Backup remains the best approach to data protection for physical and virtual machines, even in the face of new threats to data integrity and availability. Conversely, virtual machine backup presents a challenge to IT admins in terms of storage, VM performance, resource efficiency, security, and recovery times. There are various methods to choose from to back up VMs.
This post explains the effective approach to back up VMware vSphere VMs is using NAKIVO Backup & Replication. This solution allows you to follow VMware backup best practices and is managed in a user-friendly web interface.
Also Read: VMware vSphere 8.0: vCenter Server Topology
Method to Back up VMware VMs with the NAKIVO Solution
- Prepare your environment for a backup:
- Add ESXi hosts and vCenter servers to NAKIVO the inventory. The added ESXi hosts have VMs that must be backed up.
- You can create a backup repository or use the default onboard backup repository. VMware VM backups will be stored there.
Also Read: VMware Certification Program Update: Eliminates Prerequisites for Certifications, Standardized Fees
- Go to Jobs, click + to add a new job and click Backup for VMware.
- At the Source step of the new backup job wizard for VMware, select the VMs you want to backup. You can choice multiple VMs residing on different ESXi hosts and vCenter servers. Hit Next at each step of the wizard to continue.
- Select a backup repository where to store VMware VM backups at the Destination step. We choice the onboard repository in this example.
- Configure scheduling and retention settings for a VM backup job. The NAKIVO solution offers a set of advanced features to configure a schedule and retention flexibly. You can create multiple schedules for a backup job, for example, the first schedule to back up a VM every day, the second schedule to back up a VM weekly and the third schedule to back up a VM monthly.
Each schedule has retention settings. You can establish how long to retain backups (recovery points) for each schedule and configure retention to meet the GFS retention policy. This way, you keep daily backups for 10 days, weekly backups for 2 months and monthly backups for two years (for example).
Also read: How to Migrate VMware to Hyper-V with Vinchin Backup & Recovery
You can enable immutability for a higher level of backup protection and reduce the risk of losing the backup data in case of a ransomware attack.
- Configure VMware backup job options. Enter a job name. At this step, you can enable a wide-ranging set of useful features that improve backup speed, security, reliability, and other useful options, including:
- Application-aware mode – using Volume Shadow Copy mechanisms in Windows VMs to make application-consistent backups when data is being written inside a running VM.
- Change Block Tracking – a native VMware feature for effective incremental backup.
- VM verification – testing a backup after creation.
- Storage saving options – exclude swap files or partitions, truncate Exchange or MS SQL Server logs.
- Full backup options – configure how often to perform a full backup and the method to create a full backup. This approach reduces the risk of losing data if a chain of incremental backups corrupts.
Also read: NAKIVO Backup & Replication v10.9 Released with Bare-Metal Recovery and vSphere 8.0 U1 Support
- Hit Finish to save settings and run the job on schedule or Finish & Run to save and run the job straightaway.
- Select a job run scope and schedule if you are running the job right now and click Run
FAQs
What is the simplest way to recover an individual file from backup with Nakivo backup & Replication?
Browse or search for files, choose the files you wish to recover, specify where you want them, click the button, and behold! The files are immediately recovered. To learn how to recover files with NAKIVO Backup & Replication, refer to File Recovery.
How much data can be stored in a single backup repository nakivo?
It is recommended that individual Backup Repository in NAKIVO Backup & Replication hold up to 128 TB of backup data after compression and deduplication. You can generate up to 500 number of Backup Repositories per solution installation.
How fast can Nakivo backup & Replication be installed?
Install on Windows or Linux; deploy as a preconfigured VMware vSphere/Nutanix AHV virtual appliance or Amazon Machine Image (AMI) in less than 1 minute; install on NAS.
Is it OK to delete old backup files?
For instance, deleting old backups can increase your backup performance, as you will have less data to transfer, encrypt, and verify. Deleting old backups can also enhance your backup security, as you will have less data to protect from unauthorized access, theft, or ransomware.
Is NAKIVO backup free?
NAKIVO’s Free Edition for Premium Data Protection. Download the Free Edition and start protective virtual, cloud, physical, and SaaS workloads without paying a penny.
Wrap-up
Mastering the art of backing up VMware VMs with NAKIVO Backup & Replication isn’t just about data protection—it’s about securing your virtualized world with precision and comfort. By embracing the best practice outlined here, you’re not only safeguarding your valuable data but also fortifying your infrastructure against unforeseen disasters.
With NAKIVO’s features, from incremental backups to granular recovery options, you exert the power to navigate any backup challenge with confidence. So, let your backups become the unsung heroes of your virtual environment, ensuring suppleness and peace of mind every step of the way. Start free trial from NAKIVO and test the endless features of protecting virtualized environments.
