ESXi 4.1 Backup

[YOCS]

I just picked up a new customer with a ESXi 4 server with 1 VM on it running SBS 2003. I don’t really have experience with VM’s other than playing with it on a host OS. I've been looking around and there are bunch of options to backup ESXi VMware. Can someone recommend a product that they use. I would like to be able to backup a VM image daily to an external USB drive or NAS so that I can restore it with minimal downtime. Ideally I would like to be able to backup the VM and all data within the OS. Can this be done or do you have a better solution for a backup?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Take a look at ShadowProtect Virtual (by Storagcraft)

There are quite a few other backup products (other brands) which support backing up virtual environments.

Nice to have ones that work natively with ESXi file formats..so if disaster hits...you can rebuild a new ESXi host and just shove that file back into it.

 

[onetech4all]

Re:

If you backup the VM, you will get the vmdk file that contains the data, but without a bootable vm, you will not be able to get the data. I suggest that you backup the OS inside the VM file so that you can get to the data easier. If you backup the vmdk file you will also backup the OS with the data in it.

Of course, you can always use the veeam software (from veeam.com) for ESX/ESXi and VM backup, for a price of course.

 

[krtechsolutions]

issue i have ran across is most backup companies won't sell you the provide to backup a ESXi server unless it is the paid one.

also SBS 2003 is not suppored on VMWare neither is Exchange 2003

but like everyone else said, like into a backup solution that backups up the OS instead of the VM

storagecraft is very nice but pricey
novastor is nice as well, also have had good luck with easeus backup.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

also SBS 2003 is not suppored on VMWare neither is Exchange 2003
.

What do you mean by that?

 

[krtechsolutions]

is it not supported, it may work but it is not supported to work by microsoft in a vm environment

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

is it not supported, it may work but it is not supported to work by microsoft in a vm environment

I know VMWare supports it
http://www.vmware.com/support/server2/doc/releasenotes_vmserver201.html

I've seen Microsoft article on SBS03 not being supported in MS Virtual Server
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/867572 but I guess I believed that Microsofts non-support of VMware for SBS03 ended when VMWware added their official suipport for it in that patch a while ago. And if I recall, Microsofts non-support of SBS03 originated from SBS03 Premium and ISA..and how ISA as a full firewall should not be sharing virtual NICs on the same physical host as other servers on the LAN. A non-issue since many/most of us didn't employ ISA.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Adding for backup....Acronis just announced their soon to be released "vmProtect 7.0"

 

[e2346437]

You could try the GhettoVCB script. It's free.

http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-8760

Eric