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

Adding NetBackup credentials for VMware

To back up or restore virtual machines, NetBackup requires logon credentials to the VMware ESX servers, the VMware vCenter servers, or the VMware vCloud servers. In the NetBackup Administration Console, do the following.

To add NetBackup credentials

  1. Click Media and Device Management > Credentials > Virtual Machine Servers.
  2. Click Actions > New > New Virtual Machine Server.
  3. On the New Virtual Machine Server dialog, enter the name of a virtual machine server (ESX server, vCenter server, or vCloud server).

    Note:

    Enter the server name in the same format in which it is registered in DNS and in the VMware server (whether short or fully-qualified).

    See Using the VMware Managed Object Browser to verify the server name.

    Note:

    The vCenter name that you enter here must match the name that is set on the vCenter for VimApiUrl name and Runtime name. For assistance in setting those names on the vCenter, and for additional vCenter naming requirements relating to the NetBackup plug-in for vSphere Web Client: See the topic on consistent vCenter naming in the NetBackup Plug-in for VMware vSphere Web Client Guide:

    http://www.veritas.com/docs/000003214

    Note:

    Veritas recommends the use of fully qualified names. The entire name must be properly formed without empty or null elements. For example, a fully-qualified name must include the domain name and not end in a period (.).

    Note:

    The ESX server name is case-sensitive. Enter the ESX server name exactly as it is in the VMware environment. If the case is wrong, the credential validation fails and states "...expecting <correct_name_of_server>."

    NetBackup needs access to this server for either of the following reasons:

    • To browse the server's virtual machines and back them up.

    • To use the server as a target for restoring virtual machines.

      Use the next dialog to identify the type of this server (vCenter, ESX, or ESX for restore only).

  4. In the Credentials pane of the New Virtual Machine Server dialog, enter the following:

    Virtual machine server type

    Select the type of VMware server that NetBackup needs to access:

    • VMware Virtual Center server

      Designates a vCenter (or VirtualCenter) server that manages ESX servers. When you create a policy to back up this server's virtual machines, NetBackup can browse this server and list its virtual machines. If the credentials provide full access privileges to the vCenter server, you can restore virtual machines to this server.

      Note: Do not enter logon credentials for the individual ESX servers that this vCenter server manages. NetBackup needs credentials for the vCenter only. If you enter credentials for both an ESXi server and a vCenter that manages it, problems such as the following may occur:

      • A VMware Intelligent Policy (VIP) may fail due to discovery of duplicate VMs.

      • For manual selection of VMs (not VIP): Tags and custom attributes (which require a vCenter) may cause intermittent problems if NetBackup attempts to back up the VM using the ESXi server.

    • VMware ESX Server

      Designates a standalone ESX server that a vCenter server does not manage. NetBackup can browse the ESX server to present a list of its virtual machines for backup. You can also restore virtual machines to this ESX server. To use the server as a target for restores, enter the credentials that provide full access privileges to the ESX server.

    • VMware Restore ESX Server

      Designates an ESX server to which NetBackup can restore virtual machines. You must enter the credentials that provide full access privileges to the server.

      Note:

      NetBackup accesses this type of server for restores only, not for backups.

      The restore ESX server type has the following advantages:

      • For large environments with hundreds of hosts, NetBackup may not need full access to the vCenter server. With the restore ESX server type, you can give NetBackup full access to a single ESX server that is dedicated to restore.

      • SAN-based restores that go directly to a restore ESX server are faster than restores that go through the vCenter server.

      • Allows restoring to an ESX 5.x or later server that a vCenter 5.x or later server manages. NetBackup uses vCenter to create the virtual machine. NetBackup then writes the .vmdk files directly to the ESX server using the Restore ESX Server credentials to that server.

      Note:

      VMware does not support the restore of virtual machines directly to an ESX 5.x or later server that vCenter manages. To restore the virtual machine, select the vCenter server as the destination. As an alternative, you can set up an independent ESX server to be used for restores. You must add NetBackup restore credentials for that ESX server by means of the VMware Restore ESX Server type.

      For further information on the restore ESX server, refer to the following Veritas tech note:

      http://www.veritas.com/docs/000007351

    • VMware vCloud Director

      Designates a vCloud Director server. NetBackup can browse the vCloud environment on this server to present a list of its virtual machines for backup. You can also restore virtual machines to this server.

      Note:

      The credentials must be for a system administrator account.

      Note:

      For backup and restore to vCloud Director, both vCloud and vCenter credentials are required (VMware Virtual Center server).

      Note:

      If the vCloud environment uses a load-balancer to manage multiple cells (nodes), add credentials for the load balancer, not for the cells. If vCloud Director has multiple cells but no load balancer, add credentials for only one of the cells, not for all of them. Note also: If the Domain Name System (DNS) cannot resolve the name of the load balancer or cell, do the following: Include a line in the hosts file on the VMware backup host that specifies the IP address of the load balancer or cell.

    User name

    Enter the user name for the virtual machine server. Note that spaces in user names are not allowed.

    To enter a domain name with a user name, use a double backslash or enclose the name in single or double quotes, as follows:

    domain\\username
    'domain\username'
    "domain\username"

    Password

    Enter the password for the virtual machine server.

    For backup host

    You can select a particular backup host for which to validate the credentials. Note that the hosts that appear in the pull-down list can be the following: media servers, or NetBackup clients that have been added under Host Properties, VMware Access Hosts.

    For a list of supported backup host platforms, see the NetBackup Software Compatibility List available from the following location:

    NetBackup Master Compatibility List

    See Adding the VMware backup host to NetBackup.

    If For backup host is set to <Any> (the default), NetBackup attempts to validate the credentials using each backup host in turn. NetBackup continues checking only until validation succeeds for a particular backup host or the list of backup hosts is exhausted.

    During validation: An invalid user name or password is deleted if you have entered it for the first time and you do not select a backup host. If validation fails for any reason, the entry is removed.

    If your VMware backup host is running a version of NetBackup that is earlier than 6.5.4, the credentials cannot be validated. An error message is displayed. You must verify that the credentials you entered are correct for the VMware server. If the credentials are correct, you can ignore the error message.

    Connect using port number

    If the default port number has not been changed on the VMware server, no port specification is required. In that case, make sure that the Connect using port number box is not checked.

    If the VMware server has been configured to use a different port, click the Connect using port number box and specify that port number.

  5. Click OK.
  6. If your site has multiple standalone ESX servers, use the Virtual Machine Server dialog to enter credentials for each ESX server.
  7. If the NetBackup master server is clustered, do the following on the other master server nodes to verify the credentials for each backup host.

    • Fail over to the next master server node, to make it the active node.

    • On the active node, click on Media and Device Management > Credentials > Virtual Machine Servers and double-click on the virtual machine server credential.

    • In the For backup host field, select a particular backup host (do not select Any).

      If the backup host does not appear in the list, you must add the correct credentials for the backup host. (Click Actions > New > New Virtual Machine Server.)

    • Click OK.

      NetBackup validates the credentials.

    • Double-click the same virtual machine server credential and validate the credentials for another backup host (if any).

    • For other master server nodes, repeat step 7.