User`s guide

Chapter 3
Configuring the Plug-in
20
This transport mode is not as efficient as the SAN mode which does
not cause any overhead on the ESX Server host. However, it is more
efficient than the LAN mode.
To use this transport mode, select hotadd in the Transport Mode list.
 LAN Mode – The LAN transport mode can be used when the ESX/
ESXi Server uses local storage devices or NAS to store its virtual
machine disks. In this mode, the Plug-in for VMware uses the Network
Block Device (NBD) protocol to access virtual disks. The ESX Server
host reads the data from the storage device and sends it across a
network channel to the plug-in.
The LAN transport mode does not support virtual disks that are larger
than 1TB in size.
This transport mode does not completely off load backup processes
from the ESX Server. However, it supports any storage device and
does not require a dedicated physical NVBU Client.
To use the LAN transport mode, configure the parameter as follows:
 If your ESX/ESXi Server Host and the Plug-in for VMware are on a
secure isolated network, select nbd for unencrypted data transfers.
This mode is faster than nbdssl and takes fewer resources of the
ESX Server and NVBU Client.
 To protect sensitive information using encrypted data transfers,
enter nbdssl.
 Fallback Transport Mode – If your setup includes a combination of SAN,
NAS, or locally-attached SCSI storage for virtual machines, you can
configure a fallback transportation mode which can be used when the
primary transportation mode fails.
Depending on the type of storage your ESX/ESXi Server has access to,
select san, hotadd, nbd or nbdssl in the Fallback Transport Mode list.
If no alternative is available, select none. On new plug-in installations, the
fallback transport mode is set to nbd by default.
 Default Inventory View – The Plug-in for VMware provides two View
Types to browse the VMware inventory objects in the NVBU Backup
window:
 Hosts and Clusters – The Hosts and Clusters view provides a
hierarchical view of the hosts, clusters, and their child objects. In a
cluster setup (managed by a vCenter Server), this view displays the
virtual machines under the Cluster node, while in a standalone ESX
Server setup, it displays the virtual machines under the individual
hosts. This is the default inventory view for the Plug-in for VMware.
The Hosts and Clusters view does not include the folders created on
the vCenter Server in the hierarchy.