vCenter rebuild and potential ramifications

[TitaniumCoder477]

We are looking at rebuilding the vCenter. The VMware Backup and VMware Replication jobs are mapped to a the logical Datacenter in the vCenter. I still have mind scars from years ago when a new vCenter would cause all new full backups and all new full replicas due to the MoRef IDs changing. I'm really hoping that now there is a good way to avoid this outcome?

vCenter version 8
Veeam BNR version 12.0.0.1420 P20230718

[Mildur]

Hi James

No changes here.
A completely new vCenter database means new MoRefIDs.
Backup jobs will create new active fulls. Replica Jobs can be mapped to the existing replica VMs.

Best,
Fabian

[TitaniumCoder477]

Pity. Not sure why this is still an issue since I am surely not the only person who encounters this scenario every so often.

[TitaniumCoder477]

I have another related question. Once the VMware Backup job creates a new full in the original chain because of MoRefID changes, will the secondary Copy Job that uses the VMware Backup job as source copy over an entirely new full? Or, will it just copy the block changes?

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi James, I'm afraid you already know the answer, and you won't like it. The change of the morefID creates a new full backup chain, and for the copy job as well.

[karsten123]

because of this upgrade your vcenter and dont deploy a new one for upgrade.
Or: size your veeam repository to handle such events.

[Gostev]

It's been a while since I last looked but does vCenter still not have some sort of "configuration backup & restore" like we do?
We had to add this capability in one of the first product versions, there was so much pressure from customers about it.

[TitaniumCoder477]

because of this upgrade your vcenter and dont deploy a new one for upgrade.
Or: size your veeam repository to handle such events.

Agreed. Unfortunately the vCenter was unrecoverable. Also the issue isn't the size of repo, it's the throughput to the offsite location, the target of both replica and copy jobs.

[TitaniumCoder477]

It's been a while since I last looked but does vCenter still not have some sort of "configuration backup & restore" like we do?
We had to add this capability in one of the first product versions, there was so much pressure from customers about it.

Interesting question, Gostev. Looking now, I think it does actually, maybe from 6.5 and on: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphe ... F2216.html

I'll let our VMware project engineer know about this!

[william.bishop]

you can also do HA of the VCSA's for vmware, on top of the ability to backup, restore, migrate, or upgrade virtual center. To do an HA, you'll need to add some nics to your vm, and a few quick changes, and you're better protected. Something to consider for the future.

[Regnor]

You can either use the VAMI to create file based backups of vCenter, or do image based backups. Although the later one is deprecated and VMware recommends to use the built-in backup method, I would go with both ways. This gives you quick restores via image, and if it fails you deploy a new appliance and import the file backup.

[jamcool]

I was thinking of suggesting building a new (empty) vcenter and link it with the existing one. Then migrate from existing to new one maybe keeping backup information or at least being less impact on backup storage as it would be over days/weeks, but it would be a lot of work. Then in the end when the existing had nothing left, you could un link them and retire the existing (old) vcenter.

I can also say that had the luck of getting a new vCenter. Tried restoring vCenter but even after getting VMWARE on the phone it was decided to build a new vCenter. They were able to resetup everything but folder permissions in vCenter which we still sometimes get a call of somebody needing access. Anyway, I think we spent a week going through about 20 backups that used vCenter point to the new cluster and putting exceptions. Then have to wait for things to get deleted from repository (retention).

[FrenchBlue]

The issue with this is long retention/GFS, generally with scale out repos, etc.... Manually managing their expiration once you have broken the backup chain is complicated.

[Zew]

https://zewwy.ca/index.php/2023/05/21/m ... id-change/

Ill just leave this right here...

[GregorS]

Pitty Veeam hasn't updated vCenter Migration Utility to work with v12 yet.

[Mildur]

@GregorS
We are considering an update for this utility. Unfortunately we cannot provide an ETA or release version.

Best,
Fabian