>>So we can back up the VDR backup store to TSM for offsite/DR purposes.
What about restores?  do we have to restore the whole VDR storage to a
point in time in order to run a restore where TSM has a longer retention
than VDR?  

As far as I know, yes.  

>>Can we just restore a part of it and if so how do we
determine which part?

As far as I know, no.

>>Other than offsite/DR I can't see much point in backing up the VDR data
store at all unless you can do more with it.

Agreed.
I was suggesting putting the VDR repository on tape only for folks who have a 
requirement to use tape at their DR sites. 




On 9/11/2010 6:13 PM, Prather, Wanda wrote:
> TSM is way behind the curve on VMWare backups.
> If you have ESX 4.0 Enterprise:
>
> a) ESX 4.0 enterprise includes a VMWare backup utility called VDR
> b) Set up VDR to back up to a disk repository.  It does fulls and 
> incrementals, and dedups them.  It's fast, it's easy, it's efficient, knocks 
> the sox off of VCB.
> c) if you want to get the VDR backups into your TSM hierarchy, the disk for 
> the repository MUST be on a Windows host, shared out to VDR as a CIFS share.
> d)  install the TSM Windows client on the Windows host that owns the disk, 
> let TSM back up the VDR repository (you must stop VDR while TSM is running 
> the backup.)
> e) VDR very conveniently creates 2 GB stripes in the repository, so you can 
> turn on TSM subfile backup for it if you want to really cut down the backup 
> load.
>
> I have multiple customers doing this.  Most recent one that tried this, got 
> it working in about 30 minutes.
> I think you'll find whitepapers on VDR on the VMWare site.
>
> There are other VMWare backup products that are implementing the 4.0 backup 
> architecture already.  They may have features you like better than VDR, which 
> is pretty simple.  But if you have ESX 4.0 Enterprise, you already own VDR, 
> and it's far, far better than running VCB.
>
> W
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ADSM: Dist Stor Manager [mailto:ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU] On Behalf 
> Of TSM User
> Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 5:18 PM
> To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject: [ADSM-L] VMware backup questions
>
> I've been searching online, including a number of listserv posts, and what
> I'm finding is that the information I'm looking for seems pretty
> fragmented.  I'm trying to figure out what the options are for backing up a
> VMware version 4 implementation in an all-Linux environment.  I've
> determined that a proxy server is needed still for VADP/vStorage, just as
> for VCB.  It appears that the proxy server must be run on Windows.  I'm a
> bit confused about what's supported, though.  So my questions are:
>
> --In one place in the client manual, it says that file-level backups are
> only supported for Windows VMs.  I read on another website that TSM only
> works with VADP for file-level backups as of now, and for full VM backups,
> VCB is still required.  Does this mean that VCB must be present in order to
> back up Linux guests, and that only full VM backups are available?  That
> doesn't seem right to me, but that's where the bits of information I've run
> across leads me.
>
> --If the answer to the above is yes, does anyone know if there will be more
> options for Linux VMs any time soon, and what it's likely to be?
>
> --Has anyone been able to locate a single, comprehensive resource describing
> what functions are available in what circumstances and what's required for
> TSM with VADP?
>
> Someone please tell me I'm missing something....
>
> Thanks!
>