Veritas NetBackup™ for VMware Administrator's Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): NetBackup (8.1.1)
  1. Introduction
    1.  
      About NetBackup for VMware
    2.  
      Updates to this guide for NetBackup 8.1.1
    3.  
      About the virtual machine backups that include database data
    4.  
      About the NetBackup appliance as a VMware backup host
    5.  
      NetBackup for VMware components
    6.  
      Appliance as backup host: component overview
    7.  
      Media servers as backup or discovery hosts
    8.  
      Overview of the VMware backup process
    9.  
      NetBackup for VMware license requirement
    10.  
      NetBackup for VMware terminology
  2. Required tasks: overview
    1.  
      Overview of VMware tasks
    2.  
      Overview of NetBackup tasks
  3. Notes and prerequisites
    1.  
      NetBackup for VMware prerequisites
    2.  
      NetBackup for VMware: notes and restrictions
    3.  
      Notes on VMware Virtual Volumes (VVols)
    4.  
      NetBackup IPv6 parameter required for backups in VMware IPv6 environments
    5.  
      NetBackup for VMware: notes on Linux virtual machines
    6.  
      Notes on the NetBackup appliance as a VMware backup host
    7.  
      NetBackup for VMware support for SAN multi-pathing
    8.  
      NetBackup for VMware support for fault tolerant VMs
    9.  
      NetBackup character restrictions for the Primary VM identifier
    10.  
      In the policy Query Builder, display names, resource pool names, and vApp names are case-sensitive
    11.  
      Notes on the hotadd transport mode
    12.  
      Notes and limitations for tag usage in VMware Intelligent Policy queries
    13.  
      Notes and limitations for the backup and restore of VMware tag associations
  4. Configure NetBackup communication with VMware
    1.  
      Adding the VMware backup host to NetBackup
    2. Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware
      1.  
        Using the VMware Managed Object Browser to verify the server name
    3.  
      Changing the host name of a VMware server in NetBackup
    4.  
      Setting privileges for posting events to vCenter
    5.  
      Authentication token for the NetBackup vSphere Web Client plug-in
    6.  
      Setting global limits on the use of VMware resources
  5. Configure NetBackup policies for VMware
    1.  
      Configuring a VMware policy from the Policy Wizard
    2.  
      Configuring a VMware policy from the Policies utility
    3.  
      Limit jobs per policy on the Attributes tab (for VMware)
    4. VMware backup options
      1.  
        VMware backup host
      2.  
        Optimizations options (VMware)
      3.  
        Primary VM identifier options (VMware)
      4.  
        Existing snapshot handling options (VMware)
      5.  
        Transport modes options (VMware)
      6.  
        Application protection options (VMware)
      7.  
        VMware - Advanced Attributes dialog
      8.  
        About the Post vCenter events option (VMware Advanced Attributes)
    5. Exclude Disks tab
      1.  
        About the exclude disk options for virtual disk selection
      2.  
        Exclude disks from backups: an example to avoid
      3.  
        Restoring data from the backups that excluded the boot disk or data disks
    6.  
      Browse for VMware virtual machines
    7.  
      Limiting the VMware servers that NetBackup searches when browsing for virtual machines
    8.  
      Virtual machine host names and display names should be unique if VMs are selected manually in the policy
    9.  
      Primary VM identifier option and manual selection of virtual machines
    10.  
      About incremental backups of virtual machines
    11.  
      Configuring incremental backups
    12.  
      Storage Foundation Volume Manager volumes in the virtual machine
  6. Configure a VMware Intelligent Policy
    1.  
      About automatic virtual machine selection for NetBackup for VMware
    2.  
      Support and use of VMware tag associations
    3.  
      The basics of a NetBackup query rule
    4.  
      Important notes on automatic virtual machine selection
    5.  
      NetBackup requirements for automatic virtual machine selection
    6.  
      Automatic virtual machine selection: Task overview
    7.  
      Options for selecting VMware virtual machines
    8.  
      Configuring automatic virtual machine selection
    9.  
      Editing an existing query in Basic Mode
    10.  
      Using the Query Builder in Advanced Mode
    11.  
      AND vs. OR in queries
    12.  
      Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder
    13.  
      The IsSet operator in queries
    14.  
      About selecting virtual machines by means of multiple policies
    15.  
      Order of operations in queries (precedence rules)
    16.  
      Parentheses in compound queries
    17.  
      Query rules for resource pools
    18.  
      Query rules for datacenter folders (host folder)
    19.  
      Query rules for duplicate names
    20.  
      Query rules for tags
    21.  
      Query Builder field reference
    22.  
      Test Query screen for VMware
    23.  
      Test Query: Failed virtual machines
    24.  
      Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query results
    25.  
      Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM Name column in Test query results
    26.  
      Refreshing the display of virtual environment changes in the Query Builder
  7. Reduce the size of backups
    1.  
      About reducing the size of VMware backups
    2.  
      Block-level backup (BLIB): full vs incremental
    3.  
      Deleting a vSphere Client snapshot
  8. Back up virtual machines
    1.  
      Backing up virtual machines
    2.  
      Using the Activity Monitor to monitor virtual machine backups
    3.  
      Restarting jobs individually in the Activity Monitor
    4.  
      Viewing NetBackup activity in vSphere Web Client
    5.  
      Using OpsCenter to report on virtual machine backups
  9. Use Accelerator to back up virtual machines
    1.  
      About the NetBackup Accelerator for virtual machines
    2.  
      Accelerator: full vs. incremental schedules
    3.  
      How the NetBackup Accelerator works with virtual machines
    4.  
      Accelerator notes and requirements for virtual machines
    5.  
      Accelerator forced rescan for virtual machines (schedule attribute)
    6.  
      Accelerator requires the OptimizedImage attribute
    7.  
      Accelerator backups and the NetBackup catalog
    8.  
      Accelerator messages in the backup job details log
    9.  
      NetBackup logs for Accelerator with virtual machines
    10.  
      About reporting the amount of Accelerator backup data that was transferred over the network
    11.  
      Replacing the Accelerator image size with the network-transferred data in NetBackup command output
  10. Restore virtual machines
    1.  
      Restore notes and restrictions
    2.  
      Restore notes and restrictions on Linux
    3. Restoring the full VMware virtual machine
      1. Virtual Machine Recovery dialog boxes (restore to original location)
        1.  
          Recovery Destination dialog box
        2.  
          Recovery Options dialog box
        3.  
          Virtual Machine Options dialog box
        4.  
          Perform Recovery dialog box
      2. Virtual Machine Recovery dialogs boxes (restore to alternate location)
        1.  
          Recovery Destination dialog box (restore to alternate location)
        2.  
          Recovery Options dialog box (restore to alternate location)
        3.  
          Select ESX server dialog box (restore to alternate location)
        4.  
          Select Folder dialog box (restore to alternate location)
        5.  
          Select Datastore or Datastore Cluster dialog box (restore to alternate location)
        6.  
          Storage Destination dialog box (restore to alternate location)
        7.  
          Network Connections and Other Recovery Options dialog box (restore to alternate location)
        8.  
          Perform Recovery dialog box (restore to alternate location)
    4.  
      About VMware virtual machine disk restore
    5. Restoring VMware virtual machine disks by using Backup, Archive, and Restore
      1.  
        Select Virtual Disks panel
      2.  
        Recovery Destination panel
      3.  
        Virtual Disk Destination panel
      4.  
        Storage Destination panel
      5.  
        Recovery Summary panel
    6. Restoring VMware virtual machine disks by using NetBackup commands
      1.  
        Determining the backup image ID from which to restore a VMware virtual machine disk
      2.  
        Creating the VMware virtual machine disk restore file
      3.  
        Modifying the virtual machine disk restore file
      4.  
        Validating the virtual machine disk restore file
      5.  
        Restoring the virtual machine disk or disks by using the nbrestorevm command
      6.  
        VMware virtual machine disk restore file
    7.  
      About restoring individual VMware files
    8. Restoring individual VMware virtual machine files
      1.  
        Setting up NetBackup Client Service for VMware restores to a Windows shared virtual machine drive
      2.  
        Restore Marked Files dialog for restore of VMware files
    9.  
      How NetBackup handles VMware tag associations at restore
    10. Browse and search virtual machines for restore
      1.  
        Search Virtual Machines for Restore dialog
      2.  
        Browse the vCloud or vSphere view for virtual machine clients
      3.  
        Search results dialog
    11.  
      If the recovery host is not at the same NetBackup release level as the backup host
  11. Restore virtual machines with Instant Recovery
    1.  
      About Instant Recovery for VMware
    2.  
      Task overview for Instant Recovery for VMware
    3.  
      Performance recommendations for Instant Recovery for VMware
    4.  
      Requirements for Instant Recovery for VMware
    5.  
      Notes on Instant Recovery for VMware
    6.  
      Restarting the Client for NFS service on a Windows restore host
    7.  
      Instant Recovery options on the nbrestorevm command
    8.  
      Restoring a virtual machine with Instant Recovery for VMware
    9.  
      Restoring a virtual machine to a different location with Instant Recovery for VMware
    10.  
      Restoring individual files with Instant Recovery for VMware while the current virtual machine is running
    11.  
      Job types for Instant Recovery for VMware
    12.  
      Reactivating a restored virtual machine with Instant Recovery for VMware
  12. Use NetBackup for vCloud Director
    1.  
      About NetBackup for vCloud Director
    2.  
      Notes on creating a NetBackup policy for vCloud
    3.  
      Notes on restoring virtual machines into vCloud Director
    4.  
      Restoring virtual machines into vCloud Director
    5.  
      Reducing the time required for VM discovery in a large vCloud environment
    6. Virtual machine recovery dialog boxes for vCloud Director
      1.  
        Recovery Destination dialog box (vCloud Director)
      2.  
        Recovery Options dialog box (vCloud Director)
      3.  
        Recovery vApp Options for vCloud Director dialog box (restore to original location)
      4.  
        Virtual Machine Options dialog box for vCloud Director
      5.  
        Perform Recovery dialog box for vCloud Director
      6.  
        Recovery Options dialog box for vCloud Director (restore to alternate location)
      7.  
        Recovery vApp Options for vCloud Director dialog box (restore to alternate location)
      8.  
        Select a vApp dialog box
      9.  
        Recovery Destination Options for vCloud Director dialog box (restore to alternate location)
      10.  
        Virtual Machine Options (restore to alternate location)
      11.  
        Network connections (restore to alternate location)
      12.  
        Perform Recovery dialog box for vCloud Director (restore to alternate location)
  13. Best practices and more information
    1. NetBackup for VMware best practices
      1.  
        NetBackup for VMware with deduplication
    2.  
      Best practices for VMware tag usage
    3.  
      Further assistance with NetBackup for VMware
  14. Troubleshooting
    1.  
      Notes on troubleshooting NetBackup for VMware
    2.  
      Beware of unsupported backup host
    3.  
      How to determine the ESX network that NetBackup used for the backup or restore
    4.  
      NetBackup logging for VMware
    5.  
      Configuring VxMS logging
    6.  
      Format of the VxMS core.log and provider.log file names
    7.  
      Configuring the VDDK logging level
    8.  
      Preventing browsing delays caused by DNS problems
    9.  
      Changing the browsing timeout for virtual machine discovery
    10.  
      Changing timeout and logging values for vSphere
    11.  
      Credentials for VMware server are not valid
    12.  
      Snapshot error encountered (status code 156)
    13.  
      The origin of the snapshot failure: NetBackup or VMware?
    14.  
      Conflict between NetBackup and VMware Storage vMotion with vSphere 5.0 or later
    15.  
      Incremental backups of the VM may fail if the NTFS file system in the guest OS is corrupted and the backup uses MSDP storage
    16.  
      The restore fails when you restore individual files to a virtual machine that has NetBackup client software
    17.  
      Backup or restore job hangs
    18.  
      VMware SCSI requirements for application quiesce on Windows
    19.  
      Mount point missing on a restored Windows virtual machine
    20.  
      Mount points not available when restoring files from a Linux virtual machine
    21.  
      Invalid client error when you restore files using NetBackup BAR interface installed on the virtual machine
    22.  
      VMware virtual machine does not restart after restore
    23.  
      A restored VM may not start or its file system(s) may not be accessible
    24.  
      NetBackup job fails due to update tasks on the VMware server
    25.  
      The vSphere interface reports that virtual machine consolidation is needed
    26.  
      The Enable file recovery from VM backup option does not work if a volume disk set contains a mixture of disk types
    27.  
      Linux VMs and persistent device naming
    28.  
      For a VMware virtual machine with Windows dynamic disks, a restore from incremental backup fails with a Windows restore host and the hotadd transport mode
    29.  
      Simultaneous hotadd backups (from the same VMware backup host) fail with status 13
    30.  
      Troubleshooting VMware tag usage
    31.  
      Ensuring that guest customizations can be restored in vCloud Director
    32.  
      Troubleshooting vmdk restore to existing VM
  15. Appendix A. NetBackup commands to back up and restore virtual machines
    1. Using NetBackup commands to create a VMware policy
      1.  
        Notes on creating a VMware policy for vCloud Director
      2.  
        VMware policy: bpplinfo options and keywords
      3.  
        bpplinclude options for modifying query rules in a VMware policy
    2.  
      Using the nbdiscover command to search the virtual environment
    3.  
      Using the nbrestorevm command to restore virtual machines into vSphere
    4.  
      Using the nbrestorevm command to restore virtual machines into vCloud Director
    5.  
      Using the nbrestorevm command to restore virtual machine disks
    6.  
      The nbrestorevm -R rename file for restoring virtual machines
    7.  
      Logs for troubleshooting the nbrestorevm command
    8.  
      Query format and examples for searching virtual machine backups
    9.  
      Allowing other servers or clients to restore virtual machines
  16. Appendix B. Configuring services for NFS on Windows
    1.  
      About installing and configuring Network File System (NFS) for Granular Recovery Technology (GRT)
    2. About configuring services for NFS on Windows 2012 or 2016 (NetBackup for VMware)
      1.  
        Enabling Services for Network File System (NFS) on a Windows 2012 or 2016 media server (NetBackup for VMware)
      2.  
        Enabling Services for Network File System (NFS) on a Windows 2012 or 2016 restore host (NetBackup for VMware)
    3. About configuring services for NFS on Windows 2008 and 2008 R2 (NetBackup for VMware)
      1.  
        Enabling Services for Network File System (NFS) on Windows 2008 or 2008 R2 (NetBackup for VMware)
    4.  
      Disabling the Server for NFS (NetBackup for VMware)
    5.  
      Disabling the Client for NFS on the media server (NetBackup for VMware)
    6.  
      Configuring a UNIX media server and Windows backup or restore host for Granular Recovery Technology (NetBackup for VMware)
    7.  
      Configuring a different network port for NBFSD (NetBackup for VMware)
  17. Appendix C. The Reuse VM selection query results option
    1.  
      About the Reuse VM selection query results option
    2.  
      The effect of virtual machine discovery on vCenter
  18. Appendix D. Backup of VMware raw devices (RDM)
    1.  
      About VMware raw device mapping (RDM)
    2.  
      Configurations for backing up RDMs
    3.  
      About alternate client backup of RDMs
    4.  
      Requirements for alternate client backup of RDMs
    5.  
      Configuring alternate client backup of RDMs

Modifying the virtual machine disk restore file

This topic describes how to modify the file that describes the virtual machine disk restore parameters. You must modify the file to describe your specific restore instance.

Two methods exist to modify the restore file, as follows:

A text editor

With a text editor, you can modify any or all of the fields.

See To modify a VMware virtual machine disk restore file by using a text editor.

A Veritas provided Perl script

With the restore_spec_utility.pl Perl script, you can perform the following operations:

  • - modify, to change the value of a field, one field at a time. Use this option to modify the fields that do not describe VMWareVirtualDiskDestination parameters.

  • -keep_disks, to specify the disks to retain in the restore parameters file. Any other disks are removed from the file.

  • -delete_disks, to specify the disks to delete from the restore parameters file. The disks that remain are restored.

Examine the script for a description of the options and example usage statements.

Perl must be installed on the host on which you modify the restore parameters file. Examine the script to determine which modules are required; some may require separate installation.

See To modify a VMware virtual machine disk restore file by using the restore_spec_utility.pl script.

The following table describes some restore scenarios and the values of the fields that are required to accommodate those scenarios.

Table: Restore parameters file items to edit

Item

Description

Disks

Edit the VMwareVirtualDiskDestination section of the file so that it contains only the virtual machine disk or disks that you want to restore. To ensure data integrity, be aware of the following:

  • If a file system volume spans multiple virtual machine disks, restore all of the virtual disks for that volume.

  • If a volume manager manages the volumes, restore all of the virtual disks in that volume set.

Restore to a datastore cluster

For a restore of virtual disks to a datastore cluster, specify the name of the datastore cluster in the Datastore field of the VMwareVirtualDiskDestination section. Do not specify the cluster in the Path field.

Note:

If the restore is to an existing VM, the VMDKs are not located in the existing datastore path for the VM. They reside in a datastore path based on the name of the temporary VM used in the restore. The name of the temporary VM is available in the details for the restore job in NetBackup.

Restore to an existing VM

By default, the restore parameters file that the nbrestorevm -restorespecout command creates is configured to restore to a new VM. To restore the virtual disks to an existing VM, do the following:

  • Specify the name of the VM in the VMName field. The VM must exist in the target vCenter or ESXi serve; if it does not exist, the restore fails with status code 2820.

  • Change the value of the AttachDisksToExistingVM field from No to Yes

  • If a virtual disk to restore exists on the target VM already, configure the OverwriteExistingDisk field, as follows:

    • To overwrite the original virtual disk and retain the disk UUID, specify Yes.

    • To restore the virtual disk to the target VM as a new disk, specify No. VMware assigns a new UUID to the disk. The default is No.

  • The restore process shuts down the target virtual machine before it attaches the disk or disks. By default, NetBackup does not turn on the target VM. To turn on the target VM, specify Yes for the PowerOn option.

The VMwareAdvancedRestoreOptions section of the restore parameters file includes other parameters that are related to restoring to an existing VM.

The restore job details show the datastore path of the virtual disk when it was backed up and after it is restored.

Standalone ESXi hypervisor

To restore to a standalone ESXi hypervisor when the backup was through a vCenter, edit the following fields so that their values are None, as follows:

  • "vCenterServer": "None"

  • "Folder": "None"

  • "Datacenter" : "None"

The VM name

The nbrestorevm -restorespecout command adds a timestamp to the name of the original VM client when it populates the VMName field in the restore parameters file. The timestamp is the decimal number of seconds since January 1, 1970.

Depending on the requirements of the restore instance, you may need to edit the VMName field.

Other fields

Edit any of the other fields so that the values that describe the restore meet your needs.

See VMware virtual machine disk restore file.

This task is part of a larger process that describes how to restore an individual VMware virtual machine disk or disks.

See Restoring VMware virtual machine disks by using NetBackup commands.

To modify a VMware virtual machine disk restore file by using a text editor

  1. Open the restore file in a text editor.
  2. Modify the parameters as necessary, save the file, and then close the editor.

    See VMware virtual machine disk restore file.

  3. Continue to the next task in the individual virtual machine disk restore process.

    See Validating the virtual machine disk restore file.

To modify a VMware virtual machine disk restore file by using the restore_spec_utility.pl script

  1. Invoke the Perl script to modify the restore parameters file as necessary, one field at a time. Examples of three supported -req_type operations follow:
    • The following is an example of a modify operation to change the VMName field:

      Windows: perl.exe C:\Progra~1\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\goodies\restore_spec_utility.pl -req_type modify -file_path restore_filename -field VMName -value new_vm_name

      UNIX: perl /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies/restore_spec_utility.pl -req_type modify -file_path restore_filename -field VMName -value new_vm_name

    • The following is an example of a keep_disks operation to retain a subset of the disks that are described in a restore parameters file. It retains the scsi0-1 and scsi0-2 virtual disks and deletes all of the other defined disks from the file:

      Windows: perl.exe C:\Progra~1\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\goodies\restore_spec_utility.pl -req_type keep_disks -file_path restore_filename -controller scsi0-1,scsi0-2

      UNIX: perl /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies/restore_spec_utility.pl -req_type keep_disks -file_path restore_filename -controller scsi0-1,scsi0-2

    • The following is an example of a delete_disks operation to delete a subset of the disks that are described in a restore parameters file. It deletes the scsi0-1 and scsi0-2 virtual disks and retains the other defined disks in the file:

      Windows: perl.exe C:\Progra~1\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\goodies\restore_spec_utility.pl -req_type delete_disks -file_path restore_filename -controller scsi0-0,scsi0-1

      UNIX: perl /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies/restore_spec_utility.pl -req_type delete_disks -file_path restore_filename -controller scsi0-0,scsi0-1

  2. Repeat step 1 until you have finished modifying the file.
  3. Continue to the next task in the individual virtual machine disk restore process.

    See Validating the virtual machine disk restore file.