>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: EMC NetWorker discussion [mailto:NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU]
On
>> Behalf Of MIchael Leone
>> Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 9:06 AM
>> To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
>> Subject: Re: [Networker] VM BACKUPS USING VCB
>>
>> EMC NetWorker discussion <NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU> wrote on
>> 01/21/2010 11:10:21 PM:
>>
>> > We're using NW 7.5.1 and backing up about 200 VM's... (300 more to
come
>> > this month).
>> >
>> > We don't have much data under each VM and we've gone sans VCB and
are
>> very
>> > happy with it.
>> >
>> > Buy a license for each VMWare ESX server as a virtual client
connection,
>> > install client under every VM, and dump them into a few groups...
We're
>> > only doing full's once a month, and have not experienced
complaints. We
>> > tried to group the VMWare clients by application so they are spread
more
>> > evenly across the farm.
>>
>> I'm confused. I install the NW client into every VM, and back up each
VM
>> as if it was a physical client. Haven't had any problems. Then again,
I've
>> never had to do a full bare-metal recovery yet, either.
>>
>> Granted, I've only got maybe 60 VMs total, so not using VCB is
manageable
>> (for me). But why would I need a virtual client connection for all 10
ESX
>> hosts, and what capability does that give me, that I do not have now?
Hi - I had a pretty hard time figuring this out at first too.. here's
how I look at it now that we do it here - others may disagree or view it
differently I don't know , but it seems correct to me -
The VCAL's give you unlimited use of VCB's on the EMC licensing-side -
ie. They do not take up an NW client license if you are vcb'ing them
using the VCAL's with ESX vs. just a regular non-virtual client license.
For example, we used to have just "50 client access licenses" which let
us backup up to 50 clients/VM's/Vcb's/whatever.... Once we moved to the
"VCAl" license model, we are able to backup over 90 vm's , and our 50
client access licenses are only used on physical boxes, or certain
clients now, making it (seemingly?) cheaper in the long run - instead of
having to continuously buy more regular cals for vm's, we just bought
the vcals - this has of course freed up a ton of regular client
licenses, so we are pretty much done adding NW licenses anymore...
(That's a great thing for us!) ;)
Also, you are correct, you can do the standard "Full" filesystem "NW"
backup method as well/instead, and it will also not use a client license
as long as it's defined as being a "virtual server" and the esx host is
added to the client's config. Of course, recovering from a VCB is much
much easier (at least for me on windows VM's?!) from a "Full" fs backup
/ BMR, so that is how we do it whenever possible here - We just do not
have time to keep track of every patch and piece of software installed
on a windows vm for most BMR methods of recovery, so we must
compromise/make life easier on ourselves here when possible due to "Vm
sprawl").
Hth!
James
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