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Virtual Machine Auto Recovery, a jewel from Backup Exec

Vikas_Jain1
Not applicable
Employee

As the name implies, this feature automatically recovers a virtual machine from application faults.

If you own a Backup Exec 2010 R3 or Backup Exec 2012 product and have license for Agent for VMware Virtual Infrastructure or Virtual Agent respectively, here is an interesting feature for you.

Your Backup Exec is becoming more intelligent and crossing the boundaries of traditional backup infrastructure and defining new set of standards by entering into high availability domain.

So here is the new exciting offering: “Backup Exec is integrated with Symantec clustering software, it can provide complete application protection that includes Application Protection as well as Business Continuity in a single offering”.

By configuring “Virtual Machine Auto Recovery” you will achieve the following automatically without manual intervention.

What all you achieve:

  • Continuous application status monitoring for application failure
  • Auto application services restart in case of application service fault / failure
  • Virtual machine restart if application service restart does not succeed.
  • Virtual machine recovery in case virtual machine restart does not help recover the application (here you have an option to be prompted for consent before starting the recovery)

And good thing is:smileyyou do not need to monitor any of the above activities. You will be informed about all the application failures, remediation applied by Backup Exec or required action to be taken by email notification.

 

What all you need:

  • Backup Exec 2010 R3 Or 2012
  • Backup Exec vSphere Plug-in :

                         Ver 2.0 for Backup Exec 2010 R3

                         Ver 2.1 for Backup Exec 2012

                                       smileyIt’s free:  Visit Link to download Ver 2.0 Or pick Ver 2.1 from Backup Exec DVD.

  • Symantec ApplicationHA 6.0

For detailed information on ApplicationHA, please visit

http://www.symantec.com/application-ha.

 

How to configure: it’s easy.

  1. Configure a backup for application protection of VM.
  2. Register ApplicationHA with Backup Exec from vSphere plug-in
  3. Select and enable the virtual machine for auto recovery.

Now you are doubly insured as your virtual machine has application protection as well as business continuity smiley

 

Here are essential screens of Virtual Machine Auto Recovery:

vSphere Plug-in UI View of Virtual Machines Enabled for Auto Recovery.

ApplicationHA Detects an Application Fault

Status of Virtual Machine Changes to’ Consent Pending’ under ‘Auto Recovery’, consent required is configured.

Auto Recovery Consent Dialogue before auto recovery.

If yes is selected, the status of the affected virtual machine will change from ‘consent pending’ to ‘in progress’, and finally to ‘successful’. Additional details about the progress of the job can be viewed through the full Backup Exec interface on the Backup Exec server. Email notification will also be sent on all updates, if configured.

Upon completion of the recovery job, the Backup Exec job log can be accessed from the Symantec Backup Exec tab of the vSphere client interface.

 

Some important links:

  • YouTube Video:

You can visit the following link for video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3RmCzlwrAI

  • Backup Exec documentation:

Detailed Virtual Machine Auto Recovery user documentation is available in “Symantec_Backup_Exec_Management_Plugin_for_VMware.pdf” provided along with Backup Exec documentation.