You can create file-level backups for VMware virtual machines
that are running Microsoft Windows. Complete these steps
to prepare the environment for file-level backups of virtual machines.
- Configure the vStorage backup server, by completing the
following steps:
- Install the backup-archive client with the custom installation
option, including the VMware vStorage API runtime files component.
- Open the "Preferences Editor VM Backup" page and configure
the following options in the dsm.opt file:
| Option |
Description |
|---|
| VMBACKUPTYPE FILE |
Specifies that a file-level backup is created |
| VMCHOST |
Specifies either the host name of each ESX server
or the host name of the VMware Virtual Center. If you specify the
VMware Virtual Center, you can create backups from any of the VMware
servers that are managed by the VMware Virtual Center. |
| VMCPW |
Specifies the password for the VMware Virtual
Center or the ESX user ID that is specified with the vmcuser option. |
| VMCUSER |
Specifies the user ID for the VMware Virtual
Center or ESX user. |
| DOMAIN.VMFILE |
Specifies the virtual machines to process for
file-level backups. |
- Optional: Define include and exclude options
to control the files that are included in the backup.
- Optional: For data access, make the following
settings:
- Create storage area network (SAN) zones that your vStorage backup
server can use to access the storage logical units (LUNs) that host
your VMware data stores.
- Configure your disk subsystem host mappings so that all ESX servers
and the data mover node can access the same disk volumes.
- Prepare your VMware environment, by completing the following
steps:
Ensure that the VMware tools are installed
on each virtual machine, from the VMware virtual infrastructure client.- Ensure that the VMware Virtual Center and your vStorage
backup server resolve host names to the same internet protocol (IP)
addresses.
- Optional: Install a Tivoli® Storage
Manager client within
each virtual machine that you plan to use for file level restores.
You do not need any special setup or options for the virtual machine
that is installed by Tivoli Storage
Manager.
- Configure the Tivoli Storage
Manager server for
file-level VMware backups, by completing the following steps:
- Register a single node for the vStorage backup server.
For example:
register node DATAMOVER1 password.
- Register a node on the Tivoli Storage
Manager server for
each virtual machine that is backed up. For best results, use the
default Tivoli Storage
Manager node
name for the virtual machine. To find the node name, run the hostname command
from the virtual machine. For example:
DSMADMC>register node DATAMOVER1 password
DSMADMC>register node VM1 password
DSMADMC>register node VM2 password
...
DSMADMC>register node VMn password
Grant proxy access
for each of the virtual machines you are backing up, by entering the
following command: grant proxy agent=my_server_name target=my_guest_name
For
example: grant proxy agent=DATAMOVER1 target=VM1
grant proxy agent=DATAMOVER1 target=VM2
...
grant proxy agent=DATAMOVER1 target=VMn
- Configure include and exclude rules in the options file
on the vStorage backup server to control the files that are included
in the backup. The exclude list on the backup proxy can be set for
all virtual machines or for a specific virtual machine. If incremental
backups are created from within the virtual machine, the exclude list
on the virtual machine must match the exclude list on the backup proxy.
In most cases, the incremental backups run from the backup proxy.
The following examples demonstrate how to create exclude
statements.
To exclude files in the
temp directory
from the backup proxy for the single virtual machine
vm1:
exclude "\\vm1\c$\temp\...\*"
To exclude a file from backup proxy for all virtual machines:
exclude "\\*\X$\Directory\File"
When you use mount points without drive letter assignments,
specify an include or exclude statement for that volume, for example:
exclude \\machine\3$\dir1\...\*.doc