TECHNICAL NOTES Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Release 2.4 SP1 Technical Notes P/N 300-999-663 REV 01 January 30, 2013 These technical notes provide a data protection strategy for Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Release 2.4 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and the EMC NetWorker Windows Bare Metal Recovery feature. Topics include: Revision history... 2 Introduction... 3 Backing up and restoring a VMM server... 4 Backing up and restoring a VMM library... 5 Backing up and restoring a VMM database... 6 Recovering an entire VMM environment... 7 Managing VMM virtual machines... 8 Using NMM Hyper-V support for VMM protection... 8 Conclusion... 9 Related documents... 9 Troubleshooting and getting help... 10
Revision history Revision history Table 1 on page 2 presents the revision history of this document: Table 1 Revision history Revision Date Description 01 January 30, 2013 First release of this document for General Availability (GA) release of EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Release 2.4 SP1. 2 Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes
Introduction Introduction Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) is a virtualization central management solution for enterprises and data centers. VMM unifies management of physical and virtual machines from a central management console. VMM leverages Microsoft Windows Server technology to provide Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO), which enables physical server consolidation, virtual infrastructure management, and rapid virtual machine provisioning. VMM is a distributed-system architecture comprised of several components: VMM server VMM database VMM Windows PowerShell cmdlet interface VMM Administrator Console VMM library Managed virtualization hosts VMM Self-Service Portal Managed virtualization managers System Center Operations Manager management packs for monitoring, reporting, and PRO All VMM installations include these components which can be set up on the same or different Windows servers to produce the distributed architecture nature of VMM. Microsoft documentation provides more information about each of these components. To properly back up VMM, consider the following components: VMM server The VMM server is the central component of any VMM deployment and contains the core Windows service that includes the VMM engine. VMM database The VMM database can reside on the VMM server or on a remote database server. Regularly saving the VMM database is recommended for quick recovery of the VMM environment. VMM library The VMM library is one file server or multiple file servers with file shares that index specific file types used by VMM. The VMM library shares include VHD, VMDK, ISO, PS1, INF, VFD, FLP, and XML files in addition to stored virtual machines. The backup and recovery of these key components is required for a sufficiently protected VMM environment. The following sections provide more information about the backup and recovery of these VMM components with NMM and NetWorker. Starting with NetWorker 7.6 SP2, NMM supports Windows BMR on the following Windows server platforms: Windows Server 2012 (x64) Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 (x86 and x64) Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (x64) Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes 3
Backing up and restoring a VMM server To support Windows BMR on a NetWorker client 8.0 SP1, the minimum required NetWorker server version is 7.6 SP2. Backing up and restoring a VMM server Protection The following sections describe protection and recovery considerations for a VMM server. The VMM server relies completely on the VMM database to store data. The VMM database uses the machine account to encrypt that data. A full backup of the VMM server host is required to ensure that: The same machine account is available to interact with the VMM database after recovery. All virtual machine hosts are still associated with and able to communicate with the VMM server. Any communication certificates can be restored so that existing agents will continue to work as expected. The VMM server is best protected by creating a NetWorker Windows BMR backup in combination with an NMM backup of local file systems and application-specific data, such as data associated with Hyper-V Server, SQL Server, or SharePoint Server. The advantage of a Windows BMR backup and recovery capability for a VMM server is that the backup includes the system state. When restored, the system state will also restore the computer security identifier (SID) that uniquely identifies the computer to the network. The computer-restored SID lets the VMM server interact quickly and easily with any existing VMM database, VMM library, and managed servers without extra post-restore operations. The Windows BMR backup also captures the VMM authorization data file when protecting the critical system drive. This file is stored at %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Virtual Machine Manager\HyperVAuthStore.xml. To perform a Windows BMR backup for the VMM server: 1. Use an NMM client resource to back up the VMM server non-application files by specifying the All save set. This setting enables the backup of the local file systems and the SYSTEM COMPONENTS:\ save set of the VMM server. 2. Use an NMM client resource specification to perform a full backup of any application data on the VMM server. 3. Configure a NetWorker client resource to perform a Windows BMR backup, and specify the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set. For detailed information on Windows BMR, see the EMC NetWorker Administration Guide. The Simplified Windows Bare Metal Recovery Solution for Microsoft Applications by using NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes provide details regarding NMM and Windows BMR. 4 Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes
Backing up and restoring a VMM library Recovery considerations Windows BMR can recover the operating system and the system state. You can use Windows BMR on the following hardware: The same hardware that the VMM server was installed on during the backup. A new hardware that has an identical configuration to the hardware of the computer that was backed up. NetWorker provides a Windows disaster recovery ISO that you can use to create a bootable CD or network boot location. To begin the recovery process, boot the Windows 2012/2008/2008 R2 host from the bootable CD or network location. The disaster recovery starts a NetWorker System Recovery wizard that guides you through the disaster recovery process. Review the requirements and limitations in the EMC NetWorker Administration Guide chapter on Windows BMR. Test the recovery process to ensure that your environment is fully prepared. If you need to recover the VMM server without using Windows BMR, you can use the NMM client backups for the local file systems and the SYSTEM COMPONENTS. This method is not generally supported because improper online recovery of the SYSTEM COMPONENTS:\ save set can lead to an inconsistent state of the system. If you recover the VMM server using this method, then treat the restore operation as a new installation of the VMM server. Microsoft documentation provides details about the post-recovery VMM steps that you should perform after the operating system is stable. Backing up and restoring a VMM library Protection The following sections describe protection and recovery considerations for a VMM library. A VMM library is a catalog of resources that allows you to store objects that are not running or associated with a host. The library contains files stored on library shares, as well as templates, operating system profiles, and hardware profiles. To back up and recover a VMM library server, use the NMM backup and recovery techniques for Windows files servers. In addition, regularly protect the VMM library server machines with Windows BMR for a disaster recovery scenario. To back up a VMM library: 1. Install NMM on the file server of the library shares. 2. Configure an NMM client resource to perform the NMM file system backups. 3. Include all the file share directories when scheduling the backup, or use the All save set. The EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Administration Guide provides the detailed steps to protect a Windows file server. Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes 5
Backing up and restoring a VMM database Recovery considerations For a VMM library recovery, after the file share directories are recovered, adjust the VMM Library Refresher interval or manually trigger the Library Refresher. This action enables VMM to refresh the content of the file server share into VMM. The VMM Administrator Console embedded help describes how to set the Library Refresher interval or do a manual refresh. Backing up and restoring a VMM database Protection The following sections describe protection and recovery considerations for a VMM database. A VMM database is a SQL Server database that contains all the configuration information for VMM. Give the highest priority to protecting the VMM database. In addition, regularly protect the VMM database server machine with Windows BMR for a disaster recovery scenario. The default installation of VMM uses Windows Internal Database (WID), a version of Microsoft SQL Express, on the same host as the VMM server. The database name is MICROSOFT$VMM$\Virtual Manager DB. However, the VMM database can also reside on an existing Microsoft SQL Server Standard or SQL Server Enterprise server if the user wishes. To find out the location of the database configured for VMM, inspect the Registry values entries under the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager Server\Settings\Sql. NMM 2.4 SP1 clients provide support for the backup and restore of SQL databases. All system state databases like a VMM database in WID are backed up by the NMM SYSTEM COMPONENTS:\ save set. When you set up an NMM 2.4 SP1 client resource to back up a Windows server, SYSTEM COMPONENTS:\ is part of the All save set backup. Alternatively, you can set up a specific client resource to back up just the Windows SYSTEM COMPONENTS. To back up the VMM database that is part of a SQL Server installation: Configure an NMM SQL Server client resource for the system with the VMM database. Include the VMM databases when scheduling a backup. In the client resource Save Set attribute, specify the VMM database. The entire SQL Server can be saved, or named instances and individual databases can be saved. The EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Application Guide provides the detailed steps of protecting a SQL server. The EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Administration Guide provides details about system state backups. The Simplified Windows Bare Metal Recovery Solution for Microsoft Applications by using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes provide details about NMM and Windows BMR. 6 Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes
Recovering an entire VMM environment Recovery considerations If you only back up and recover the VMM database, then remember to use the same instance of the VMM server component for the restore. This action reduces the VMM post-recovery steps. Consult the Microsoft VMM documentation for more information. You must manually stop and disable the VMM Windows service before restoring the VMM database. After restoring the database, manually enable and start the service again. After the VMM database is recovered and the VMM Windows service is restarted, VMM will synchronize the database with the VMM server and VMM library computers. In general, you must reapply any changes that you made to your VMM environment between the time of the backup and the recovery. For example, you must re-create any templates that you created in VMM after you completed the backup that you use for the recovery. Before you recover a SQL database, verify that all the SQL services are running. If you are performing a SQL Server recovery as part of a disaster recovery scenario, refer to the EMC NetWorker Administration Guide disaster recovery documentation for information regarding post-disaster recovery operations for hosts with SQL Server. To recover SQL Server data in a non-clustered environment: 1. Start the NMM GUI. 2. From the navigation tree, expand the Applications folder and the SQLServerWriter folder. 3. Select the VMM database to recover. 4. From the System Recover Session toolbar, click Start Restore. To recover a VMM database created with WID: 1. Start the NMM GUI. 2. From the navigation tree, expand the SYSTEM COMPONENTS:\ folder. 3. In the Recovery Options dialog box, clear the option Use Microsoft Best Practices for selecting the System State. 4. Under System Components, browse the SQL Embedded writer and select the VMM database for recovery. 5. From the System Recover Session toolbar, click Start Restore. Recovering an entire VMM environment Since there are dependencies between VMM components, use the following workflow to restore an entire VMM environment for a disaster recovery: 1. Recover the library file server: a. If required, restore the physical VMM library file server with a Windows BMR save set. Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes 7
Managing VMM virtual machines b. Use the NMM GUI file system plug-in to restore the file system shared as the VMM library. 2. Recover the VMM database: a. If required, restore the physical SQL server with a Windows BMR save set. b. If the VMM host is already active, stop the VMM services. c. Use the NMM GUI SQL plug-in to restore the VMM database. d. If the VMM services are stopped, restart them. 3. Recover the VMM host. Managing VMM virtual machines 4. After all the VMM supporting components are restored, recover the VMM host: a. If required, restore the physical VMM server with a Windows BMR save set. b. If the VMM server was not protected by a Windows BMR save set, then use the NMM GUI SYSTEM COMPONENTS:\ and file system plug-ins to recover the VMM host files. 5. After the operating system and VMM server are stable, follow the Microsoft documentation to perform the required post-recovery VMM steps. It is a best practice to frequently back up data that often changes, such as the data on the virtual machines managed by VMM. NMM fully supports the Microsoft Hyper-V VSS writer to protect Hyper-V virtual machines. Consult the EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Application Guide and arrange to do frequent image backups of your environment s virtual machines using the instructions provided. A Hyper-V server also needs protection. It is a best practice to perform Windows BMR backups for the Hyper-V server machines. For detailed information on Windows BMR, see the EMC NetWorker Administration Guide. The Simplified Windows Bare Metal Recovery Solution for Microsoft Technical Notes provide more details regarding NMM and Windows BMR. Using NMM Hyper-V support for VMM protection If any component of a VMM installation is installed on a Hyper-V virtual machine, the component can be protected by the NMM client s Hyper-V support. Just like any other Hyper-V guest, the VMM server, VMM library, or VMM database on a virtual machine can be completely protected by NMM image backups of the Hyper-V virtual machine. In this case, it is not necessary to install an NMM client on the virtual machine. Instead, install an NMM client on the Hyper-V server and configure NMM client resources to back up the virtual machines. To recover a virtual machine that contains a VMM component, use the NMM GUI Hyper-V plug-in. The EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Guide provides detailed steps for protecting a Hyper-V server s information. 8 Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes
Conclusion Conclusion Related documents NMM 2.4 SP1, combined with NetWorker client Windows BMR, provides all the necessary tools and options for protecting the VMM environment. Since VMM uses a SQL database and a file server to store the VMM configuration and Hyper-V information, you can use the NMM 2.4 SP1 client SQL support and file system backups with the NetWorker client Windows BMR to reliably protect the environment. Table 2 on page 9 lists the EMC publications that provide additional information. These documents are available on EMC Online Support (http://support.emc.com). Table 2 EMC publications for additional information (page 1 of 2) Guide names EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Release 2.4 SP1 Installation Guide EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Release 2.4 SP1 Administration Guide EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Release 2.4 SP1 Applications Guide EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Release 2.4 SP1 Release Notes EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications and EMC CLARiiON Implementing Proxy Node Backups 2.4 SP1 Technical Note Description Contains preinstallation, installation, silent installation, and post installation information about NMM 2.4 SP1. Contains information common to all the supported Microsoft applications that can be backed up and recovered by using NMM. Contains information needed to back up and recover the supported Microsoft applications. Contain information about new features and changes, problems fixed from previous releases, known limitations, and late-breaking information that was not updated in the remaining documentation set. Contains supplemental information about using NMM SP1 with EMC CLARiiON. EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications and EMC Symmetrix Implementing Proxy Node Backups 2.4 SP1 Technical Note Contains supplemental information about using NMM 2.4 SP1 with EMC Symmetrix. EMC NetWorker Cloning Integration Guide Contains planning, practices, and configuration information for using the NetWorker, NMM, and NMDA cloning feature. Simplified Windows Bare Metal Recovery Solution for Microsoft Applications by using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Release 2.4 SP1 Technical Notes Contain supplemental information about performing Windows Bare Metal Recovery by using NMM. SharePoint Granular Recovery by using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications and Kroll Ontrack PowerControls Release 2.4 SP1 Technical Notes Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes EMC NetWorker Procedure Generator (NPG) EMC NetWorker Licensing Guide Contain information about how to perform granular recovery of Microsoft SharePoint with NMM 2.4 SP1 and third-party software Kroll Ontrack PowerControls. Provide a data protection strategy for Microsoft System Center VMM by using NMM 2.4 SP1 and the EMC NetWorker Windows Disaster Recovery feature. NPG is an executable download that can be used to generate precise, user-driven steps for high-demand tasks carried out by customers, support, and the field. Provides information about licensing NetWorker and the NetWorker modules. Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes 9
Troubleshooting and getting help Table 2 EMC publications for additional information (page 2 of 2) Guide names EMC NetWorker Software Compatibility Guide EMC NetWorker Data Domain Deduplication Devices Integration Guide EMC NetWorker Avamar Integration Guide EMC NetWorker documentation set Description Includes a list of supported client, server, and storage node operating systems for the following software products: NetWorker and NetWorker application modules and options (including deduplication and virtualization support), AlphaStor, Data Protection Advisor, and HomeBase. Provides planning and configuration information on the use of Data Domain devices for data deduplication backup and storage in a NetWorker environment. Provides planning and configuration information on the use of Avamar in a NetWorker environment. Provides the documentation that is available with NetWorker. Troubleshooting and getting help EMC support, product, and licensing information can be obtained as follows: Product information For documentation, release notes, software updates, or information about EMC products, go to EMC Online Support at: https://support.emc.com Technical support Go to EMC Online Support and click Service Center. You will see several options for contacting EMC Technical Support. Note that to open a service request, you must have a valid support agreement. Contact your EMC sales representative for details about obtaining a valid support agreement or with questions about your account. 10 Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes
Troubleshooting and getting help Copyright 2012-2013 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published in the USA. Published January 30, 2013 EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice. The information in this publication is provided as is. EMC Corporation makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license. EMC 2, EMC, and the EMC logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. For the most up-to-date regulatory document for your product line, go to EMC Online Support (https://support.emc.com). Protecting Virtual Machine Manager Environments by Using EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Technical Notes 11