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Overview Documentation Materials

Creating a VMware QuickSpin Backup Set

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VMware QuickSpin allow you to back up VMware virtual machines frequently as well as restore in a matter of minutes.

VMware QuickSpin cannot back up to the cloud. if you need an off-site copy of the virtual machines you need a VMware Standard backup set in addition to a VMware QuickSpin set.

Best practices are to put QuickSpin backups on a different host than the one housing the virtual machines being backed up, but it is not a requirement for them to work. You should be able to run a VMware QuickSpin backup from any machine that can access and authenticate with the ESX/EXi host or vCenter machine managing the virtual machines you want to back up.

During the Backup

If the virtual machines' host is not already recognized, you need to add the IP address of the ESX/ESXi host or vCenter machine managing the virtual machines.

If the Backup Agent needs credentials to authenticate with the server you added, it prompts you for them. After the host/vCenter has been added, a list of virtual machines available to be backed up are displayed
For a virtual machine to be eligible for backups, it must meet the following requirements:

  • The UUID attribute must be enabled for the virtual machine you intend to back up.
  • The virtual machine must use only SCSI disks.
  • The virtual machine must not use dynamic disks.
    For clarification, dynamic disks are excluded from being present at the guest operating system level; if you open Disk Management from within the guest OS and there are dynamic volumes present, they are not backed up.

Destination Host

The VMware QuickSpin backup replicates the source VM data to a standby VM on another host. You must select the Destination Host and the Datastore that host the recovery VMs. It is optional to designate a resource pool and VM folder; however, you must select None on the Recovery VM Destination page if you do not want these options.

When the backup runs, the recovery VM is updated so the backup/standby VM is always up to date as of the latest backup. Whatever has changed between the last backup and the current backup is then stored in the local storage that you selected.

A VM cannot be part of more than one VMware Standard backup set or more than one QuickSpin backup at a time. However, a VM can be part of a VMware Standard and a VMware QuickSpin backup set simultaneously.

VMware QuickSpin Licensing

A monthly license fee is charged on a per ESXi host basis when 1 or more VMs are backed up from that ESXi host. The license fee is the same whether you back up 1 VM or many VMs on that ESXi host. This license fee is incurred for each ESXi host in your inventory that has one or more VMs being backed up.

Backup Up

To create a VMware QuickSpin backup, perform the following steps.

  1. Navigate to the Computer page. See Navigating to the Computer Page for instructions.
    The Computer page is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 9:33:14.png

  2. Click the Backup tab.
    The Backup Selections page is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 9:34:59.png

  3. In the Backup Type pane, click VMware QuickSpin.
    The Select page is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 9:36:5.png

  4. Click the Backup Name to provide a new name for the backup set or accept the default. See Changing Backup Set Names.

    If the following error message is displayed, you must provide a valid certificate, otherwise your system security is at risk.

    image2021-9-16 9:37:16.png

  5. To upload a self-signed certificate, click the Upload a self-signed certificate file and then click OK.
    The Open dialog is displayed where you can select the certificate.

    See Self-signed Certificates.

  6. Select the VMs to be backed up.
    Note: Any VMs that already are included in other backup sets are grayed out.
    Clicking the arrow image2021-9-16 10:3:23.png at the right of the VM displays more revisions of the VM.
    Your selections are displayed in the far-right pane.

  7. Click the remove icon image2021-9-16 10:3:45.png to remove any selections or clear the item check box.

    image2021-9-16 10:4:41.png

  8. Click Next.
    The Recovery VM Destination page is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 10:5:48.png

    Requirements: You must select the Destination Host and the Datastore that is hosting the recovery VMs. It is optional to designate a Resource Pool and VM Folder; however, you must select None if you do not want these options.

  9. To add a new ESXi or vCenter server, see Adding a New ESXi or vCenter Server.

  10. Select the ellipsis image2021-9-16 10:10:1.png in the Destination Host column.
    The Destination Host pop up is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 10:10:51.png

    CAUTIONS!

    As a best practice, select an ESXi host for the restore destination that does not already contain the protected VM. Otherwise, both the protected and recovery VM could be lost.

    To increase the recoverability of the VM, protect it by using a VMware Standard backup set in addition to this VMware QuickSpin backup set. This action protects the VMs by storing both a local and cloud backup of your VM.

  11. Click the Destination Host.
    The Change Server Credentials option is activated.

    image2021-9-16 10:14:36.png

  12. To change server credentials, see Changing Server Credentials.

  13. Select the Destination Host radio button, and then click OK.

    image2021-9-16 10:17:21.png

  14. Select the VM Folder radio button or the None radio button, if you do not want a VM Folder, and then click OK.
    The ellipses are displayed for the other options.

    image2021-9-16 10:17:59.png

  15. Select the ellipsis image2021-9-16 10:21:5.png in the Resource Pool column.
    The Resource Pool pop up is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 10:19:17.png

  16. Select the Resource Pool radio button or the None radio button, if you do not want a Resource Pool, and then click OK.

    Select the ellipsis image2021-9-16 10:21:24.png in the VM Folder column, if required.
    The VM Folder pop up is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 10:22:26.png

  17. Select the VM Folder radio button or the None radio button, if you do not want a VM Folder, and then click OK.

    Select the ellipsis image2021-9-16 10:25:7.png in the Datastore column, if required.

    The Datastore pop up is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 10:30:14.png

  18. Select a Datastore radio button, and then click OK.

    Recommendation: As a best practice, do not choose the same Datastore as the source VM. Otherwise, both production and recovery VM could both be lost in the event of a Datastore failure.

    After making your selections, the completed configuration is denoted with a green check mark  as shown below.

    image2021-9-16 10:32:16.png

  19. Click Next.
    The Schedule page is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 10:33:25.png

  20. Accept or edit the default schedule. See Adding a New Daily or Weekly Schedule for more information.

    An hourly backup is the default schedule for the backup set.

    Multiple weekly schedules are permitted (if they do not overlap).

    Minutely, hourly or daily recurrences cannot be mixed with weekly recurrences.

    Only one minutely, hourly or daily schedule can be configured.

    The Allow to Finish check box is selected and grayed out.

  21. After setting the schedule, click Next.
    The Retention page is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 10:39:24.png

    The backup default schedule is every 1 hour. Keeping 96 versions retains 4 days of recoverable versions at the destination.

    The backup set preserves the current state of the virtual machines only. User generated snapshots are not saved.

  22. Optionally, select how many versions of each file you would like to keep, and then click Next.
    Note    : The number of revisions can be set to any number between 1 and 99.
    The Advanced page is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 10:41:40.png

    Requirement: You must specify a temporary folder located on a disk with enough space.

    At the Temporary Folder field, accept the default, type a new path, or click the Browse button to locate the temporary folder that is used in backing up. See Browsing to a Folder.
    Requirement    : You must specify a location for the local storage of the incremental backups.Type the path or browse to where the incremental versions of your recovery VMs are to be stored, and then click Next. See Browsing to a Folder.

    To restore a recovery VM successfully, you need both the recovery VM snapshot information (in vSphere) and the incremental version information stored in this location. This data is used to recover previous versions of VMware QuickSpin recovery VMs.

    The Summary page is displayed.

    image2021-9-16 10:45:42.png
    Licensing     Note: If you added an unlicensed host and added a VM to back up, the following message is displayed on the Summary page indicating a licensing fee charge. See  VMwareQuickSpinLicensingVMwareQuickSpinLicensingVMware QuickSpin LicensingVMwareQuickSpinLicensingVMwareQuickSpinLicensingfor more information.

  23. After reviewing your selections, click the Create Backup Set button.
    If you did not change the default backup set name, a confirmation pop-up is displayed, as shown in the example below. 

     image2021-9-16 10:48:18.png

    This feature allows you to create a unique name for the backup set. If you already changed the default backup set name, the pop-up is not displayed. See Changing Backup Set Names

    Optionally, change the backup set name, press Enter, and then click Confirm.

    The scheduled backup is displayed on the Backup Selections page.

 

After you run a QuickSpin backup and the recovery virtual machines are created, you must not start or alter those recovery virtual machines. Doing so may prevent subsequent backups and restores from working.