VMware vSphere
Introduction
Zmanda Pro's VMware vSphere integration provides enterprise-grade backup protection while maintaining our commitment to simplicity. Available in Zmanda Pro 23.9.7 and later, this solution strengthens your hybrid cloud strategy by protecting critical VMware workloads.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have:
Desktop Client
Only available for Windows x86_64 clients
Running on the same network with the target ESXi/vCenter
Server
vSphere 6.7 (ESXi or vCenter) or later.
Key Features
Seamless Integration
Direct connection to vCenter server or ESXi host.
Zero-downtime backups - continue operations while backing up.
VM snapshot technology for consistency.
Space-efficient streaming to chunking engine with no temporary storage requirements.
Backup Process
Initial Setup
Connect to your vCenter server or ESXi host
Select virtual machines for protection
Configure backup settings
Backup Execution
System creates VM snapshot
Backs up essential components:
VMX configuration files
VMDK disk files
Associated VM files
Automatically removes snapshot upon completion.
vCenter Privileges: Roles
The following table describes the minimum privileges on the vCenter Server required by the vCenter Server role assigned to Zmanda Pro.
Privelege Category
Privelege
Description
Global
Enable methods
Permits the backup application to provide vSphere APIs for Data Protection license information to the vCenter Server. Required when using vSphere APIs for Data Protection to transfer VMDK contents.
Global
Disable Methods
Permits backup application to disable certain operations on objects managed by vCenter Server.
Datastore
Allocate Space
Used by Backup Application to create virtual machines for export. Also used by Backup Application to provide space for delta files on the datastore when creating a snapshot.
Datastore
Browse datastore
Permits Backup Application to find and download the vmware.log file for a virtual machine after a failed snapshot and to send the vmware.log file out for support
Datastore
Low level file operations
Permits Backup Applications to ingest and to export the contents of snapshot VMDKs.
Virtual Machine
Provisioning:
A. Allow read-only disk access.
B. Allow virtual machine download.
A. Permits Backup Application to read the VMDK contents of Export virtual machines.
B. Allows Backup Application to download the non-VMDK files of protected source virtual machines, including configuration files and support logs.
Virtual Machine
Snapshot management:
A. Create Snapshot
B. Remove Snapshot
A. Permits Backup Application to create temporary snapshots of virtual machines for ingest into the storage. B. Permits Backup Application to remove temporary snapshots of virtual machines that were created for ingest into storage.
vSphere Options
Latest VM State (Changed Block Tracking): This option is recommended for optimal performance. It backs up only the changed disk sectors since the last successful backup, and it can be selected even for the initial backup job.
Latest VM State (Standard): This option backs up the current state of all disks and the VM configuration. Previous snapshots will be flattened, resulting in a single disk that reflects the most recent state.
vSphere Connection Details
Zmanda Pro leverages the vSphere’s SOAP API for communication with the vSphere server. Data transfer from the datastore utilizes the NBDSSL protocol.
Server: This refers to the vCenter/ESXi host and can also accept the format host:port if the host is using a custom port.
Thumbprint (Optional): If entered, this will serve as the SSL certificate hash used to validate against the received server certificate for additional security.
Allow Invalid SSL Certificate: This option enables you to bypass SSL certificate validation errors.
Username/Password: The credentials required for authentication with vCenter/ESXi.
Performance Optimization
Best Practices
Optimize your VMware vSphere backups with Zmanda Pro:
Changed Block Tracking (CBT): Backup only what's changed for faster operations.
Strategic Deployment: Install Zmanda Pro as a VM in your ESXi cluster and/or specific host that it is backing up for best performance.
Concurrent Backups: Choose how many VMs to back up simultaneously for increased efficiency.
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