must see the virtual machine by its hostname and the files and folders would be there, you can restore from them. It is just that this is not available in backup.

Please mark it a solution, if this is useful.
Thanks

Unewbie
Level 2
Ok thank you for your response.  But I have another question. By doing what you have suggested will this also only backup the data on the virtual machine or will it backup up the entire machine.  The reason for me asking is that I'm having another problem, I have a virtual machine (size 250 gigs).  I ran a full backup on that machine which is was fine.  Now I want to only backup the data on the same machine.  The actual size on the data is 25 gigs.  How would I backup only the data without backing up the "white space"(size 225)?

Hemant_Jain
Level 6
Employee Accredited Certified
We would backup only the data, as Hyper V writer provides us that data, Backup Exec does not have much to do with it. So, when you backup 250 GB of disk, did it give you a byte count of 250 Gb or 25 GB, the actual size of data. Please verify the byte count, as ideally Hyper V writer should send only the data part and not the entire hard disk.

Thanks

MARK_SMYTH
Level 2
We are having the same problem. After a P2V conversion Hyper-V keeps the original partition size of eg. 250GB. We only have 2GB of data on the virtual disks, but backup exec is backing up 250GB of data. Effectivly backing up 248GB of white space....

teiva-boy
Level 6
 You could always stick an agent in the virtual guest?  

In the vmware world, if it's a 250GB VMDK, it will only backup what is actually in use out of that 250GB file.  I'm not how MS does it with their VSS implementation.

Best to verify with support on if this is normal or not, use the link below in my signature it's a real time saver for simple questions.

MARK_SMYTH
Level 2
Teiva-boy - Part of using virtual machines is being able to restore a server within minuites... Backing up the guests with remote agents means going back to legacy restore methods. (Installing OS and restoring sysstate over the top) which encreases the restore window by alot.  Yes with products like Veeam for Vmware will only backup the data inside of a VM.

I spoke to support yesterday about this and they said it was normal..... :(


ISSUE: Backup Exec is backing up the white space on the virtual disc

 

 

ERROR CODE/MESSAGE: no error

 

ENVIRONMENT/CONDITIONS: Backup Exec 12.5 (and BE2010 in BETA); Hyper-V agent/MSVS

 

EVIDENCE: none collected

 

SOLUTION/WORKAROUND: This behavior is by design. See supporting documents for additional detail.