Backup Replicate vCenter VM?

[Vitaliy S.]

Small update on this:

Here is the script (courtesy of Ron Brown) that identifies where the vCenter Database server is running and changes the backup job to reflect the new location automatically.

[odge]

I'm really suprised Veeam hasn't built this into their own workaround, to mark the server as a vCenter host, and allow it to find the ESXi host directly for the commands.

1. I want a application consistent backup of my vCenter
2. I want Veeam to find it for me, and not have to keep modifying a backup to match the host it is currently on.

These things seem simple to me for your developers... and a common problem which most people will run into, especially now that virtualising the vCenter server is becoming more and more common. People used to think it was vCenter doing the HA... I heard this from a Virtualisation consultant from the biggest IT company in our country... had to laugh! But I think now, generally its proliferated as a common option to save costs, and increase redundancy. (You can always have replicas of it lying around for emergencies anyhow!).

Just my two cents worth.

[romwarrior]

So to put it in layman’s terms:
1. Under Servers, add the ESX host (by IP address) that hosts the vCenter server VM.
2. Edit/create the vCenter backup job. Remove vCenter server if editing existing job.
3. Click to add a server.
4. When browsing for the vCenter server, make sure you add the vCenter server from the ESX host and NOT from vCenter.

When I try to add the ESX host via IP, it says that it already exists in the database. My vCenter server is listed in VBR by its IP, and so are the two hosts that it is controlling (including the one I am trying to add directly). Any ideas?

[Vitaliy S.]

In this case add your ESX hosts via hostname, should work.

[romwarrior]

I like simple fixes. That worked. Thanks.

[habibalby]

Solution for this is to Add the host where the vCenter VM is running and create the job pointing to that host. This solve the my problem while I'm trying to backup vCenter and I'm trying to pull the vCenter from the vCenter object itself in Veeam Backup.

Hope Veeam is going to release a fix for this soon.

[pcrebe]

Hello,
maibe i've understood what create the VSS freeze time out ALSO if i add the vCenterVM directly from the Host in my backup job:
- i've add in the Server list 3 hosts via IP end the vCenter via IP too, in this case the job fails if i check VSS aware option
- if i remove the vCenter IP from the B&R console leaving only the 3 Hosts the work works fine with VSS

I think that VEEAM should work to create a good procedur to backup vCenterVM because in the future, not so far, all vCenter will be VM.

IMHO
Carlo

[larry]

I set Veeam to not use vss for the VC vm and just pick the VM the normal way. I have a daily task that runs before the VC VM backup that copies the VC database. It has work every time for me.

below is a bat file
@Echo Off

REM Set All=%date:~4,2%%date:~7,2%%date:~10,4%%
REM Use above to keep one every day for ever

Set All=%date:~7,2%
Rem Use above to keep just 30 days

REM Echo %ALL%
SQLCMD -S VC-GROTON\SQLEXP_VIM -E -Q "BACKUP DATABASE VIM_VCDB TO DISK='C:\VC-DB-backup\VCBackupdb_%All%.bak' WITH FORMAT"

rem Exit

The SQLCMD comes with SQL express and the full MS SQL. When you load the SQL Server Management it loads it. You will want this to do a restore anyway.

To resore you just restore the VM as is, then restore the VC database with SQL server management. ( test many times works fine takes only 5 minutes. )

[pcrebe]

Thanks Larry,

i've implemented your .bat with this line for users that have also Update Manager and Veeam Backup on the same vCenterVM

@Echo Off

REM Set All=%date:~4,2%%date:~7,2%%date:~10,4%%
REM Use above to keep one every day for ever

Set All=%date:~7,2%
Rem Use above to keep just 30 days

REM Echo %ALL%

SQLCMD -S vcenterNAME\SQLEXP_VIM -E -Q "BACKUP DATABASE VIM_VCDB TO DISK='C:\db_backup\VCBackupdb_%All%.bak' WITH FORMAT"
SQLCMD -S vcenterNAME\SQLEXP_VIM -E -Q "BACKUP DATABASE VIM_UMDB TO DISK='C:\db_backup\UMBackupdb_%All%.bak' WITH FORMAT"
SQLCMD -S vcenterNAME\VEEAM -E -Q "BACKUP DATABASE VeeamBackup TO DISK='C:\db_backup\VEEAMBackupdb_%All%.bak' WITH FORMAT"

rem Exit

if someone like more a UI could use the programs i've find at http://www.sqlbackupandftp.com it's free for only 2 db and not expensive for more because has nice options.

How can i zip the files because in 30 days the risk is consume many Gb of disk?

Anyway i think that VEEAM shoud fix the problem.
IMHO

Bye,
Carlo

[mtcitalia]

[merged]

Hi to all,
As the title object, we have a replica process failure during the vcenter replica. Follow the error:

Freezing guest operating system
VSSControl: Failed to freeze guest, wait timeout

Do you have any idea about the problem. All other virtual machine were backup correctly.

thank you.

Stefano.

[JZTOR]

In other words, here are two possible ways to make it work:
1. If you added your ESXi hosts to VMware cluster by DNS names (recommended) than you need to add the ESXi host to Veeam system by IP address.
2. If you have your ESXi hosts in VC/Cluster as IP addresses, you need using the host’s DNS name when you adding server to Veeam backup system.
Cheers.

[rangertodd]

[merged]

I haven't seen any documentation as it relates to what the best practice is for replicating vCenter to an offsite location. I don't know if there are any issues with this, if the primary site had problems or not. If you don't have VMware vCenter heartbeat or third party software, would there be issues with freezing with VSS or VMtools quiescence? Would there be issues if your only replicating once a day, do you need a constant heartbeat or SQL replication for vCenter to function properly under a disaster scenario? I'm currently running Veeam Version 6. Thanks for any help and guidance.

[Vitaliy S.]

Here is another thread you should take a look: HOWTO: Backing up vCenter host issues

[bmeyer99]

Since path 3 for B&R fixed

"Issue 5
Application-aware processing fails for SQL server where Veeam configuration database is located."

Is there anything with that resolution that would assist with the vCenter server?

[Gostev]

No. The quoted issue is totally unrelated.

[dinger76]

[merged]

Hi,

We've got Veeam B&R v6 with Patch 3. Recently we moved out vCenter database onto a new VM and began backing it up with Veeam. It now appears to be freezing and also freezing any other jobs running at that time. I believe that it is caused by the VSS processing on the vCenter database. It is locking the server to perform its snapshot and therefore is unable to receive confirmation that the Snapshot is completed successfully, to continue with the backup.

Would you advise that we do not use VSS for the SQL server hosting the vCenter database?

Thanks

[magmaviper]

[merged]

I have found a topic going over the Vcenter VM and VSS not working properly when attempting to backup.

Is there any problem with just disabling VSS and backing it up that way?

[Vitaliy S.]

You may want to apply the workarounds mentioned in this thread, but disabling VSS will also do the trick provided that SQL Server backing your vCenter is not highly transactional (used by many other apps).

[MikeUNS]

[merged]

Hello all,

I would like to backup the vCenter VM with Veeam 6.1. The Veeam backup server is installed on a seperate VM from vCenter VM.
I've already read that creating a new backup job for the vCenter VM via the vCenter (managed servers) itself won't work. It seems that I need to create the job via ESXI host instead.... ok... but...
How to proceed? As the ESXI host where the vCenter VM resides is already registred via the vCenter?

I've already check this KB article:
http://www.veeam.com/kb_articles.html/KB1051

Maybe it's simple, but I don't know how to deal with it?

Thanks for your help,
Regards,
Michaël

[PatrickP]

Hello all,

I have the same problems. I cannot add a standalone ESXi Host while I have added the vCenter Server which is managing this standalone ESXi Host. So I cannot backup the vCenter VM. How to proceed?!

Regards

Patrick

[Vitaliy S.]

Patrick, please add the standalone host via IP address, should make a trick.

[PatrickP]

Vitaliy, I cannot add the host, I will get an error message that this Host is already added by the vCenter.

[Vitaliy S.]

How is this host added to your vCenter Server, via IP address or via its hostname?

[Gostev]

If it is added via IP, use its host name to add as standalone (and vice versa).

[maxfontana]

Hi there.
I've been using two esxi 4.1 hosts in a cluster along with veeam backup and replication. My Vcenter server is a Windows 2008 R2 vm.
During the first steps of veeam's configuration, I've specified the IP of the vcenter server. Now I'd like to add a backup job in order to backup also my vcenter server vm and I'm aware that I should specify the direct IP of the host which is holding the vm but when I try to add it, veeam warnss me that this IP has been already specified......
Is it a normal behaviour ? Which alternative would you suggest? I'd prefeer to avoid disabling VSS and producing a crash consistent backup.
Many thanks in advance,
Max
Italy

[maxfontana]

If it is added via IP, use its host name to add as standalone (and vice versa).

Thank you! This did the trick

[she]

hi
Is there something Special if we want to do Replication the Vcenter VM to a different esx Server ?
We have two Running esx 5.1 essential vcenters Where we want to replicate the two VCenter VMs Vice VersA to the Other Vcenter
Should we make separate repl Jobs for this Vcenter VMs ?
Does the Running repl Job make any Performance Problems for the repl of normal VM ?
we are Running veeam 6.5

Thanks

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi She,

Creating separate jobs for vCenter Server VMs will give you a better flexibility in terms of job management, but generally it shouldn't matter. As to your last question, then there shouldn't be any performance issues while replicating vCenter Server VMs.

Thanks!

[jimmyroot]

Hi all,

I have a strange problem trying to replicate a VM.

The set up itself is simple, I have two ESXi 4.1 hosts, a primary which serves as the main host running 5 VMs and a second host which runs 1vm and hosts the Veeam replicas. There is a windows VM on the primary host which runs vCenter services and Veeam 6.0.

Veeam is able to, and has been for some time, replicate the VMs, except for the VM running Veeam/vCenter, which since this infrastructure was installed hasn't been replicated, due to the lack of additional Veeam Proxies.

I have recently configured one of the other VMs (standard Windows 7 pro) as a Veeam Proxy in order to facilitate the replication of the VM running Veeam/vCenter, however the new job never gets off the ground - it simply gets to "Discovering Replica VM" (viewed from statistics) and then hangs at this point, and I can't work out why. I'm attempting to replicate it to the second host. After the job gets stuck, I can't stop it unless I restart the server running Veeam. I've tried restarting the Backup Proxy Service on the machine acting as proxy, to no avail. The job is simply stuck until I restart the Veeam server.

I've disabled everything except Network mode on the new Proxy, and made sure Veeam processes are being allowed through the firewall. I've also tried with the firewall off completely.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to look for, given the point at which the job is hanging?

Thanks in advance hope I explained that ok.

Jim

[foggy]

Jimmy, please look through the topic you've been merged into for the tips on replicating vCenter Server VM. If you still have any additional questions, feel free to ask here.

Also, there is another useful link for you, since you have both vCenter and Veeam B&R deployed on the same VM: Install VEEAM and vCenter on same server?

Thanks!