4 4 3:Hyper-V Backup

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Docs latest icon.png Welcome to the latest SEP sesam documentation version 4.4.2–4.4.3 Tigon V2. For previous documentation version(s), check Hyper-V archive.


Overview

SEP sesam provides efficient data protection for Microsoft Hyper-V environments. It allows you to back up multiple VMs running on a Hyper-V single server with a single task. The VMs in a Hyper-V cluster can be protected with granular backups of each individual VM (recommended) or by backing up several VMs in one cluster node at once with a single backup task (recommended for static VMs only).
SEP sesam enables you to restore your Hyper-V data directly from storage swiftly and reliably. A variety of storage devices is supported, allowing you to back up any Hyper-V system to any virtual machine-supported storage. By using the integrated Si3 target deduplication for Hyper-V backups, you can benefit from reduced disk capacity and increased overall storage performance.

Key features

Supported Systems

  • Windows Server 2012
  • Windows Server 2012 R2

Backup level

  • With SEP sesam version 4.4.3, backup level types FULL and INCR are introduced for Hyper-V backup. Note that with INCR backup a snapshot is maintained in Hyper-V Manager. Do not delete the snapshot as it is required for the FULL/INCR backup chain. Deleting a snapshot manually will break a backup chain, thus triggering a FULL backup on the next run.
  • In SEP sesam version 4.4.2, the only supported backup type for Hyper-V is COPY backup. All data defined by the backup task is backed up, regardless of when it was last modified.

It is recommended to use Si3 target deduplication for Hyper-V backups.

Backup

  • SEP sesam supports backup for Hyper-V single server and Hyper-V cluster with Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) or Server Message Block (SMB 3.0).
  • Backup of individual VMs is supported on Hyper-V single server and on Hyper-V cluster (via Hyper-V resource).
  • Two methods are available for backing up multiple VMs in a Hyper-V cluster:
    • backup of individual VMs which can be grouped together into a single task group running on multiple hosts via the Hyper-V resource (recommended method),
    • backup of multiple VMs in one cluster node with a single task (generally disadvised unless in case of static VMs).
  • Three methods are available for backing up multiple VMs on a Hyper-V single server:
    • an all backup of all VMs,
    • backup of multiple VMs in one backup task,
    • backup of individual VMs which can be grouped together into a single task group.

Restore

  • Only one VM can be restored at a time.
  • The VM can be restored to the original or a different location (including CSV and SMB 3.0) with the same or a different VM name, using relocation.
  • The VM can be restored to the same or a different single Hyper-V server, and to the same or a different Hyper-V cluster.
  • Rather than restoring and importing a VM to the Hyper-V manager, a simple path restore of the selected Hyper-V data can be performed directly to a directory on any system.

For details, see Hyper-V Restore 4.4.

Prerequisites

  • Hyper-V version 3. Check the support matrix for the list of supported Hyper-V versions.
  • SEP sesam Client version 4.4.2 or 4.4.3, or SEP sesam Server version, if you are installing build 4.4.3 Tigon V2 (4.4.3.48) on Windows.
  • Information sign.png Note
    Due to the missing hyperv_import.dll in SEP sesam Windows Client package 4.4.3.48, Hyper-V restore – import fails if only the SEP sesam Windows Client package is installed on the Hyper-V standalone server or on Hyper-V cluster nodes. In this case, uninstall the SEP sesam Client package and use the SEP sesam Server package to install the SEP sesam Client with the GUI on your Hyper-V standalone server and, if clustered, on Hyper-V cluster nodes. For details, see Microsoft Windows installation.
  • Check Hardware requirements for SEP sesam Server or RDS.
  • Working name resolution for Hyper-V nodes and the Hyper-V resource (for Hyper-V cluster).
  • To protect Hyper-V virtual machines, make sure that the SEP sesam backup client package is installed on a Hyper-V single server or, if it is a Hyper-V cluster, on each node in the cluster.
  • For each Hyper-V node in the cluster, make sure that the SEP sesam service is running with the rights of an Active Directory (AD) user with domain administrator role (for Hyper-V cluster).
Information sign.png Note
When backing up via hypervisor and using external disk, SEP sesam cannot back up the data on the independent or RDM disks, because hypervisors are not able to back up such devices. The data of such disks is silently skipped from backup, hence the backup saveset contains no data for the independent or RDM disks, while the backup succeeds and no warning about the missing data is issued. If a restore of a VM with independent/RDM disk is performed to the original VM by using the option overwrite, the independent/RDM disk is re-created and all existing data on the restore target is lost.

To back up VMs that contain independent disks or RDMs, you have to install the SEP sesam Client in the virtual machine and perform an additional file- or application backup to back up this data.

Configuring a Hyper-V single server or cluster as a SEP sesam client

To protect your Hyper-V virtual machines, you must configure the Hyper-V server (for Hyper-V standalone server) or Hyper-V resource (not the physical Hyper-V nodes) as a SEP sesam client.

  1. From Main Selection -> Components -> Topology, select your location and click the New client button. The New client window opens.
  2. In the New client window, configure the following options:
    • Enter the Client name.
    • Select Windows from the Platform drop-down list and the relevant Windows version under Operating system.
    • Choose the Access mode for the SEP sesam server-client communication (the default setting is CTRL).
    • From the VM server type drop-down list, select Hyper-V-Server (for Hyper-V standalone server) or Hyper-V-Cluster (for Hyper-V cluster).
  3. Hyper-v-client.png


  4. Click OK to add the new client.

Automatically installing SEP sesam Client on all Hyper-V cluster nodes (Windows only)

Automatic installation of the SEP sesam client on all Hyper-V cluster nodes is available for Windows SEP sesam Server only. If you are using a Linux SEP sesam Server, you will have to manually install the SEP sesam clients on the Hyper-V nodes.

Information sign.png Note
If you are installing build 4.4.3 Tigon V2

(4.4.3.48) on Windows cluster nodes, you should currently not use SEP sesam Windows Client package 4.4.3.48 due to a known issue with missing hyperv_import.dll. Consequently, Hyper-V restore – import fails if only the SEP sesam Windows Client package is installed on the Hyper-V standalone server or on Hyper-V cluster nodes. In this case, uninstall the SEP sesam Client package and install the SEP sesam Server package (includes the Client and GUI components) on your Hyper-V cluster nodes. For details, see Microsoft Windows installation.

  1. Copy the client installation package sesam-cli-4.4.2.XX-windows.x64.exe to the <SEPsesam>\var\work\packages folder on the SEP sesam Server.
  2. Open the Windows search function (in the Start menu) of your Windows SEP sesam Server and type cmd. Right-click cmd and select Run as administrator to open the command prompt.
  3. Use the following command to install the SEP sesam client onto the Hyper-V cores. Note that the inserted [domain\]user must be a domain administrator with access to all Hyper-V nodes.
  4. sm_config_client -I cli -c <clientname> -u <[domain\]user> -p <password>

Example

cd "C:\Program Files\SEPsesam\bin\sesam"
sm_config_client -I cli -c HyperVresource -u SEP\mm -p supersecret

The SEP sesam client is installed on each Hyper-V core. If the Hyper-V cluster has four Hyper-V cores, the SEP sesam client will be installed on all four Hyper-V cores. The Hyper-V nodes will be added to the same location as your Hyper-V resource as additional SEP sesam clients with the state "locked for backups" (no licence required). Do not delete the clients.

Backing up a Hyper-V single server

Create a new backup task for the Hyper-V client containing the virtual machines. When backing up a Hyper-V server, you can perform a granular backup of individual VMs or backup multiple VM(s) in one backup task.

  1. From Main Selection -> Tasks -> By clients, select Hyper-V client and click New backup task. The New backup task window opens.
  2. Specify the Source. If you want to back up individual VM(s), you can either browse for the VM(s), the directories and files that you want to include in the backup or enter their names followed by a comma (VM_1,VM_2,VM_3). If you want to backup the entire Hyper-V server with all VMs, set the source as all or browse and click the check box in front of the Hyper-V server name. By selecting the source, the backup type and task name are set automatically.
  3. Information sign.png Note

    If you are backing up Hyper-V server with the source set as all, the host components, which are needed to recover your Hyper-V server, are also backed up. However, if you decide to back up individual VM(s), consider backing up the host components item as well, since they include the virtual server application configuration settings.

  4. Optionally, specify the VM names or patterns which you do not want to back up in the Exclude list. If you want to add a comment, enter it in the Comment field.
    If you want to define other options (such as pre/post backup and restore commands, set encryption or compress data, consolidate individual tasks under a specific task group, assign a task to the schedule), click the corresponding tabs in the New backup task window.
    Click OK to create the task.
    Bck task hyp-V.png
  5. If you want to start the newly created task immediately, right-click the name of the task and click Immediate start. If you want to schedule the task, click New schedule under Main Selection -> Scheduling -> Schedules.
  6. Schedule bck task hyp-V.png
SEP Tip.png Tip
You can also add your backup task to an existing schedule by double-clicking the backup task, selecting the tab Schedules and adding it to one or more schedules.

Once you have configured a schedule, you must create a new backup event for it. Go to Main Selection -> Scheduling -> New Backup Event, click the Parameter tab and select one of the available backup level types depending on your SEP sesam version:

  • V. 4.4.3 provides COPY, FULL and INCR backups for Hyper-V. Note that with INCR backup a snapshot is maintained in Hyper-V Manager. Do not delete the snapshot as it is required for the FULL/INCR backup chain. Deleting a snapshot manually will break a backup chain, thus triggering a FULL backup on the next run.
  • V. 4.4.2 only supports COPY backup for Hyper-V clients.

For more information on schedules and related events, see Schedules 4.4.

Backing up a Hyper-V cluster (CSV / SMB3)

The procedure for backing up a Hyper-V cluster differs slightly from the Hyper-V server backup. You cannot perform a multiple virtual machine backup for VMs on the cluster, however, you can perform a granular backup of an individual VM (recommended) or backup several VMs in one cluster node (by selecting several VMs or source all) by one backup task (generally disadvised unless in case of static VMs!).

Prerequisites

  • Before configuring a backup task, make sure that the nodes of the selected Hyper-V cluster are added as a client to the SEP sesam environment. For details, see the procedure Automatically installing SEP sesam client on all Hyper-V cluster nodes above.
  • Depending on your backup strategy, you will have to create a separate backup task either for each node in a Hyper-V cluster or for each VM that resides in a cluster.
SEP Tip.png Tip
You can assign individual backup tasks to a task group and then trigger the backup of all tasks belonging to that group with a single event. The tasks are processed according to the number of available channels. The remaining tasks are placed in the execution queue and are started sequentially. For details, see the procedure Adding a task to the task group below.

Note that a task group must always be linked to a schedule with a corresponding backup event attached to it. For details, see Standard Backup Procedure.

Backing up an individual VM residing in a Hyper-V cluster

  1. From Main Selection -> Tasks -> By clients, select a Hyper-V cluster resource from the list of clients and click New backup task. The New backup task window opens.
  2. Specify the Source. Browse for the VM that you want to include in the backup and select it. Note that you can only configure one VM per backup task. By selecting the source, the backup type and task name are set automatically.
  3. Information sign.png Note

    The host components item is needed to recover your Hyper-V server. If you are backing up individual VM(s), consider configuring a special backup task for your Hyper-V host components, since they include your virtual server application configuration settings.

    Hyper-V cluster.png


  4. Optionally, enter a comment in the Comment field.
    If you want to define other options (such as pre/post backup and restore commands, set encryption or compress data, consolidate individual tasks under a specific task group, assign a task to the schedule), click the corresponding tabs in the New backup task window.
    Click OK to create the task.
  5. Repeat the procedure until you have configured a separate backup task for each VM in the Hyper-V cluster.

Backing up several VMs residing on the same cluster node

Information sign.png Note
  • It is possible to back up several VMs within one node at once either by selecting specific VMs as a source or by specifying source all. In the latter case, all VMs residing on the same node are selected by default and will be backed up simultaneously. This method has its advantages and disadvantages: backing up several VMs within the same node at once (in one task) results in reduced time and I/O needed to create the snapshot since this is executed once for all VMs that are grouped together. The downside is that this method is not appropriate for dynamic VMs since it may cause serious flaws in VMs data protection. In cases where the VMs can move among nodes it might happen that not all of the VMs are backed up because some have been moved to another or new Hyper-V cluster node. This would break the backup chain and leave your VMs data unprotected. Therefore this method should only be used in case of static VMs.
  • If you want to exclude any of the VMs from the backup, you can deselect them in your directory browser or use one of the options under the Hyper-V Cluster Exclude.
  • A Hyper-V all backup may only contain VMs that are located either on CSV or on SMB3. A combination of the two is not supported.
  1. From Main Selection -> Tasks -> By clients, select a Hyper-V cluster node (NOT a Hyper-V resource) and click New backup task. The New backup task window opens.
  2. Specify the Source. By selecting the source, the backup type and task name are set automatically.
    • If you want to back up specific VMs, you can either browse for the VMs that you want to include in the backup or enter their names followed by a comma (VM_1,VM_2,VM_4).
    • If you want to backup all VMs on the selected node, type all in the Source field.
    • You can also specify all as a source and use the Exclude List to browse for and select one or more individual VMs on the same cluster node to be excluded from a backup. The excluded nodes are marked with an X-sign. See also the VM exclude step below for an alternative method of excluding VMs.
    Information sign.png Note

    If you are backing up a Hyper-V node with source set as all, the host components, which are needed to recover your Hyper-V server, are also backed up. If you decide to exclude the host components item from your all backup, consider configuring a separate backup task, since the host components include your virtual server application configuration settings.

    Cluster node-all backup.png


  3. Under Hyper-V Cluster Exclude, select one of the following options:
    • none: prevents any VM on the node from being excluded from the backup.
    • local VMs: if you choose to exclude local VMs, only the clustered VMs on the node will be backed up.
    • clustered VMs: if you choose to exclude clustered VMs, only the local VMs on the node will be backed up.
  4. If you want to add a comment, enter it in the Comment field.
    If you want to define other options (such as pre/post backup and restore commands, set encryption or compress data, consolidate individual tasks under a specific task group, assign a task to the schedule), click the corresponding tabs in the New backup task window.
    Click OK to create the task.
  5. Repeat the procedure until you have configured a separate backup task for each node in the Hyper-V cluster.

Adding a task to the task group

You can add all the tasks for an individual node or VM to a task group and trigger all the tasks with a single event.

  1. From Main Selection -> Tasks -> By groups, click New task group. The New task group window opens.
  2. Enter the Group name. Under Tasks for this group, select the tasks (from the list of all available tasks on the left) and add them to your newly created task group list.
  3. Cluster group.png
  4. If you want to start backups for the task group immediately, right-click the task group name and click Immediate start. If you want to schedule the task group, click New schedule under Main Selection -> Scheduling -> Schedules.
SEP Tip.png Tip
If you already have a configured schedule, you can link your task group to it by clicking the Schedule tab in the Task group properties window.

Once you have configured a schedule, you must create a new backup event for it. Go to Main Selection -> Scheduling -> New Backup Event, click the Parameter tab and select one of the available backup level types depending on your SEP sesam version:

  • V. 4.4.3 provides COPY, FULL and INCR backups for Hyper-V. Note that with INCR backup a snapshot is maintained in Hyper-V Manager. Do not delete the snapshot as it is required for the FULL/INCR backup chain. Deleting a snapshot manually will break a backup chain, thus triggering a FULL backup on the next run.
  • V. 4.4.2 only supports COPY backup for Hyper-V clients.

For more information on schedules and related events, see Schedules 4.4.

Known issues

Hyper-V restore – import fails with SEP sesam Windows Client 4.4.3.48

Due to the missing hyperv_import.dll in SEP sesam Windows Client package 4.4.3.48, Hyper-V restore – import fails if only the SEP sesam Windows Client package is installed on the Hyper-V standalone server or on Hyper-V cluster nodes. In this case, uninstall the SEP sesam Client package and use the SEP sesam Server package to install the SEP sesam Client with the GUI on your Hyper-V standalone server and, if clustered, on Hyper-V cluster nodes. For details, see Microsoft Windows installation.

Backup of a Linux VM fails

When backing up a Linux VM without Guest Services support, backup job fails with error:

VSS_E_WRITERERROR_NONRETRYABLE

Backups of Linux systems with Guest Services support work normally.

Solution

If backing up Linux VM fails with VSS_E_WRITERERROR_NONRETRYABLE error, open the VM Settings -> Integration Services and disable the option Backup (volume shadow copy).
VM settings.png

What is next?

How to restore Hyper-V virtual machine