Veritas NetBackup™ 8.0 Plug-in for VMware vCenter Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): NetBackup (8.0)
  1. Introduction and notes
    1.  
      About the NetBackup plug-in for VMware vCenter
    2.  
      Updates to this guide for NetBackup 8.0
    3.  
      Notes and recommendations on the NetBackup plug-in
    4.  
      How to access the features of the NetBackup plug-in
  2. Installing the NetBackup Plug-in for vCenter
    1.  
      Requirements for the NetBackup plug-in for vCenter
    2.  
      Configuration overview for the NetBackup plug-in for vCenter
    3.  
      Consistent naming for the vCenter server
    4.  
      Upgrading the NetBackup plug-in for vCenter
    5.  
      Installing the NetBackup plug-in for vCenter
    6.  
      Disabling or uninstalling the NetBackup plug-in for vCenter
    7.  
      Manually unregistering the NetBackup plug-in for vCenter
  3. Monitoring backup status
    1. Configure the NetBackup plug-in for vCenter for backup monitoring
      1.  
        Installing an SSL certificate from a Certificate Authority
      2.  
        Installing the trusted SSL certificate
      3.  
        Setting vCenter privileges for backup monitoring
    2.  
      Veritas NetBackup tab in vSphere Client
    3.  
      Summary display
    4.  
      Virtual Machines display
    5.  
      Events display
    6.  
      Using the Veritas NetBackup tab for backup reporting
    7.  
      How to respond to backup status
  4. Recovering virtual machines
    1. Configure the NetBackup Recovery Wizard
      1. Creating an authentication token
        1.  
          Revoking an authorization token
        2.  
          Listing all current authorization tokens
      2.  
        Authorizing the plug-in to restore virtual machines
      3.  
        Setting vCenter privileges for recovering virtual machines
    2.  
      Notes on restoring virtual machines with the NetBackup Recovery Wizard
    3.  
      How to access the NetBackup Recovery Wizard
    4. NetBackup Recovery Wizard screens
      1.  
        Select source virtual machine
      2.  
        Select Backup
      3.  
        Destination Options
      4.  
        Transport Modes
      5.  
        Disk Options
      6.  
        Virtual Machine Options
      7.  
        Network Connectivity Options
      8.  
        Recovery Summary
  5. Troubleshooting
    1.  
      The NetBackup vCenter plug-in does not appear in vSphere Client
    2.  
      Reducing the load time for the NetBackup vCenter plug-in
    3.  
      The Network Properties screen in the Deploy OVF Template wizard does not display properly
    4.  
      The Veritas NetBackup tab is blank
    5.  
      The Recovery Wizard does not find any backup images
    6.  
      The Recovery Wizard does not find a particular backup image

Notes and recommendations on the NetBackup plug-in

Note the following about the NetBackup plug-in for vCenter:

  • The best screen resolution for the plug-in is 1280 x 1024 or greater.

  • The plug-in does not support auto-refresh. To refresh the display, click the refresh button at the top.

  • In vCenter, the default retention period for vCenter events is 180 days. This value is the recommended setting.

  • The plug-in does not support use of the https://<IP_address>:5480/ URL for setting properties.

  • The plug-in does not support multiple vCenter servers. The plug-in is intended for monitoring and restoring virtual machines within one vCenter server. The plug-in Recovery Wizard can browse and restore images of virtual machines from only one vCenter.

    To use the plug-in with another vCenter, you must either unregister the current vCenter or install another plug-in.

    See Manually unregistering the NetBackup plug-in for vCenter.

  • If Enhanced Security Configuration is enabled in Internet Explorer on the vSphere Client host, you may need to add the plug-in as a Trusted site. This step is only required when you first open the Veritas NetBackup tab on the vSphere Client host.

  • If the plug-in virtual appliance is configured on an NFS datastore, the NFS server determines the type of disk provisioning that you can use. Note that thick provisioning may not be available.

    The following VMware article contains more information:

    VMware vSphere Online Library: About Virtual Disk Formats

  • Depending on your firewall configuration, you may need to modify your firewall rules to allow the vSphere Client host to access the plug-in host. vSphere Client must have access to the port to which the plug-in host is configured.

    Note: The default port for the plug-in host is 9445.

  • If an ESXi server is removed from vCenter and is later re-added, the events for the VMs managed by that ESXi are lost. The plug-in shows the status of such VMs as "No Backup Information." The status changes as new backup events occur for each VM.

  • See Notes on restoring virtual machines with the NetBackup Recovery Wizard.

  • When the plug-in installation completes, restart the vCenter service VMware VirtualCenter Server if you use vCenter 4.0.

  • The plug-in monitors backups that a NetBackup VMware policy made. The plug-in does not monitor backups from other policy types.

    Note the following exceptions:

    • The plug-in does not monitor backups from a VMware policy that had Use Replication Director enabled and Application Consistent Snapshot disabled (under Options).

    • The plug-in does not monitor all the copies that a storage lifecycle policy (SLP) makes: It monitors the first image only.