Restore SQL/Exchange when Backup through VMware

[Degetel_Admin]

Hello,

(Sorry for my English, as you'll see, it's not my mother tongue!)

I am testing the evaluation product of Backup Exec 2010 R2 and i have a problem with the VMware differential Backup Policy.

Our infrastructure:

• 3 ESX server 4.0 update 1
• Vcenter to manage our ESXs
• Backup Exec 2010 R2 with agent for SQL/Exchange/VMWare
• Remote Agent for Windows Systems installed on each virtual machine
• Two virtual machine: SQL 2008 under windows 2008 R2 and Exchange 2003 SP2 under Windows Server 2003 R2.
• We use the default differential policy to backup VMware virtual machines. (Full on friday and Differential the other days).
• GRT option is enabled for both jobs under Parameters->VMware

All backup are successful.

When i try to restore a Virtual Machine from a full or a differential Backup, no problem

When i try to restore a file, a Database or a Mail from a full Backup, no problem.

When i try to restore a file from a differential backup, no problem again (i only view files which was modified since the last full backup)

But when i try to restore a Database or a Mail from a differential backup, i have these errors:

For SQL:
"Erreur: e0000304 - Une défaillance s'est produite lors de l'analyse des metadonnées de sauvegarde hors hôte. Pour plus d'informations sur cette erreur, reportez-vous au lien  V-79-57344-772"
"Erreur : e000ff19 - Une défaillance de communication s'est produite sur une ressource SQL Server."
(in English: "Error: e0000304 - A failure occurred while parsing metadata off-host backup. For more information about this error, refer to link V-79-57344-772"
Error: e000ff19 - A communications failure occurred on a SQL Server resource.)

For Exchange:
"Erreur : 570 - Le fichier ou le répertoire est endommagé et illisible. Pour plus d'informations sur cette erreur, reportez-vous au lien V-79-0-1392"
"Erreur: e000ff12 - Une défaillance de communication s'est produite sur une banque d'informations Exchange."
(in English: "Error: 570 - File or directory is corrupted and unreadable. For more information about this error, refer to link V-79-0-1392"
"Error: e000ff12 - A communications failure occurred on an Exchange information store.")
 

And now the question:

Is it possible to backup our Exchange/SQL Server through VMware differential backup policy, and make object restoration (Mail/Database)? and if yes What am I missing?

Thanks a lot
Jérémie Bécousse

Sys Admin Degetel Group.

[CraigV]

Hi Jeremie,

You can backup those applications when backing up VMs, but you need to have the SQL and Exchange agents installed.

If you don't have them installed, install them, and see if you can restore again. If you read pg. 1342 in the BE 2010 Admin Guide, it will explain what needs to be selected in your job in order to restore those applications.

Laters!

[Degetel_Admin]

Hello,

I think i have already installed all necessary agent:

• Backup Exec 2010 R2 with agent for SQL/Exchange/VMWare
• Remote Agent for Windows Systems installed on each virtual machine

The differential policy for VMware use this selection list, so i have selected the VM.

In the Backup Exec admin Guide, i've checked the section "Symantec Backup Exec Agent for VMware Virtual Infrastructure" and particulary the subsection "How Granular Recovery Technology works with the Agent for VMware".

I can restore granulary files from each VM so i think the Backup is good, it's only when i try to restore mails i have these errors.

Regards.

[CraigV]

Hi,

Any news here?