What versions of VMware ESXi are supported?
Backup & Disaster Recovery supports VMware ESXi 6.0 and later.
Is free version of VMware ESXi supported?
Backup & Disaster Recovery does not support the free version of VMware ESXi since it does not allow accessing the VMware storage APIs required to back up data.
What VMware license is required?
Backup & Disaster Recovery works with any VMware license that covers the VMware storage APIs.
Can I back up a VM without taking its snapshot?
You cannot back up a VM without taking its snapshot via the regular VMware integration. If VMware cannot make a complete snapshot of a VM, install the backup agent in the guest operating system, and then perform backup again.
Can I back up VMDK files in the persistent mode?
You cannot back up a VMDK file in the persistent mode via the regular VMware integration.
Persistent mode means that the system cannot take snapshot of the VMDK file (though VMware still takes snapshots of the other parts of the VM). Without the snapshot, Backup & Disaster Recovery cannot know if the guest operating system changes the contents of the virtual disk during backup.
If the VM is shut down, Backup & Disaster Recovery can get exclusive access to the VMDK file, take snapshot, and back it up. Note that the VM has to be shut down all the time until backup completes.
If VMware cannot make a complete snapshot of the VM, install the backup agent in the guest operating system, and then perform backup again.
What is the maximum size of a VMDK file that can be backed up?
If VMware cannot create a snapshot, the VMDK file is too large.
Can I back up VMs with NVMe controllers?
No, Backup & Disaster Recovery does not support backup of VMware VMs with NVMe controllers.
Can I back up RDM disks?
You can back up an RDM disk only if it is used in the virtual mode that allows for snapshots.
How to restart services running on VMware vCenter Server?
Follow the instructions provided in the VMware Docs.
Does the appliance create an account for itself in VMware vCenter?
No, the appliance does not create an account for itself in VMware vCenter. It operates under the account configured during the first setup. If the password of that account changes, or the account is deactivated or removed, VMware VM backups will fail.
What is Changed Block Tracking?
Changed Block Tracking is a feature of VMware that timestamps changes to blocks of disk so later backups can skip copying blocks of disk that have not changed since the last backup.
Learn more in the VMware Docs.
What is ignore unallocated sectors?
This option lets the Changed Block Tracking (CBT) to find out what parts of a VMDK file have never been used (that is, the unallocated sectors), and skip those sectors to perform backup faster.
What is quiesce data?
When taking snapshot of a VM, Backup & Disaster Recovery can ask VMware to quiesce data. VMware informs the VMware tools running in the VM guest operating system, which in their turn inform the operating system (using VSS in Windows). The software installed in the operating system (for example, Microsoft SQL Server) and the file system of the operating system should put their data files in a consistent state like they would during the shutdown. Once that is done, the snapshot is taken, and the operating system resumes its normal operation. This is to allow the VM backup to be restored and used immediately without the need to wait for the file system or the database to be repaired.