Veeam & Snapshots on vCloud Director

[vmbackupuser]

Just a curiousity. Perhaps somone can explain:

I've read that its not possible to create VM snapshots on vCD 1.5 (re: limitation of linked-clone vms)
How is this different from the action Veeam performs when backing up VMs from a vCD1.5 farm?

Snapshot on vCloud Director
http://communities.vmware.com/message/1893393

[Gostev]

While we have not tested our product against vCD 1.5, I am guessing that we simply won't be able to backup such VMs. No big deal though, since Fast Provisioning is optional functionality anyway...

[dellock6]

Well, basically even snapshots tasks are not officially supported in vCD, if you do them from the underlying vCenter.
We do backup anyway our VMs, we simply avoid offering fast provisioning to customers by now. At the end, is the same exact limitation for VMware View. we prefer to offer data protection of VMs rather than fast provisioning.

[vmbackupuser]

Can fast-provisioned (linked-clone) VMs be later converted to full clone VMs in the vCD interface?

[dellock6]

Hi, even if it's OT here: yes, but only as a vCloud admin, right-click on the powered off vApp and select Consolidate.

[Gostev]

Also, I believe not all types of linked clones are not supported. But let me discuss is with the devs first to make sure I don't lie to you.

[vmbackupuser]

Hi Gostev, have had chance to verify this, as per your last comment?

[Gostev]

Yes. Just as I thought, linked clones used by vCloud Director's fast provisioning feature should not cause any problems for Veeam B&R.

Where linked clones do cause a problem is VMware View, which uses linked clones with independent disks (persistent, or non-persistent). As you probably all know, independent disks are designed with a sole purpose to provide users with ability to exclude the disk from VM snapshots. And of course, if the disk is not present in a snapshot, no vStorage API based VMware backup solution will be able to back it up.

[vmbackupuser]

Thanks Gostev, for the clarfication and explanation.Its good to know its supported and works.

I'm just curious, from a theoretical perspective, what occurs when Restoring a vm that was a linked-clone during the Backup process. I'm guessing it restores it as a full clone?

[Gostev]

Its good to know its supported and works.

Please note that I did not say anything like that... see my first response to this topic

I'm just curious, from a theoretical perspective, what occurs when Restoring a vm that was a linked-clone during the Backup process. I'm guessing it restores it as a full clone?

It will be restored as a normal VM with full, its own disks.