5 0 0:RHV Backup

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Icon archived docs.png This is documentation for SEP sesam version 5.0.0 Jaglion.
This is not the latest version of SEP sesam documentation and, as such, does not provide information on features introduced in the latest release. For more information on SEP sesam releases, see SEP sesam Release Versions. For the latest documentation, check SEP sesam documentation.


Overview


The SEP sesam backup solution for RHV* environments was developed together with Red Hat. SEP sesam uses the RHV Manager backup (libvirt) API to perform snapshot-based backups of virtual machines (VMs) in RHV environments.

The tight integration with the RHV backup API enables consistent, agentless backups of all RHV virtual machines, regardless of their workload or operating system.

*RHV is a rebranding of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization (RHEV).

Key features

  • Since SEP sesam communicates directly with the RHV hypervisor, it does not matter what operating system is running as a virtual guest. Windows, Linux or any other operating system supported by the RHV hypervisor is treated as a virtual guest and backed up directly by communicating with the hypervisor.
  • SEP sesam supports backups for RHV single servers and RHV clusters with libvirt API.
  • Single (individual) VM backup is supported both on a RHV single server and on a RHV cluster. You can also back up VMs with specific disks (disk exclusion).
  • The following backup methods are available for backing up VMs in a RHV cluster/data center or on RHV single server:
    • A config only backup backs up only the VM configuration.
    • Backup of individual VMs that can be grouped together in one task group running on multiple hosts via the RHV Manager.
    • Backup of VMs with specific disks (disks exclusion).
  • COPY backup is currently the only supported RHV backup level, which means that all data defined by the backup task is backed up (provisioned space). It is recommended to use SEP Si3 target deduplication for your RHV backups to reduce the size of backed up data.
  Tip
With v. 5.0.0 Jaglion, you can simplify the backup of multiple VMs by automatically creating tasks for VMs that are connected to the same host; you can also automatically create clients for VMs to which the created tasks and ACLs can be assigned. It is recommended to use these features when a new hypervisor is added and many new VMs need to be backed up. For details, see Automating Backup Process.

Backup workflow

The backup process uses the following workflow:

  1. A snapshot of the virtual machine (VM) is created.
  2. The VM configuration is exported from the snapshot and backed up as the first saveset stream.
  3. The virtual disks represented in the snapshot are attached to the data mover VM.
  4. The data of the virtual disks is backed up.
  5. The snapshot of the VM is removed.

Prerequisites

To ensure error-free operation of SEP sesam and improve performance, make sure that the following conditions are met:

LAN-based or LAN-free backup

SEP sesam’s Red Hat Virtualization backup can operate in two modes: LAN-based backup and LAN-free backup.

During the backup, a VM snapshot is created and mounted to the SEP sesam data mover. The snapshots can be transferred via LAN or SAN (Storage Area Network). If a SAN storage device is available for SEP sesam, the transfer is done directly (LAN-free).

The following images show how to use the backup module for LAN-based and LAN-free backup. Steps 1-5 in the graphic show the direction of the connection establishment for communication and metadata transfer. Step 6 shows the direction of the connection establishment for the data transfer to the connected storage.

LAN-based backup scenario
  • Start the backup process with connection to the RHV Manager host. Create a consistent snapshot of the VM. (Step 1)
  • Once the snapshot is successfully created, the VM configuration is exported from the snapshot and backed up as the first stream in the saveset. (Steps 2, 3, 4)
  • The VM disks present in the snapshot are then attached to the data mover VM using the backup API. Once attached, the data on these disks is backed up and upon success, the snapshot is removed again. The snapshot is transferred from the data mover VM to SEP sesam Server via LAN. (Steps 5, 6)
  • The backed up data is stored in backup storage (connected storage devices, such as SEP sesam data store, SEP sesam Si3 deduplication store, HPE StoreOnce, tape library).
  • LAN based backup
     
LAN-free backup scenario
Use the SAN storage connected directly to the RHV cluster itself to perform backup transferred across your dedicated storage interface. In this case, the storage is attached directly to the data mover VM using the Storage Area network.
  • Start the backup process with connection to the RHV Manager host. Create a consistent snapshot of the VM. (Step 1)
  • Once the snapshot is successfully created, the VM configuration is exported from the snapshot and backed up as the first stream in the saveset. (Steps 2, 3, 4)
  • The VM disks present in the snapshot are then attached to the data mover VM using the backup API. Once attached, the data on these disks is backed up and upon success, the snapshot is removed again. The snapshot is transferred from the data mover VM to your backup storage via SAN. (Steps 5, 6)
  • The backed up data is stored in backup storage (connected storage devices, such as SEP sesam data store, SEP sesam Si3 deduplication store, HPE StoreOnce, tape library).
  • LAN free backup
     

Backing up RHV virtual machines

Create a new backup task for the RHV VM client. You can only perform one VM backup per backup task. You must configure a separate backup task for each VM that you want to back up.
Note that it is strongly recommended to install the Qemu Guest Agent on virtual machines that are backed up to ensure file system consistency during snapshot creation. For more information, see the Red Hat documentation Installing Guest Agents and Drivers: Red Hat Virtualization Guest agents and tools.

  Tip
If you prefer to watch a video rather than to read a step-by-step guide, you can learn all the steps of the backup procedure by watching Backup of Red Hat Virtualization (RHV) with SEP sesam on SEP sesam YouTube channel.
  1. In the Main Selection -> Tasks -> By Clients, select the RHV Manager client and then click New Backup Task. The New Backup Task window opens.
  2. Specify the Source of the VM you want to back up. You can browse for the source or enter it manually. When you browse for the source, the task type and task name are set automatically. If you enter the source manually, you need to enter the task name and select the RHV task type from the drop-down list.
  3. You can exclude individual disks from backup by entering them in the Exclude list field. You have to use the logical disk name(s) as displayed in the RHV management center. If you want to exclude multiple disks, enter them one by one followed by a comma without spaces, for example: disk_name1,disk_name2.
  4.  
  5. By default, the RHV backup module automatically creates memory snapshots of the virtual machine. Memory snapshots take time and resources, but allow reversion to a running VM state as it was when the snapshot was taken. You can disable automatic creation of memory snapshots by adding the option -a qui=0 to the the Backup options: Click the Options tab -> Additional call arguments -> enter -a qui=0 to the Backup options field.
  6. If you want to define other options (such as pre/post backup and restore commands, set encryption, specify OS credentials, consolidate individual tasks under a specific task group, or assign a task to the schedule), click the corresponding tabs in the New Backup Task window.
    Click OK to create the task.
      Tip
    You can add your tasks for individual node or individual VM to a task group and enable triggering all tasks at once with a single event. For details, see Adding a Task to the Task Group.
  7. 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 create a periodic backup, you have to create a schedule for your backup task: Click New schedule under Main Selection -> Scheduling -> Schedules and set up a schedule. For more details, see Creating a Schedule.
  8.   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.
  9. After you have configured a schedule, you must create a new backup event for it. From Main Selection -> Scheduling -> New Backup Event, click the Parameter tab and select the task to which you want to link this event. Then select COPY from the Backup level drop-down list. Note that COPY is currently the only supported backup level for SEP sesam RHV clients. For detailed procedure, see Creating a Backup Event.

Monitoring backups

You can view the status of your backup jobs in the GUI (Monitoring -> Last Backup State or Job State -> Backups) or SEP sesam Web UI (select Monitoring from the side menu) The backup status overview provides detailed information about the last run of backup jobs, including the task name, start and stop time of the last backup, backup level, data size, throughput, assigned media pool, etc.


See also

Automating Backup ProcessRHV ConfigurationRHV RestoreInstalling Guest Agents and Drivers: Red Hat Virtualization Guest agents and tools

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