Symantec Backup Exec Management Plugin for VMware

Symantec Backup Exec™Management Plug-in forVMware® User's Guide

The software described in this book is furnished under a license agreement andmay be usedonly in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Documentation version: 1.0

Legal NoticeCopyright © 2011 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved.

Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SymantecCorporation or its affiliates in theU.S. and other countries. Other namesmaybe trademarksof their respective owners.

The product described in this document is distributed under licenses restricting its use,copying, distribution, and decompilation/reverse engineering. No part of this documentmay be reproduced in any form by any means without prior written authorization ofSymantec Corporation and its licensors, if any.

THEDOCUMENTATIONISPROVIDED"ASIS"ANDALLEXPRESSORIMPLIEDCONDITIONS,REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OFMERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT,ARE DISCLAIMED, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TOBELEGALLYINVALID.SYMANTECCORPORATIONSHALLNOTBELIABLEFORINCIDENTALOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE FURNISHING,PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS DOCUMENTATION. THE INFORMATION CONTAINEDIN THIS DOCUMENTATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

The Licensed Software andDocumentation are deemed to be commercial computer softwareas defined in FAR12.212 and subject to restricted rights as defined in FARSection 52.227-19"Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights" and DFARS 227.7202, "Rights inCommercial Computer Software or Commercial Computer Software Documentation", asapplicable, and any successor regulations. Any use, modification, reproduction release,performance, display or disclosure of the Licensed Software andDocumentation by theU.S.Government shall be solely in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

Symantec Corporation350 Ellis StreetMountain View, CA 94043

http://www.symantec.com

http://www.symantec.com

Chapter 1 Introducing Symantec Backup Exec™ ManagementPlug-in for VMware® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

About the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in forVMware .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 2 Monitoring virtual machine backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

About the monitoring view .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Virtual machine backup details ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Accessing the monitoring view .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Updating the monitoring view .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Generating reports ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Closing the monitoring view for a media server ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtual machine .... . . . . . . . . . 13Viewing a list of unprotected virtual machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Excluding a virtual machine from protection .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Chapter 3 Validating virtual machine backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

About validating virtual machine backups .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Before you validate virtual machine backups .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Validating virtual machine backups .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

General options for backup validation .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Network Settings options for virtual machines ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Chapter 4 Recovering virtual machines automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

About virtual machine auto recovery .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23How virtual machine auto recovery works .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24About configuring firewall settings for virtual machine auto

recovery .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Configuring the ApplicationHA Console settings ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Options for configuring ApplicationHA Console settings ... . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Adding or editing logon accounts ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Configuring the auto recovery settings ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Auto recovery options .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Configuring the notification settings ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Contents

About the Configuration Synchronizer ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Best practices for virtual machine auto recovery .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 5 Configuring the default settings for SymantecBackup Exec Management Plug-in forVMware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Configuring the update interval for the monitoring view .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Changing the default folders for storing temporary backup validation

files and reports ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Specifying the operation timeout values ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Contents4

Introducing SymantecBackup Exec™ ManagementPlug-in for VMware®

This chapter includes the following topics:

■ About the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware

About theSymantecBackupExecManagementPlug-infor VMware

The Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware lets Backup Execadministrators use the vSphere client application to:

■ Monitor the backup jobs that run on virtual machines.

■ View the backup status of the virtual machines.

■ View the details of past backups and future backups.

■ Exclude virtual machines from backup jobs.

■ Validate the virtual machine backups.

■ Auto-recover virtual machines that have faulted due to application failure.

TheSymantecBackupExecManagementPlug-in forVMware communicateswiththe Backup Exec media server to get the information for the virtual machines.

Both the VMware vCenter and the ESX host are supported.

See “About the monitoring view” on page 7.

See “Accessing the monitoring view” on page 10.

1Chapter

Introducing Symantec Backup Exec™ Management Plug-in for VMware®About the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware

6

Monitoring virtual machinebackups


■ About the monitoring view

■ Accessing the monitoring view

■ Updating the monitoring view

■ Generating reports

■ Closing the monitoring view for a media server

■ Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtual machine

■ Viewing a list of unprotected virtual machines

■ Excluding a virtual machine from protection

About the monitoring viewThemonitoring view lets you determine the backup status of the virtualmachinesthat are backed up using Backup Exec. It also provides the last backup validationstatus and the auto recovery status of the virtual machines.

For each of the media servers you are connected to, a separate monitoring viewis available on the Symantec Backup Exec tab.

The monitoring view shows the following information:

■ Summary information of the virtual machines.The summary information includes the name of themedia server that you areconnected to. It also provides the following information:

2Chapter

■ Protected MachinesThe total number of virtual machines that are backed up using BackupExec.

■ Failed MachinesThe total number of virtual machines whose last backup has failed.

■ Excluded MachinesThe total number of virtual machines that are excluded from the backupjobs.

■ Auto Recovery RequestsThe total number of virtualmachines that need your consent to be restored.

■ A list of virtual machines that are accessible to the logged-in user, along withthe last backup details.The backup details include the virtual machine's name, last backup status,next backup method, backup validation status, and other information. Youcan click the plus (+) sign next to the virtual machine name to see the detailsof the old backups.See “Virtual machine backup details” on page 8.

■ Auto recovery request pending iconYou might see an auto recovery request pending icon in the monitoring viewfor all themedia servers you are connected to. This icon appears when at leastone of the connected media servers includes one or more virtual machinesthat need your consent to be restored.

Auto recovery request pending icon

See “Updating the monitoring view” on page 11.

See “Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtual machine” on page 13.

Virtual machine backup detailsThe following details appear in the monitoring view.

Table 2-1 Virtual machine backup details

DescriptionItem

Indicates the name of the virtual machine.Machine Name

Monitoring virtual machine backupsAbout the monitoring view

8

Table 2-1 Virtual machine backup details (continued)

DescriptionItem

Displays one of the following statuses:

■ SuccessThe virtual machine is backed up using Backup Exec.

■ FailedThe last backup of the virtual machine has failed.

■ ExcludedThe virtual machine is excluded from the backup jobs. Theexcluded virtual machines are not backed up by Backup Exec.

■ NoneThe virtual machine has a backup status other than protected,failed, or excluded, such as running, queued, or stalled.

Last Backup Status

Shows the date and time when the last backup was run.Last Run

Shows the name of the job that was used for the last backup.

For completed and failed backup jobs, the job name appears as ablue hyperlink. Click the link to see the job log.

Last Run Job Name

Indicates the date and time when the next backup is scheduled torun.

Next Run

Indicates themethod of the next backup, such as full, incremental,or differential.

NextBackupMethod

Shows one of the following statuses:

■ SuccessfulThe last backup validation job for the virtual machine wascompleted successfully.

■ Successful with exceptionsThe last backup validation job for the virtual machine wascompleted successfully. However, some exceptions occurred.This status indicates that one ormore customscripts have failedto run during validation.

■ FailedThe last backupvalidation job for the virtualmachinehas failed.

■ Unable to validateThe last backup validation job for the virtualmachine has failedto start.

The status appears as a hyperlink. Click the link to see the reportfor the last backup validation job. You can see reports for the lastthree backup validation jobs.

Last ValidationStatus

9Monitoring virtual machine backupsAbout the monitoring view

Table 2-1 Virtual machine backup details (continued)

DescriptionItem

Shows one of the following statuses:

■ EnabledThe virtual machine is enabled for auto recovery.

■ SuccessfulThe virtual machine was restored successfully.

■ Successful with exceptionsThe virtual machine was restored successfully. However, someexceptions occurred.

■ FailedThe virtual machine was not restored.

■ Consent PendingThe virtual machine has faulted and is awaiting your consentfor auto recovery.

Click the status to see the pending auto recovery request andto restore the virtual machine.

■ In ProgressThe restore job for the virtual machine is running.

■ Unable to startThe restore job for the virtual machine was not created.

■ UnknownThe status of the restore job for the virtual machine is notknown.

Auto Recovery


Accessing the monitoring viewTo get the monitoring information for the virtual machines, you must connect tothe media server that protects them. You must have backup operator rights onthe media server that protects the virtual machines that you want to monitor.

After you are connected to amedia server, amonitoring view for thatmedia serveris added to theSymantecBackupExec tab. Themonitoring view remains availableuntil you close it.

See “Closing the monitoring view for a media server” on page 12.

Monitoring virtual machine backupsAccessing the monitoring view

10

To access the monitoring view

1 Log on to the vSphere client.

Note: The VMWare vCenter or ESX hosts are added to the Backup Execselection list using the NetBIOS name, fully qualified domain name (FQDN),or IP address. You must use the same name to log on to the vCenter or theESX host from the vSphere client. For example, you used the FQDN(servername.domain.com) to add vCenter to the Backup Exec selection list.Then, youmust log on to the vCenter from the vSphere client using the FQDNonly.

2 On the Symantec Backup Exec tab, enter the logon credentials that arerequired to connect to the media server.

3 Click Login.

The monitoring view for the media server is added to the Symantec BackupExec tab.

ClickLogintoServer to connect tomoremedia servers. A separatemonitoringview is added to the Symantec Backup Exec tab for each media server youconnect to.


See “Generating reports” on page 12.

Updating the monitoring viewBy default, themonitoring view status is updated after eight hours. However, youcan update it on demand. The number of hours since the monitoring view waslast updated appears in the top right corner of the interface. Position the cursorover the last update (in hours) to see the actual time of the last update and thetime of the next update.

The default monitoring view update interval is configurable.

See “Configuring the update interval for the monitoring view” on page 35.

To update the monitoring view

1 From the Select View list, select the monitoring view you want to update.

2 Click the update icon.

Update icon

11Monitoring virtual machine backupsUpdating the monitoring view

Generating reportsThe Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware lets you generatethe following reports:

Table 2-2 Backup Exec reports

DescriptionReport Name

Includes all the information that is shownin themonitoring view for themedia servers.

See “Accessing the monitoring view”on page 10.

Backup Exec: Protected Virtual Machines

Includes all the information that is shownin the Unprotected Machines view.

See “Viewing a list of unprotected virtualmachines” on page 13.

Backup Exec: Unprotected VirtualMachines

Both the reports can be generated in Comma Separated Value (CSV) or HTMLformat.

To generate a report

1 From the Select View list, select the required monitoring view or theUnprotected Machines view.

2 Click the generate report icon.

Generate report icon

3 Type a file name, select a file location and file type, and then click Save.


Closing the monitoring view for a media serverYou have to disconnect from a media server to close its monitoring view.

To close the monitoring view for a media server

1 From the Select View list, select the monitoring view that you want to close.

2 Click Logout.

See “Accessing the monitoring view” on page 10.

Monitoring virtual machine backupsGenerating reports

12

Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtualmachine

In case you want to view the backup details of a specific virtual machine, you cando so by accessing the protection summary. The backup details of each virtualmachine are updated in the summary notes for the virtual machines. Theprotection summary information is displayed in the Annotations section of theSummary tab in the vSphere client application.

Note: If required, you can prevent the protection summary from appearing in theAnnotations section. To prevent the the protection summary from appearing inthe Annotations section, set the DisableAnnotation key in theBEVMPlugin.config file to True. The BEVMPlugin.config file is located at\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\Virtual InfrastructureClient\Plugins\Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware.

To view the protection summary of a specific virtual machine

1 Open the vSphere client application.

2 In the left pane, select the required virtual machine.

3 Click the Summary tab.

The monitoring information is shown in the Annotations section.


See “Virtual machine backup details” on page 8.

Viewing a list of unprotected virtual machinesA default view, called Unprotected Machines is available in the Select View list.This viewprovides a list of virtualmachines that arenot protected, or are protectedusing some other media server you are not connected to. Only the name of thevirtual machine is available in this view. No other details are provided.

To view a list of unprotected virtual machines

◆ From the Select View list, select Unprotected Machines.

See “Excluding a virtual machine from protection” on page 14.

See “Generating reports” on page 12.

13Monitoring virtual machine backupsViewing the protection summary of a specific virtual machine

Excluding a virtual machine from protectionIf you donotwant to protect a virtualmachine, you can exclude it from the backupjobs. Backup Exec does not back up the virtual machines that are excluded frombackup jobs.

Note: After a virtual machine is excluded from backup jobs, you must use theBackup Exec Administration Console to include the virtual machine in backupjobs again.

Note: You cannot exclude a virtual machine that is configured for auto recovery.

See “About virtual machine auto recovery” on page 23.

To exclude a virtual machine from protection

1 From the Select View list, select the media server view that includes thevirtual machine that you want to exclude from backup jobs.

2 Right-click the protected virtual machine, and then click Exclude.

See “Viewing a list of unprotected virtual machines” on page 13.


Monitoring virtual machine backupsExcluding a virtual machine from protection

14

Validating virtual machinebackups


■ About validating virtual machine backups

■ Before you validate virtual machine backups

■ Validating virtual machine backups

About validating virtual machine backupsYou can validate virtual machine backups to ensure the integrity of the backupsand test the ability to restore from them. You can validate the backups that arestored on backup-to-disk folders or deduplication storage folders.

During backup validation, the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in forVMware does the following:

■ Checks if the backups are complete and readable.

■ Performs a recovery validation of the backups without restoring them.

See “Before you validate virtual machine backups” on page 15.

Before you validate virtual machine backupsBeforeyouvalidatevirtualmachinebackups, youmust installVMwareWorkstation7.0 or later on your computer. You can download VMware Workstation at thefollowing URL:

http://www.vmware.com/go/vmvalidator

3Chapter

http://www.vmware.com/go/vmvalidator

See “Validating virtual machine backups” on page 16.

Validating virtual machine backupsYou canvalidateGranularRecoveryTechnology (GRT)-enabled full backups only.You can validate up to the last three successful backups that were created withinthe last threemonths. Backups that are stored on both the backup-to-disk foldersor the deduplication storage folders can be validated.

Note: Incremental backups or full backups without GRT enabled cannot bevalidated.

Optionally, while validating the virtualmachine backups, you can also run customscripts on the virtual machines. For example, you can run a script to check if theSQL services or the application services are running.

Note: The backups that you want to validate must contain the VMware Tools.

See “Before you validate virtual machine backups” on page 15.

To validate a virtual machine backup

1 From the Select View list, select the media server view that includes thevirtual machine whose backup you want to validate.

2 Select one or more virtual machines, and then click Validate.

Ensure that all the virtual machines that are required at the time of recoveryare selected for validation.

Note: If you select a virtualmachine that is a part of a vApp, all the associatedvirtual machines are automatically selected for validation.

3 In the Select the virtual machines that need to be validated panel, specifythe logon accounts that you want to use to access the backup sets and thevirtual machines.

The backup sets are accessed with read-only permissions.

See “General options for backup validation” on page 18.

4 Click Next.

Validating virtual machine backupsValidating virtual machine backups

16

5 In the Select the backup that needs to be validated panel, select the backupthat you want to validate for each virtual machine.

You can select only one backup at a time for each virtual machine.

Note: Backups of excluded virtual machines are not available for validation.To validate backups of an excluded virtual machine, you must include thevirtualmachine in backup jobsusing theBackupExecAdministrationConsole.

6 Click Next to select the custom scripts you want to run on the virtualmachines.

7 (Optional) In theAddscripts fortheselectedVirtualMachines panel, do thefollowing:

Do the following in the order listed:

■ In theSpecifytheorderforvalidatingvirtualmachines list, select a virtual machine whoseorder you want to change.

■ Click the Up or the Down arrow to move thevirtual machine to the desired position in thelist.

■ Repeat the steps for all the virtual machineswhose order you want to change.

To change theorder for validatingthe virtual machines


■ Click Add Script.■ On the Browse dialog box, navigate to the

location that contains the script.

■ Select the script, and then click OK.

To add a script


■ In the Specify the script execution order for<Virtual machine name> list, select a scriptwhose order you want to change.

■ Click the Up or the Down arrow to move thescript to the desired position in the list.

■ Repeat the steps for all the scriptswhose orderyou want to change.

To change the order for executingthe scripts

17Validating virtual machine backupsValidating virtual machine backups


■ In the Specify the script execution order for<Virtual machine name> list, select a scriptyou want to remove.

■ Click Remove Script.

To remove a script

8 Click Next to specify whether you want to validate the selected virtualmachines individually or set up anetwork to validate communication betweenthem.

See “Network Settings options for virtual machines” on page 20.

9 Click Validate to begin the backup validation.

During the backup validation, the validation progress details are displayed.

10 After the backup validation is complete, click OK.

See “About validating virtual machine backups” on page 15.

General options for backup validationThe following table describes the options in the Select thevirtualmachines thatneedstovalidatedpanel. The options that you configure here are used to validatethe virtual machine backups.


Table 3-1 Backup Validate Options

DescriptionOption

Indicates the name or the IP address of the mediaserver that protects the virtual machines.

Media server name


18

Table 3-1 Backup Validate Options (continued)

DescriptionOption

Lets you select a logon account that you want to use toaccess the backup-to-disk folders where your backupsets reside. Select a logon account that hasadministrator privileges on themedia server onwhichthe backup-to-disk folders are located. If the selectedbackup sets reside ondifferent backup-to-disk folders,select a logon account that can be used to access all ofthem.

You are not required to select a logon account if anyof the following is true:

■ The backup sets storage location is other thanbackup-to-disk folders. For example, deduplicationstorage folders.

■ The vSphere client is running on the media serverthat contains the backup-to-disk folderswhere yourbackup sets reside.

Logonaccountforbackup-to-disk

Lets you select a logon account that you want to use toaccess the deduplication storage folders where yourbackup sets reside. Select the logon account that wasused to create the deduplication storage folder.

If you have selected multiple backups for validation,ensure that they are stored on the same deduplicationstorage folder. You cannot validate the backups thatare stored on different deduplication storage foldersat the same time.

Logonaccount fordeduplicationstorage

Lets you select a logon account that you want to use toaccess the virtual machines and run scripts on them.Ensure that you select a logon account that hasprivileges for running the scripts on the virtualmachine.

You are not required to select a logon account for thevirtual machines on which you do not want to run anyscripts.

Logon credentials for virtualmachines

Shows a list of virtualmachines and lets you add themto the list of virtual machines that are selected forbackup validation.

Add


Table 3-1 Backup Validate Options (continued)

DescriptionOption

Lets you remove virtual machines that are marked forremoval from the list of virtual machines that areselected for backup validation.

Note: Before you use this option, select the Removecheck box for the virtual machines to mark them forremoval.

Remove

Network Settings options for virtual machinesThe following table describes the options in the Specify thenetwork settings forthe virtual machines panel. These options enable you to either validate eachvirtual machine individually, or set up a network to validate communicationbetween them.


Table 3-2 Network Settings Options

DescriptionOption

Validatesbackupofonevirtualmachine, powersit off, and then moves to the next virtualmachine backup. Select this option if you wantto validate each virtual machine individually.Symantec recommends using this optionwhenyouhave limited systemresources andyouwantto validate multiple virtual machine backups.

Validate one virtual machine at a timewithout setting up private network

Lets you set up a private network within thevirtual machines that are selected forvalidation. Select this option if you want tovalidate if the virtual machines cancommunicate with each other. For example, ifyour Exchange Server andActive Directory areon separate virtualmachines, youmust use thisoption.

Set up private network for validatingcommunication between virtualmachines

Indicates that the virtual machines that areselected for validation are in the same subnet.

Selected virtual machines are in thesame subnet


20

Table 3-2 Network Settings Options (continued)

DescriptionOption

Indicates that the virtual machines that areselected for validation are in separate subnets.Selecting this option enables you to set up aprivate network between the virtual machines.

Selected virtual machines are inseparate subnet

Lists all the virtual machines that are selectedfor validation. You can select a virtualmachineand specify its network details in the Virtualmachine network details field.

Virtual machine

Indicates the name or the IP address of the ESXServer that hosts the selected virtual machine.

This field is not editable.

ESX Server

Lists the networks towhich the selected virtualmachine belongs.


Virtual machine network

Lets you specify the network details, that is, thesubnet mask and the gateway address for theselected virtual machine.

Virtual machine network details



22

Recovering virtualmachines automatically


■ About virtual machine auto recovery

■ How virtual machine auto recovery works

■ About configuring firewall settings for virtual machine auto recovery

■ Configuring the ApplicationHA Console settings

■ Configuring the auto recovery settings

■ Configuring the notification settings

■ About the Configuration Synchronizer

■ Best practices for virtual machine auto recovery

About virtual machine auto recoveryThe Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware lets you configurevirtual machines for auto recovery. Backup Exec integrates with Symantec™ApplicationHA to enable virtualmachine auto recovery.ApplicationHAconstantlymonitors the health of the applications on the virtual machines. If an applicationon the virtual machine faults, ApplicationHA tries to bring it online. If the faultstill remains, the ApplicationHA triggers a virtual machine restart through itsintegration with VMware HA. If the fault still remains, ApplicationHA notifiesBackup Exec. Backup Exec automatically restores the virtual machine from itslatest backup set. By default, you are prompted for consent before Backup Execrestores the virtual machine.

4Chapter

Note: To auto-recover virtual machines, you must install the Symantec BackupExec Management Plug-in for VMware on the media server with Virtual MachineAuto Recovery feature selected. During installation, the Backup Exec HighAvailability service is deployed on the media server, which is required for virtualmachine auto recovery.

Once the Backup Exec High Availability service is running on the media server,you can configure auto recovery settings from remote computers.

See “How virtual machine auto recovery works” on page 24.

How virtual machine auto recovery worksBackup Exec integrates with Symantec ApplicationHA to enable auto recovery ofvirtualmachines.ApplicationHAconstantlymonitors thehealthof theapplicationson the virtual machines. If an application on the virtual machine faults,ApplicationHA tries to bring it online. If the fault still remains, theApplicationHAtriggers a virtual machine restart through its integration with VMware HA.ApplicationHA and VMware HA settings control the number of attempts to bringthe application online and the number of virtual machine restarts. IfApplicationHA's remediationprocedures donot rectify the fault, it notifies BackupExec to restore the virtual machine.

On receiving the notification, Backup Exec automatically sets up a restore job forthe virtualmachine. By default, you are prompted for consent before BackupExecrestores the virtualmachine. You can respond to the consent prompt through theSymantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware. The virtual machinefiles, such as, configuration, snapshot, and log files are preserved before the virtualmachine is restored. You may use these files for diagnostics and data recovery.You may delete these files after you have used them to free up disk space.

Note: Symantec ApplicationHA needs to be purchased and installed separately.Formore information about SymantecApplicationHA, refer to the followingURL:

http://www.symantec.com/business/application-ha


Recovering virtual machines automaticallyHow virtual machine auto recovery works

24

http://www.symantec.com/business/application-ha

About configuring firewall settings for virtualmachineauto recovery

If firewall is enabled on the media severs, you must add the following to theFirewall Exceptions list:

■ BackupExecHAServiceHost.exe

■ BackupExecHAPreserveVM.exe

■ Bewl.exe

■ Unrequester.Register.exe

■ Ports 50104, 50105, and 50106

See “Configuring the ApplicationHA Console settings” on page 25.

Configuring the ApplicationHA Console settingsThe ApplicationHA Console Settings view lets you enable the Virtual MachineAuto Recovery feature and configure the ApplicationHA Console for the selectedBackup Exec media server.

To configure the ApplicationHA Console settings

1 In the Select View list, select the media server view that includes the virtualmachines you want to configure for auto recovery.

2 Click Auto Recovery.

3 Click ApplicationHA Console Settings.

4 Specify the options for configuring ApplicationHA Console settings.

See “Options for configuring ApplicationHA Console settings” on page 25.

5 Click Configure.

6 Click Apply.

See “About configuring firewall settings for virtual machine auto recovery”on page 25.

Options for configuring ApplicationHA Console settingsThe following table describes the options for configuring ApplicationHA Consolesettings.

See “Configuring the ApplicationHA Console settings” on page 25.

25Recovering virtual machines automaticallyAbout configuring firewall settings for virtual machine auto recovery

Table 4-1 ApplicationHA Console settings

DescriptionOption

Enables theVirtualMachineAutoRecovery feature.Youmust select this option to performauto recoveryof virtual machines.

You can configure the ApplicationHA Consolesettings only after you select this option.

Note: If you deselect this option, the existingApplicationHA Console settings are removed.

Enable Virtual Machine AutoRecovery with ApplicationHA

Indicates the name or the IP address of the mediaserver for which you want to configure theApplicationHA Console.


Media Server Name

Lets you type the name or the IP address of theApplicationHA Console server that you want toconfigure for the selected media server.

Note: For the first time configuration, ensure thatyou specify an ApplicationHA Console server thatyou trust.

ApplicationHA Console Server

Lets you select the logon account that you want touse to connect to the ApplicationHA Console. Youmust select a logon account that has administrativeprivileges on the ApplicationHA Console server. Itcan be a local administrator account or a domainaccount with administrator privileges.

Click the buttonnext to theApplicationHAConsoleLogon Account field to select a logon account. Onthe Logon Account Selection dialog box you canselect, add, or edit logon accounts.

See “Adding or editing logon accounts” on page 26.

ApplicationHA Console LogonAccount

Adding or editing logon accountsOn the Logon Account Selection dialog box, you can add or edit ApplicationHAConsole logon accounts.

Recovering virtual machines automaticallyConfiguring the ApplicationHA Console settings

26

To add a new ApplicationHA logon account

1 On the Logon Account Selection dialog box, click New.

2 Enter the appropriate options.

See “Create logon account options” on page 27.

3 Click OK.

To edit an existing logon account

1 On the Logon Account Selection dialog box, select the logon account youwant to edit.

2 Click Edit.

3 Edit the required options.

See “Edit logon account options” on page 28.

4 Click OK.


Create logon account optionsThe following table describes the options on the Create Logon Account dialogbox.


Table 4-2 Create logon account options

DescriptionOption

Lets you type a user name for the logon account.User Name

Lets you type a password for the logon account. You canleave this field blank if the logon account does not need apassword.

Password

Lets you retype the password for verification. The passwordmust match the password you typed in the Password field.

Confirm Password

Lets you type a name for the logon account. This nameappears on the Logon Account Selection dialog box.

Account Name

27Recovering virtual machines automaticallyConfiguring the ApplicationHA Console settings

Table 4-2 Create logon account options (continued)

DescriptionOption

Enables the logon account to be used only by the owner ofthe logonaccount and thosewhoknowthepassword.Anyoneother than the owner who needs to edit the auto recoverysettings is required to enter the password for the logonaccount.

If you do not select this option, a common shared logonaccount is created.

This is a restricted logonaccount

Edit logon account optionsThe following table describes the options on the Edit Logon Account dialog box.


Table 4-3 Edit logon account options

DescriptionOption

Lets you edit the user name for the logon account.User Name

Lets you edit the password for the logon account.Change Password

Lets you edit the name of the logon account.Account Name

Configuring the auto recovery settingsThe Auto Recovery Settings view lets you configure the default settings for autorecovery. It also lets you addnewvirtualmachines and configure the auto recoverysettings for them.

Additionally, it displays the virtualmachines that are already configured for autorecovery and lets you edit their auto recovery settings.

Note: Before you start configuring the auto recovery settings, ensure that theApplicationHA Console settings are configured. The auto recovery settings areenabled only after the ApplicationHA Console settings are configured.

Recovering virtual machines automaticallyConfiguring the auto recovery settings

28

To configure the auto recovery settings



3 Click Virtual Machine Auto Recovery Settings.

4 Specify the required auto recovery options.

See “Auto recovery options” on page 29.

5 Click Apply.

See “Best practices for virtual machine auto recovery” on page 33.

Auto recovery optionsThe following table describes the auto recovery options that you can configurefor the virtual machines.

See “Configuring the auto recovery settings” on page 28.

Table 4-4 Auto recovery options

DescriptionOption

Enables Backup Exec to restore virtual machinesonly if the backup is not older than the specifiednumber of days or hours. By default, this is set to2 days.

This option is applicable to all the virtualmachinesthat are configured for auto recovery.

Note: Encrypted backups are not supported. If thelatest backup is encrypted, it is skipped silently andthe last newest backup is used to restore the virtualmachine.

Recover only if latest backup iswithin x

Lets you select a default logon account forconnecting to the vCenter. You can select the samelogon account that is used for backing up yourvirtual machines.

Click Validate Logon Account to ensure that youcan connect to vCenter using the selected logonaccount.

Default vCenter Logon Account

29Recovering virtual machines automaticallyConfiguring the auto recovery settings

Table 4-4 Auto recovery options (continued)

DescriptionOption

Indicates the vSphere inventory path that iscurrently selected. For example, datacenter orfolder.


vSphere Inventory Path

Indicates thenameor the IP address of the selectedmedia server.


Media Server

Shows a list of virtualmachines that are configuredfor auto recovery. The auto recovery settings forthe selected virtual machine and its last restorestatus is displayed in the Auto Recovery Settingsfor<virtualmachinename> area. The last restorestatus appears as a blue hyperlink. Click the link tosee the restore job log.

You can clickEdit to edit the auto recovery settingsfor the selected virtual machines.

Configured Virtual Machines

Shows a list of virtual machines and lets you addthem to the list of virtual machines that areconfigured for auto recovery.

The new virtual machines are added with defaultauto recovery settings. If required, you can selectthe virtualmachine, clickEdit, and edit the defaultauto recovery settings.

See “Edit auto recovery settings options”on page 31.

Add

Lets you edit the auto recovery settings for theselected virtual machine.

See “Edit auto recovery settings options”on page 31.

Edit

Lets you remove the selected virtualmachine fromthe list of virtual machines that are configured forauto recovery.

Remove

Recovering virtual machines automaticallyConfiguring the auto recovery settings

30

Edit auto recovery settings optionsThe following table describes the options on the Edit Auto Recovery Settingsdialog box.


See “Auto recovery options” on page 29.

Table 4-5 Edit auto recovery settings options

DescriptionOption

Indicates the name of the virtual machine youselected for editing auto recovery settings.


Virtual Machine Name

Enables Backup Exec to prompt for your consentbefore it restores the virtual machine in case itfaults. If this option is set to No, Backup Execrestores the virtual machine without promptingyou first.

You must set this option to Yes for the virtualmachines that belong to other users.When you areprompted to restore such virtualmachines, you caninform the owner before restoring them.

By default, this option is set to Yes.

Prompt for consent before restore

Preserves all the files, such as, configuration,snapshot, and log files, that constitute a virtualmachine.

Thepreserved files are stored in a subfolder namedBackup_Exec_VM_Faulted_On_Date. The subfolderis created in the location where the virtualmachine’s source vmdk file resides.

By default, this option is enabled.

Note: Backup Exec does not support independentdisks (vmdk). If the virtual machine hasindependent disks, they are not preserved even ifthis option is selected.

Preserve files of faulted virtualmachine before restore

31Recovering virtual machines automaticallyConfiguring the auto recovery settings

Table 4-5 Edit auto recovery settings options (continued)

DescriptionOption

Lets you use a logon account other than the defaultvCenter logon account for the selected virtualmachine.

After you select this option, you can specify thelogon account that you want to use for the virtualmachine in the vCenter Logon Account field.

Override Default vCenter LogonAccount for this virtual machine

This field is enabled only after you select the optionOverride Default vCenter Logon Account for thisvirtual machine.

Lets you select the vCenter logon account that youwant to use for the selected virtual machine. Clickthe buttonnext to thevCenterLogonAccount fieldto select a logon account. You can select the samelogon account that is used for backing up yourvirtual machines.

Note: The logon account you select is used only forthe selected virtual machine. All other virtualmachines continue to use the default vCenter logonaccount.

vCenter Logon Account

Configuring the notification settingsYou can configure notification settings to inform recipients when importantevents occur during auto recovery. For example, a notification is sent whenApplicationHAConsole notifies Backup Exec to restore a faulted virtualmachine,or when Backup Exec restores a faulted virtual machine.

To send notifications you must first configure the SMTP server settings on theBackup Exec server. For information on configuring SMTP server settings, seethe Symantec Backup Exec Administrator’s Guide.

Note:The auto recovery events that occur on themedia server and in the vSphereClient are entered in Windows events and VMware events respectively.

Recovering virtual machines automaticallyConfiguring the notification settings

32

To configure notification settings



3 Click Notification Settings.

4 Do one of the following:

Click Add.To select the recipients who must receive thenotifications.

Click Edit.To edit the email address of the selected recipient.

Click Remove.To remove any of the recipients you have selected toreceive notifications.

Click New.To create new recipients.

5 Click Apply.


About the Configuration SynchronizerBackupExec synchronizes its configuration informationwithvSphereenvironmentandApplicationHAonce every day. It detects anyvirtualmachines that have beenremoved from thevSphere environment and removes themfrom its configuration.It synchronizeswithApplicationHA to ensure thatApplicationHAnotifies BackupExec when application failures are detected on the virtual machines that areconfigured for auto recovery.


Best practices for virtual machine auto recoveryThe following best practices are recommended for virtualmachine auto recovery:

■ Monitor Windows event logs to see the events that occur on the Backup Execmedia server.

■ Monitor VMware event logs to see the events that occur in the vSphere Client.

■ Register to receive email notifications when important events occur duringauto recovery.See “Configuring the notification settings” on page 32.

33Recovering virtual machines automaticallyAbout the Configuration Synchronizer

■ Reconfigure a virtual machine for auto recovery if it is renamed or moved inthe vSphere inventory.

■ Back up a virtual machine in the following scenarios:

■ A virtual machine is enabled for auto recovery.

■ Any software is updated or upgraded on the virtual machine. For example,Windows software update or ApplicationHA Agent Pack upgrade.

■ A monitored application on the virtual machine is reconfigured. Forexample, a new application or service is added for monitoring.

■ When the Preserve files of faulted virtual machine before restore option isenabled, the files of the faulted virtualmachine are stored before it is restored.These files are stored in a folder named Backup_Exec_VM_Faulted_On_Date,which is created in the location where the virtual machine’s source vmdk fileresides. You must manually delete these files after use to free up disk space.SymantecBackupExecManagementPlug-in forVMwaredoesnotautomaticallyremove the virtual machine files.


Recovering virtual machines automaticallyBest practices for virtual machine auto recovery

34

Configuring the defaultsettings for SymantecBackup Exec ManagementPlug-in for VMware


■ Configuring the update interval for the monitoring view

■ Changing the default folders for storing temporary backup validation files andreports

■ Specifying the operation timeout values

Configuring the update interval for the monitoringview

The default update interval that you configure applies to all themonitoring views.

To configure the update interval for the monitoring view

1 On thePlug-insmenu, clickConfigureSymantecBackupExecManagementPlug-in for VMware.

2 Click General Settings.

3 In the Update the status of monitoring view every: field, type the numberof hours you want to wait between updates of the monitoring view.

4 Click OK.

5Chapter

See “Updating the monitoring view” on page 11.

See “Changing the default folders for storing temporary backup validation filesand reports” on page 36.

See “Specifying the operation timeout values” on page 37.

Changing the default folders for storing temporarybackup validation files and reports

The Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware creates temporaryfiles during backup validation. These temporary files are removed from yourcomputer after the backup validation is completed. The Symantec Backup ExecManagementPlug-in forVMware also generates reports,which include the backupvalidation details.

Bydefault, the temporary backupvalidation files and the backupvalidation reportsare stored in the following folders:

■ Temporary backup validation files\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\VirtualMachine Validator\Temporary Storage

■ Backup validation reports\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\VirtualMachine Validator\Validation Reports

If required, you can change the default folders to any other folders of your choice.

To change the default folders for storing temporary backup validation files andreports:


2 Click Virtual Machine Validator Settings.

3 Under Folder Settings, type the path to the required folders or click Browseto locate the folders.

4 Click OK.


See “Specifying the operation timeout values” on page 37.

Configuring the default settings for Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMwareChanging the default folders for storing temporary backup validation files and reports

36

Specifying the operation timeout valuesThe timeout values determine the amount of time (in minutes) the SymantecBackup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware should wait before it terminatesan operation. You can configure the timeout values for terminating the virtualmachine power-on operation and running the scripts.

To configure the operation timeout values


2 Click Virtual Machine Validator Settings.

3 Under Timeout Settings, specify the timeout values as required.

4 Click OK.

See “Changing the default folders for storing temporary backup validation filesand reports” on page 36.


37Configuring the default settings for Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMwareSpecifying the operation timeout values

Configuring the default settings for Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMwareSpecifying the operation timeout values

38

Date post:	29-Nov-2014
Category:	Documents
Upload:	dangelrobles
View:	218 times
Download:	0 times