DP6.11 VMware Integration Enhancement for optimized VCBimage Backup

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Introduction
This document describes the VCBimage backup method in optimized mode.
HP Data Protector Software provides a complete solution for backing up a VMware virtual
Infrastructure environment. The virtual machines (VMs), ESX server console and also VirtualCenter
(VC) configuration database can be backed up using Data Protector. The backup methods
available to backup the Virtual machines are:
 Snapshot
 Suspend
 VCBfile
 VCBimage
During the VCBimage backup method, Data Protector uses the VCB utility command vcbMounter
to mount the virtual machines on a backup proxy host. Once mounted, the virtual machine is
copied (exported) to the backup proxy local disk. After the virtual machine copy is created, it is
transferred to Data Protector media. Data Protector executes vcbMounter in flat disk and
monolithic mode. Here the complete flat disk file (VMDK) is copied to the proxy as a whole. Since
the complete VM disks are copied to the proxy server, the backup time increases. It also takes
more disk space to store the copy.
When vcbMounter is called in flat disk mode:
Pros:
 The VMs can restore directly without any converter in the data pipe. What is backed up is what
is restored.
 Restore is faster because vcbRestore is not used. The time to deploy a VM is shorter.
Cons:
 Copying the VM in the proxy server also copies the unused disk space.
 Copying of the VMs to the proxy takes longer.
 More tape space is required to store the copies.
To address the cons, the Data Protector VMware integration agent is modified to perform
VCBimage backup in optimized mode.
Important:
This enhancement works with the existing limitations:
 VCBimage backup and restore is not supported for VMs with virtual disks spread across multiple
datastores.
 Restore of a VM to the VC tree (that is, to the folders or resource pool to which it originally
belonged) in the VC server is not possible.
 Only the vcbMounter transport mode option -m san is supported.