Managing a VMware Protected Environment

vCenter Server

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Running on a Windows server, vCenter Servers provide convenient single-point control for DCs, manage VMware ESXi hosts in a centralized manner, and provide basic DC services.

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DC

DCs are the main containers for objects such as hosts and VMs. You can add hosts, folders, and clusters to DCs.

Folder

Folders allow you to group objects of the same type for convenient management. Folders can contain subfolders or objects of the same type such as DCs, clusters, datastores, networks, VMs, templates, and hosts. For example, you can add a subfolder containing hosts to a folder already containing hosts, but cannot add a subfolder containing VMs to the folder already containing hosts.

Cluster

Clusters are collections of ESXi hosts and associated VMs. When hosts are added to clusters, host resources become a part of cluster resources. Resources of all hosts are managed in clusters.

Host

Hosts are physical servers running virtualization software (such as ESXi). VMs can run on hosts, which provide CPU and memory resources and capabilities such as graphics processing unit (GPU), USB devices, network connection, and storage access for VMs. Multiple VMs can run on a single host.

vApp

A vApp is a group of VMs and is managed as a single object. It simplifies the management of complex multi-layer programs running on mutually dependent VMs. Basic operations on vApp are the same as those on a VM or resource pool.

Resource pool

Resource pools are used to divide CPU and memory resources in hosts or clusters. VMs execute and use resources in resource pools. You can create multiple resource pools that are displayed as direct nodes for an independent host or cluster in the navigation tree.

VM

VMs are virtualized computers. Like physical computers, VMs run on operating systems, on which application software is running. VMs run on hosts and obtain the necessary CPU and memory resources as well as capabilities such as video adapter, USB devices, network connection, and storage access. Multiple VMs can run on a single host.

Disk

Disks are storage units divided from datastores associated with hosts. Disks provide storage space for VMs on the associated host. Like physical disks, disks can be used to store data such as operating systems and applications. Virtual disks can be bound to a VM and are used to store configuration files and other disk files for the VM.

Viewing a VMware protected environment

• Viewing basic information:

  On the navigation bar, choose > VMware. Click tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 nodes in the navigation tree.

• Viewing details:

  On the navigation bar, choose > VMware. Click tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 nodes in the navigation tree and view VM information.

Background

This operation displays information about a VMware protected environment. After the VMware protected environment is added to the eBackup backup management system, the system automatically obtains VM information.

Precautions

• Before performing this operation, ensure that the VMware protected environment has been created and added to the eBackup system.
• If information of the protected environment is changed, you need to manually synchronize changes to the eBackup backup management system.

• Protection Status

  Protection status of a VM in the last week.

• UUID

  UUID is the universally unique identifier of the VM in the protected environment.

• Last Backup Time

  The latest backup start time of the VM. If the VM has never been backed up, the value is --.

• Host

  The name of the host that the VM is bound to. If the VM has not been bounded, the value is --.

Modifying a VMware protected environment

On the navigation bar, choose > VMware. In the Protected Environment area, select the desired tier 1 node in the navigation tree on the left and click .

Background

If the information of a VMware protected environment, such as the IP address of a vCenter Server or ESXi host and authentication information, is changed, you need to synchronize the changes in the eBackup backup management system so that the system can promptly obtain the VM information and correctly back up VMs on the vCenter Server or ESXi host.

Precautions

• Before performing this operation, ensure that the VMware protected environment has been added to the eBackup system.
• If the IP address of the vCenter Server in the protected environment is changed, ensure that the changed IP address is consistent with that at the production end. If the system detects an inconsistency, the change fails.
• You cannot change the IP address of an ESXi host. If the IP address of the ESXi host needs to be changed, you need to delete the existing protected environment and configure a new one with the new IP address.

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Deleting a VMware protected environment

1. On the navigation bar, choose > VMware.
2. In the Protected Environment area, select the desired tier 1 node (the protected environment that you want to delete) in the navigation tree on the left. Then click each VM on the right. In the preview area, check whether any associated protected set exists.
   • If any associated protected set is displayed in the Protected Sets area, find it on the protected set page. Ensure that the protected set is unneeded and delete it. Then delete the protected environment.
   • If no associated protected set is displayed in the Protected Sets areas of all VMs, delete the protected environment directly.
3. In the Protected Environment area, select the desired tier 1 node in the navigation tree on the left and click .

Background

This operation deletes an unneeded protected environment.

Precautions

Before performing this operation, ensure that to-be-deleted VMs managed by vCenter Server or ESXi hosts are not associated with any protected sets.

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