Question: How to Create a Full Image/Backup of ESXi Host (alternate to Acronis)

[Tenderloin]

I have recently created a small ESXi home server using ESXi 6.0U1b (free).  What I'm trying to do is locate a product or process, preferably free or very low cost which will automatically [or manually] backup my ESXi boot drive.  Acronis makes such a product "Backup for VMware" but only for a mere $599 which is a bit steep for a home user.  I'm looking for alternate software which will do effectively the same thing but have yet to find it.  I have found a lot of references to backing up the ESXi configuration but that is not what I'm looking for, but maybe that is all I can hope for.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

[joshopper]

With a single host you really aren't backing much up, a reinstall is probably just as fast considering your environment. If you want something automated because of drivers and what not I would just investigate scripted installs.

[unsichtbare]

If you have access to the vCLI, then the command: vicfg-cfgbackup.pl is the way to create a backup of an ESXi host. I don't think the free version of ESXi allows use of the CLI, so there may be another method.

Especially id you install to flash media like SD or USB, consider powering off your ESXi host and imaging your flash media after installation. There are any number of disk imaging utilities available that could take care of this.

[Tenderloin]

I am coming to that realization that it is not so difficult to just backup the configuration file and then restore it if need be at a later date.  The only rub is I will need to periodically manually backup my configuration file and also note the current ESXi version being run.  As for backing up the VMs, there are several free ways of accomplishing this.

So I have not found the answer to my question but believe I have a work-around to almost achieve the same result, well not really but it may have to do.