Managing a Protected VMware Environment

vCenter Server

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vCenter Server helps you to manage VMs in data centers (DCs) from a single centralized location. It runs on a Windows server, manages VMware ESXi hosts centrally, and provides basic DC services.

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Data center

A data center (DC) is the main container for objects such as hosts and VMs. You can add hosts, folders, and clusters to a DC.

Folder

A folder allows you to group objects of the same type for convenient management. A folder 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

A cluster is a collection 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

A host is a physical server running the virtualization software (such as ESXi). It provides CPU and memory resources, graphics processing units (GPUs), USB devices, network connections, and storage access for VMs. Multiple VMs can run on the same host at the same time.

vApp

A vApp is a group of VMs that can be managed as a single object. A vAPP 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

A resource pool is 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.

Virtual machine

A virtual machine (VM) is a software computer that functions like a physical computer, running an operating system (OS) and applications. A VM runs on a host, accesses CPUs, memory, GPUs, USB devices, and other resources on the host, and uses the network connection and storage access capabilities of the host. Multiple VMs can run concurrently on a physical host.

Disk

A disk is a storage unit provided by a datastore that is associated with a host. A disk, functioning like a physical hard disk, stores OSs, application software, and other data for VMs running on the host. Multiple disks can be attached to a VM to store configuration files and other disk files of the VM.

Viewing a protected VMware 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

You want to view detailed information about a protected VMware environment. After a protected VMware environment is added to the eBackup system, the system automatically obtains VM information.

Precautions

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

• Protection Status

  Protection status of a VM in the last week.

• UUID

  Unique identifier of the VM in the protected environment.

• Last Backup Time

  Time when the latest backup of a VM starts. If the VM has never been backed up before, the value is --.

• Host

  Name of the host where the VM runs. If the VM is not bound to any host, the value is --.

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

Precautions

• Before performing this operation, ensure that the 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 modification will fail.
• 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 protected VMware 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 no longer needed 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

You want to delete 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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