Veritas NetBackup™ for Hyper-V Administrator's Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): NetBackup (8.3.0.1, 8.3, 8.2, 8.1.2, 8.1.1)
  1. Introduction
    1.  
      About Hyper-V
    2.  
      NetBackup for Hyper-V environment
    3.  
      Hyper-V terminology related to backup
    4.  
      Basic phases in a NetBackup backup of a Hyper-V virtual machine
    5.  
      NetBackup administrator tasks for Hyper-V
    6.  
      Quick reference for troubleshooting
  2. Notes and prerequisites
    1.  
      NetBackup for Hyper-V prerequisites
    2.  
      NetBackup for Hyper-V notes and restrictions
    3.  
      NetBackup character restrictions for Hyper-V virtual machine display names
    4.  
      NetBackup character restrictions for vhd or vhdx names and the VM path when the Enable file recovery from VM backup option is used
    5.  
      Notes on Linux virtual machines
  3. Configure NetBackup communication with Hyper-V
    1.  
      Changing the NetBackup Legacy Network Service logon (vnetd.exe) to the domain user account
    2.  
      Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V resources
  4. Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V
    1.  
      Creating a Hyper-V policy from the Policy Configuration Wizard
    2.  
      Creating a Hyper-V policy from the NetBackup Policies utility
    3.  
      Limit jobs per policy on the Attributes tab (for Hyper-V)
    4.  
      Virtual machine host names and display names should be unique if VMs are selected manually in the policy
    5. Backup options on the Hyper-V tab
      1.  
        Optimization options (Hyper-V)
      2.  
        Primary VM identifier option (Hyper-V)
      3.  
        Enable offline backup of non-VSS VMs (Hyper-V with VSS)
      4.  
        Cluster shared volumes timeout (Hyper-V with VSS)
    6. Hyper-V - Advanced Attributes
      1.  
        Provider Type configuration parameter (VSS)
      2.  
        Snapshot Attribute configuration parameter (VSS)
      3.  
        Virtual disk selection parameter (WMI)
      4.  
        Existing snapshot handling parameter (WMI)
      5.  
        Consistency level parameter (WMI)
      6.  
        About the exclude disk options for virtual disk selection
      7.  
        Virtual disk selection options: an example to avoid
      8.  
        Restoring data from the backups that excluded the boot disk or data disks
    7. Browse for Hyper-V virtual machines
      1.  
        About cached names for virtual machine backup
    8.  
      Prerequisites for alternate client backup of a virtual machine (VSS)
    9.  
      Configuring alternate client backup of virtual machines
    10.  
      Requirements for a NetBackup client inside the virtual machine
  5. Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies
    1.  
      About Hyper-V Intelligent Policy (automatic selection of virtual machines for backup)
    2.  
      The basics of a NetBackup query rule
    3.  
      Important notes on Hyper-V Intelligent Policy
    4.  
      NetBackup requirements for Hyper-V Intelligent Policy
    5.  
      Setting up Hyper-V Intelligent Policy: Task overview
    6.  
      Options for selecting Hyper-V virtual machines
    7.  
      Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection
    8.  
      Editing a query in Basic Mode
    9.  
      Using the Query Builder in Advanced Mode
    10.  
      AND vs. OR in queries
    11.  
      Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder
    12.  
      The IsSet operator in queries
    13.  
      About selecting virtual machines by means of multiple policies
    14.  
      Order of operations in queries (precedence rules)
    15.  
      Parentheses in compound queries
    16.  
      Query rules for virtual machine Notes that contain a newline character
    17.  
      Query Builder field reference
    18.  
      Test Query screen for Hyper-V
    19.  
      Test Query: Failed virtual machines
    20.  
      Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query results
    21.  
      Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM Name column in Test query results
    22.  
      Restoring a VM that was backed up with a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy and that has a pass-through disk
  6. NetBackup Hyper-V for SCVMM
    1.  
      About backup of virtual machines in an SCVMM environment
    2.  
      Notes on NetBackup for Hyper-V with SCVMM
    3.  
      Creating a query to back up VMs in a localized SCVMM environment
  7. Windows Server failover cluster support
    1.  
      About virtual machines on Windows 2008, 2012, and 2016 failover clusters
    2.  
      Notes on CSV backup and restore
    3.  
      Creating a policy for virtual machines in a cluster
    4.  
      Location of the restored virtual machine in a cluster
    5. Virtual machine maintenance after a restore
      1.  
        Removal of cluster resources during restore
    6.  
      Hyper-V restore may fail if the VM was created on a CSV and the CSV is a reparse point on the destination drive
  8. Back up and restore Hyper-V
    1.  
      Backing up Hyper-V virtual machines
    2.  
      WMI backup method: State of the virtual machine before and after restore
    3.  
      Notes on individual file restore
    4.  
      Notes on full virtual machine restore
    5.  
      About restoring individual files
    6.  
      Restoring individual files to a host that has a NetBackup client
    7.  
      Restore Marked Files dialog for restore of individual files
    8. Restoring individual files to a shared location on the virtual machine
      1.  
        Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to a shared location on the virtual machine
    9.  
      Restoring the full Hyper-V virtual machine
    10.  
      Restore Marked Files dialog for restore of the Hyper-V virtual machine
    11.  
      About restoring common files
    12.  
      The BAR interface may list Hyper-V snapshot files when you browse to restore Hyper-V VM files
  9. Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V
    1.  
      About the NetBackup Accelerator for virtual machines
    2.  
      Accelerator: full vs. incremental schedules
    3.  
      How the NetBackup Accelerator works with virtual machines
    4.  
      Accelerator notes and requirements for virtual machines
    5.  
      Accelerator forced rescan for virtual machines (schedule attribute)
    6.  
      Accelerator requires the OptimizedImage attribute
    7.  
      Accelerator backups and the NetBackup catalog
    8.  
      Accelerator messages in the backup job details log
    9.  
      NetBackup logs for Accelerator with virtual machines
    10.  
      About reporting the amount of Accelerator backup data that was transferred over the network
    11.  
      Replacing the Accelerator image size with the network-transferred data in NetBackup command output
  10. Best practices and more information
    1.  
      Best practices
  11. Troubleshooting
    1. NetBackup logs for Hyper-V and how to create them
      1.  
        Enabling VxFI logging
      2.  
        Configuring VxMS and vhd logging
      3.  
        Format of the VxMS core.log and provider.log file names
    2. Errors during policy creation
      1.  
        NetBackup policy validation failed
    3. NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V
      1.  
        Snapshot error encountered (status code 156)
    4.  
      Backup job hangs for multiple virtual machines
    5.  
      Viewing or resizing Windows NTFS shadow storage
    6.  
      The Hyper-V integration component is not installed
    7.  
      LDM volumes and status code 1
    8.  
      Hyper-V snapshots (avhd or avhdx files) and status code 1
    9.  
      Unable to log in to the NetBackup Administration Console
    10.  
      When backing up the virtual machines that reside on the same CSV, Windows warning 1584 can be ignored
    11.  
      Problems with alternate client backup
    12.  
      Restored virtual machine fails to start
    13.  
      Problem with a restart of a restored virtual machine: Why did the computer shut down unexpectedly?
    14.  
      Problems with restore of individual files
    15.  
      Problems with restore of the full virtual machine
    16.  
      Unable to change virtual disk settings for a VM after restore if the VM had user checkpoints during a backup that used the WMI method
    17.  
      Increasing the WMI create disk time-out value
    18.  
      Linux VMs and persistent device naming
  12. Appendix A. VSS backup method: Hyper-V online and offline backups
    1.  
      About Hyper-V online and offline backups for VSS
    2.  
      Conditions that determine online vs. offline backup for VSS
    3.  
      Additional notes on offline backups with VSS
    4.  
      Hyper-V 2012 R2 virtual machines may be in the Off state when restored
  13. Appendix B. Hyper-V pass-through disks
    1.  
      About Hyper-V pass-through disks with NetBackup
    2.  
      Configurations for backing up pass-through disks
    3.  
      Requirements for backing up Hyper-V pass-through disks
    4.  
      Restrictions for Hyper-V pass-through disks
    5.  
      Configuring a local snapshot backup of Hyper-V pass-through disks
    6.  
      About alternate client backup of pass-through disks
    7.  
      Configuring an alternate client backup of Hyper-V pass-through disks
    8.  
      Important note on VSS and disk arrays
  14. Appendix C. NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines
    1.  
      Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V policy
    2.  
      Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy
    3.  
      The bpplinfo options for Hyper-V policies
    4.  
      bpplinclude options for modifying query rules in Hyper-V policies
    5. Examples of nbrestorevm for restoring VMs to Hyper-V
      1.  
        Hyper-V examples of restore to original location
      2.  
        Hyper-V examples of restore to alternate locations
    6.  
      The nbrestorevm -R rename file for Hyper-V
    7.  
      Notes on troubleshooting the nbrestorevm command for Hyper-V
    8.  
      Logs for troubleshooting the nbrestorevm command

Restore Marked Files dialog for restore of the Hyper-V virtual machine

Select from the following options on the Restore Marked Files dialog box.

Note:

The available options depend on the backup method that was used to make the backup: WMI or VSS.

Table: Options on the Restore Marked Files dialog box

Option

Description

Hyper-V virtual machine GUID

Shows the Hyper-V GUID (globally unique identifier) of the virtual machine that was backed up. Use this value to verify that this backup represents the virtual machine that you want to restore. The GUID is a unique string for a virtual machine in addition to the host name.

In an SCVMM environment, the VM GUID is referred to as the VM ID.

Restore Options

See the following fields.

Restore to original Hyper-V server

Restores the virtual machine to its original location on the original Hyper-V server.

Restore to different location on the original or different Hyper-V server

Restores the virtual machine to a different location on the original Hyper-V server, or restores it to a different Hyper-V server.

Restore to staging location

Restores the virtual machine files to the staging location on the server that you specify under Hyper-V server and Restore everything to different directory. Use this option if:

  • You do not want to restore an entire virtual machine

  • You do not want NetBackup to start the virtual machine after the restore

For instance, you can use this option to add restored files as a vhd volume or vhdx volume to a virtual machine. The virtual machine must not be the one from which they were backed up.

Overwrite virtual machine

(If you selected Restore to staging location, this option is Overwrite existing files)

If you selected Restore to Hyper-V server or Restore to different locations on same / different Hyper-V server, note the following:

  • If a virtual machine with the same GUID exists at the destination server, that virtual machine is removed with its configuration files and snapshot files. Any existing vhd or vhdx files for the virtual machine on the destination server are overwritten. The virtual machine that you selected to restore is restored from the backup.

  • If the Overwrite virtual machine option is not selected and a virtual machine with the same GUID exists on the destination server, the restore fails.

  • If the Overwrite virtual machine option is not selected and vhd or vhdx file(s) for the virtual machine still exist on the destination: The vhd file(s) or vhdx file(s) from the backup are not restored.

    See Problems with restore of the full virtual machine.

If you selected Restore to staging location, note the following:

  • If the vhd file or vhdx file already exists on the destination server in the restore location, that file on the destination server is overwritten.

  • If the Overwrite existing files option is not selected and any file you want to restore already exists in the restore location, the file is not overwritten. Any other files that are selected for restore are restored. The restore is reported as a partial success.

Retain original GUID

Keeps the original GUID for the restored virtual machine.

To generate a new GUID for the restored virtual machine, clear this option.

Note:

This option applies only to the virtual machines on Hyper-V Server 2016 (and later) that were backed up with the WMI method.

Note:

For restore to the original location (Restore to original Hyper-V server), the Retain Original GUID option is selected and cannot be deselected.

Note:

NetBackup does not generate a new GUID if you select Restore to staging location.

Hyper-V virtual machine original GUID

Shows the virtual machine's original GUID.

Note:

This option applies only to virtual machines on Hyper-V Server 2016 and later.

Hyper-V virtual machine display name

You can enter a new display name for the restored virtual machine.

Note:

This option applies only to virtual machines on Hyper-V Server 2016 and later.

Note:

This option is not available if you select Restore to staging location.

Restore Destinations

See the following fields.

Hyper-V server

If you selected Restore to Hyper-V server (to restore to the original location), note: the restore destination is the name of the Hyper-V server from which the virtual machine was backed up. In this case, the destination cannot be changed.

For the other restore options (restore to a different location, or restore to a staging location), enter the destination Hyper-V server for the restore.

List of backed up files (Source)

Lists the Hyper-V virtual machine files as they existed when the virtual machine was backed up. By default, all listed files are selected for restore.

If you do not want the restore to replace certain files on the current virtual machine on the destination server, deselect those files. Leave a check mark next to the files that you want to restore. The files that are not selected are not restored. Note that the following virtual machine configuration files are not de-selectable in restores other than staging restores:

The xml, vsv, and bin files, and avhd or avhdx files.

Caution: Replacing common files with earlier versions can be problematic for the virtual machines that rely on the common files. If you do not want to overwrite the common files on the Hyper-V server, deselect the common files that you do not want to restore.

See About restoring common files.

Note the following about the listed files:

  • If you do not select any vhd files or vhdx files, NetBackup tries to find them in their original location. If they are absent from the original location, the restore fails. If a parent vhd or vhdx file was in E:\myVhds\ on the original virtual machine and is not selected during restore, NetBackup looks for the parent file in E:\myVhds\ on the target virtual machine. If the file does not exist, the restore fails.

  • For Restore to Hyper-V server or Restore to different locations on same / different Hyper-V server, you can deselect any vhd files or vhdx files in this list. All other files are pre-selected and cannot be deselected.

  • For Restore to staging location, you can deselect any files in the list.

  • Configuration files (such as xml, bin, vsv, and snapshot files) are always restored when you restore the full virtual machine.

Restore everything to different directory

This field is disabled if you selected Restore to Hyper-V server.

For restore to a different location or to a staging location: Enter the path on the server or other computer that you specified under Hyper-V server or Staging machine name. NetBackup creates the appropriate subdirectories.

View Paths

Displays the directories on the destination server in which the Hyper-V files are to be restored. You must specify a destination path in the Restore everything to different directory field.

Override default job priority

Determines the restore job's priority for restore resources. A higher priority means that NetBackup assigns the first available drive to the first restore job with the highest priority. Enter a number (maximum 99999). The default for all restore jobs is 0, the lowest priority possible. Any restore job with a priority greater than zero has priority over the default setting.

Media Server

You can use this option to select a media server that has access to the storage unit that contains the backup image. An example of such an environment is a Media Server Deduplication Pool (MSDP) with multiple media servers.

Note:

If the storage unit that contains the backup image is not shared with multiple media servers, this option is grayed out.