Veeam

[YMtech]

Hello,

Does somebody use a Veeam backup software?

I would like to know Where I need to install it? On the server itself looks funny because if it goes down then the Veeam goes with it and then how do I restore?

I want to have a backup solution so if the server fails then I need just to mount the image and up and running. What is the best way to implement veeam with Esxi4?

[AndreTheGiant]

Veeam is a Windows program.

So you need a Windows system (could be also a VM) to install.

Refer to the installation guide for min requirements.

PS: note that, as other backup software, it can work only with a licensed version of ESXi, not the free one (called now free Hypervisor).

Andre

[YMtech]

Isn't ESXi free, I have licence but it's free.

I know that ESX is licence based.

[mittim12]

There is a free and licensed version of ESXi.   The free version has some limitations like the below lines taken from http://blogs.vmware.com/esxi/2009/06/esxi-vs-esx-a-comparison-of-features.html

1. vCenter cannot manage free ESXi without a vSphere license as its APIs only grant read-only access.
   
2. Automated scripts cannot change hypervisor settings.
   

[YMtech]

So ESXi license costs money?

[jamesbowling]

Also, Veeam is NOT a ESXi host backup solution.  It is a Virtual Machine backup solution.  There are a couple of ways to deploy it with the recommended being on a physical machine attached to shared storage.  If you are not running any type of shared storage then you can deploy it in Virtual Appliance mode and mount a SMB/CIFS share on the Veeam Windows VM as your backup destination.

[jamesbowling]

Licensing ESXi enables other features that are not enabled in the free one.  So, in short, yes the license costs money but at the same time, for an individual host where you don't need the extra features it is free.  In your case, you will need a license to enable the vStorage APIs in order to use a product like Veeam.

[mrudloff]

You can use ESXi Free - and that means it is free. But Veeam is not compatible with the free version.

In order to use Veeam on ESXi you need to license ESXi from Free to well .. not free...

Basically certain storage APIs are locked down by VMWare on ESXi Free .. you will need at least an "Essential" license in order for Veeam to work

http://www.veeam.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=20529#p20529

[YMtech]

Any ideas for costs? and where to purchase?

[mrudloff]

VMWare Essentials ?

vmware.com

http://store.vmware.com/store?Action=DisplayPage&Env=BASE&Locale=en_US&SiteID=vmware&id=ProductDetai...

$560

[jamesbowling]

You can buy directly on the VMware store or find a reseller to purchase through.  See the following:

http://www.vmware.com/vmwarestore/smb-solutions-server.html

http://www.vmware.com/vmwarestore/online-partners.html

[YMtech]

say I bought it. Where do I install the Veeam? On the server itself? It doesnt protect me from a total server failure because then everything goes down and then I need to reinstall all in order to restore. Am I right?

[golddiggie]

Veeam's software can be either a Windows VM or physical system. If you have more than one host, you can get the licensed version of ESXi and get it with HA to prevent a single host loss killing your environment (it all goes dark)... IF you have shared storage, where the VM's live, unless THAT gets seriously boned, losing a host is a non-issue.

With ESXi you install virtually nothing extra ON the host itself. You run other items either on VM's or as virtual appliances.

If you're in a production/company setting, then you really should have purchased licenses for ESXi, as well as things like vCenter, shared storage, proper networking, etc. IMO, all part of VMware design concepts (not even 101 level)... There's plenty of documentation available, for free, on the main pages. I suggest you read up on how ESX/ESXi work and how you get things to work to survive a host failure/loss. IME, these are not difficult concepts to grasp.

If you continue to have issues figuring out Veeam, contact them about where to set it up. Although I believe their online documentation goes through that pretty well too... Hate to say it but, RTFM!