Do You WantFaster ESX Server backups?Backups to fibre tape?Easier backup management?

If so, you are in the right room!

PAC484ESX Server Backup/DR:

VMware Consolidated Backup

Christian CzezatkeJay Judkowitz

This presentation may contain VMware confidential information.

Copyright © 2005 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks

of their respective companies.

What is in This Talk?Overview/Current State of Affairs

Why backup?Issues with current solutions

Introducing VMware Consolidated Backup

Why Backup?To Protect data From

User errorsAccidental file deletes

Admin errorsRemove wrong virtual machine, etc…

Hardware failuresDisk failure

Protecting Against User ErrorsFile Level Backup in virtual machineTreat virtual machines like physical machines

Deploy backup agents in virtual machineRun nightly backupsMove data across the LAN to a tape server

Issues w. File-Level BackupAgent needs to be deployed in virtual machineResource intensive

Network loadUses valuable CPU and I/O cycles on production ESX Server Servers

Backup window

Protecting Against Admin ErrorsFull virtual machine backup

Disk filesConfig files

Snapshot virtual machineVMFS snapshotsHardware-assisted snapshots (SAN)

Export SnapshotBack up set of resulting files

Issues w. Full virtual machine BackupVirtual machine export is SLOWDone from within COS

Slows down ESX Server as a wholeVMFS optimized for virtual machine performance, not for access through COS

Snapshots are only crash-consistent for powered-on virtual machines

Other IssuesLoad on ESX ServerLoad on LANNo SAN tape library supportBackup window

Introducing Consolidated BackupWhat is Consolidated Backup?Why should I care?How does it work?How can I use it?How do I set up backup jobs?How do I restore?

Introducing Consolidated BackupWhat is Consolidated Backup?Why should I care?How does it work?How can I use it?How do I set up backup jobs?How do I restore?

What is Consolidated Backup?Consolidated Backup is a new, backup solution for ESX Server + SANBackup is offloaded to a dedicated physical hostSupports different backup flavors

File-level backup (Windows guests)Full virtual machine backup (all guests) under evaluation

Integration with major 3rd party backup software, e.g. NetBackup, TSM, Networker, BackupExec, CommVault

Introducing Consolidated BackupWhat is Consolidated Backup?Why should I care?How does it work?How can I use it?How do I set up backup jobs?How do I restore?

Why should I care?…because offloading to a dedicated physical

machine solves a lot of problems!

No resource contention on ESX Server host Enables LAN-free backupDoes not require backup agents in virtual machinesBetter performance. Shorter backup window.

Introducing Consolidated BackupWhat is Consolidated Backup?Why should I care?How does it work?

OverviewQuiesceingFile-level BackupIs it Safe?

How can I use it?How do I set up backup jobs?How do I get my data back?

How Does it Work? - Overview3rd Party Backup SW schedules backup job

Job represents single or group of virtual machinesConsolidated Backup‘s pre-backup script runs

Create filesystem quiesced virtual machine snapshot(s)Make data available on proxy

3rd Party Backup SW performs backupConsolidated Backup‘s post-backup script runs

Remove mount from proxyCommit backup snapshot(s)

How Does it Work? - Quiesceing1. Consolidated Backup triggers virtual machine

snapshot through VirtualCenter2. VMware Tools freeze I/O in virtual machine:

In-virtual machine pre-freeze scripting hookFilesystem quiesceing (Windows only)

3. Disk Snapshots are being createdSnapshotting virtual disksNot SAN snapshots

4. VMware Tools thaw I/O in virtual machine:In-virtual machine post-thaw scripting hook

VCB backup, step by step

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

Time to do a file-level backup ofC:\MNT\vma.foo.com\letters\C

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

First I will run the pre-backup script.

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

Hey, hostd! Quiesce VM!

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

Hey, VMware Tools! Quiesce the file system!

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

If there is a pre-freeze script, I run it.

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

Hey, File System! Time to quiesce!

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

OK, done freezing the virtual machine!

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

Now I snapshot the virtual disk.

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

Hey VMware Tools! I’m done!

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

Hey File System! Carry on!

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

If there is a post-thaw script, I run it.

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

Now I mount the virtual disk.

Backup Proxy

c.vmdk

ESX Server

LAN

VM

C:

VMFS Datastore

mydata

VMwareTools

File System

hostd

Integration Module(Pre-Backup Script)

VCB Framework

Backup Software

At last I can back up the files!

How Does it Work? - File Level Backups

Volumes on virtual machines snapshot are analyzedDiscovered volumes get mounted on JunctionsJunctions correspond to drive letters in virtual machine:C:\mnt\mytestvm.foo.com\letters\DSupports Windows LDM volumes

How Does it Work? – Is it Safe?

Consolidated Backup cannot alter any data in virtual disks on SAN

“Transient Writes“ are cached on the proxy (NT4 volumes)

Windows Disk Manager can see SAN LUNsRestrict user access to backup proxy!

Introducing Consolidated BackupWhat is Consolidated Backup?Why should I care?How does it work?How can I use it?

SAN ConfigurationInstalling software on the proxyConfiguring software on the proxy

How do I set up backup jobs?How do I restore?

SAN ConfigurationAdd to ESX Server host group(VMFS LUNs, non-passthru RDMs)

Software on the Backup ProxyInstall

3rd party backup softwareVMware Consolidated Backup

Base packageSpecific integration module matching 3rd party backup software

Software on the Backup ProxyConfigure

3rd party backup softwareEnable: use pre/post scriptsEnable: Cross Junctions (mount points)

Consolidated BackupBACKUPROOT “mount path“ for virtual machine dataC:\mnt\mytestvm.foo.com\letters\D

HOST VirtualCenter APIUSERNAME/PASSWORD VirtualCenter credentials

Introducing Consolidated BackupWhat is Consolidated Backup?Why should I care?How does it work?How can I use it?How do I set up backup jobs?How do I restore?

How do I Set Up a Backup Job?Details depend on 3rd party backup software…Suggested best practice:

Group virtual machines together using (DNS) aliases for the proxy:vcb-accounting.company.comvcb-engineering.company.comvcb-marketing.company.com

Set up a backup job for each aliasUse alias as client name for job

How Do I Set Up a Backup Job?Why Aliases?

Restore permissions are tied to these aliasesWho can restore?Which virtual machines can be restored from?

Aliases make it easy to move a group to a different proxy

New proxies can be added as Datacenter growsJobs for groups can be moved by pointing the alias to a different proxy

Setting Up a Backup Job

Setting Up a Backup Job

Introducing Consolidated Backup

What is Consolidated Backup?Why should I care?How does it work?How can I use it?How do I set up backup jobs?How do I restore?

CentralizedPer-groupSelf service

Centralized Restore

*

ProxyESX Server

Backup agent on central server (proxy?) only

Centralized Restore

*

ProxyESX Server

Administrator restores to central server…

Centralized Restore

ProxyESX Server

Copy files to target virtual machine using CIFS share

*

Centralized Restore

Pros:Minimum number of agents to maintain

Cons:Administrator(s) involved in file-level restore

Per-Group RestoreOne virtual machine with backup agent for each group(accounting, engineering, marketing…)

*

ProxyESX Server

Per-Group RestoreGroup administrator restores to per-group restore host

ProxyESX Server

*

Per-Group RestoreCopy files to target virtual machine using CIFS share

ProxyESX Server

*

Per-Group RestorePros:

Restore can be delegatedGood compromise between number of agents and ease of restore

Cons:Still not quite self-service restore

Self-Service RestoreBackup agents are deployed into every virtual machine

*

ProxyESX Server

Self-Service RestoreBackup agent in virtual machine is used for restore

ProxyESX Server

*

Self-Service RestorePros:

Self-service restoreCons:

Agents required in each virtual machine

ConclusionsVMware Consolidated Backup...

Fast, efficient offload of virtual machine backupReduces administrative overhead/costInteroperability with major backup applicationsHassle-free Fibre Channel Tape supportAllows LAN-free backup of virtual machines

Related Talks at VMworldSLN093: Physical to Virtual Disaster Recovery With Virtual Infrastructure

Wed. 2pm, Mandalay Bay ISLN104 Series: Disaster Recovery Solutions with Virtual Infrastructure:

A: Implementation and Best PracticesB: Backup And RecoveryC: Panel Discussion

Thu. 11:30am, Mandalay Bay DThu. 3pm, Breakers H

Discussion: Full Virtual Machine Backup (1/2)

Snapshots of disk images are exported to the proxy

Direct data transfer from SAN Array -> proxyNo ESX Server, virtual machine, or Ethernet in the way.

Configuration files are copied using VirtualCenter

Discussion: Full Virtual Machine Backup (2/2)

Catalog file gets createdContains additional information

Resource ManagementPower State...

Drives restoreSame functionality available on the Service Console

Discussion: Full Virtual Machine Restore

Virtual machines have to be restored into ESX Server from the Service ConsoleRestore files to a Service Console accessible locationRun VMware-supplied restore script