Backup ESX 4 Server

[JBR]

Hi,

can i backup my ESX Server 4 with Veeam Backup&Replication?

I have no "KnowHow" from Linux an i think its terrible to install a new ESX Server. So
i´m look for a possibility to backup my ESX to restore when it was faild!

Is it possible??

Thanks
JBR

[m.novelli]

Well, you may need to backup ESX Service Console only if you have complicated LAN and SAN configurations

Can you explain us your Vmware your structure?

99% of the time is 20-30 minutes task to install an ESX Server and configure it with VI Client GUI (I'm a Windows Sysadmin with little skill on Linux and I've no problem to install and configure ESX servers)
No need to be skilled on Linux until you have some serious issues

BTW, ESX 4 Service Console is a VM, so potentially can be backupped by Veeam, but I've never tryied

Marco

[Gostev]

General consensus is that backing up ESX host configuration makes no sense:
1. As mentione, ESX host takes 20-30 mins to re-install and configure, and ESXi - less than 10 mins.
2. If your host is dead, you are more likely to re-install to new host hardware (or swap or remove fried things in the dead host - like NICs, storage controllers or motherboard). So in many cases, old ESX configuration will simply be not applicable to your new or fixed host.

Now, if you have many ESX hosts, you probably already have scripted host deployment and configuration anyhow, so you don't need the backup again. Besides, vSphere Enterprise Plus provides Host Profiles functionality, so you don't even have to deal with the configuration scripts at all.

Marco, ESX4 service console is not a regular VM, so you cannot back it up.

[mdornfeld]

JBR. Not sure if you have a SAN or not, but if you're still concerned after the previous couple of posts, you could just use boot from SAN and store the host disk on the SAN. You could then take it one step further and use your SAN "flashcopy" tools to make backups if you really wanted.

We use boot from SAN, but still don't bother to back up the hosts for reasons previous cited by m.novelli and Anton.