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Does IDrive® 360 support incremental backups for VMware virtual machines?

Yes. After the initial full backup, all subsequent backups with IDrive 360 are incremental. To enable incremental backups, Change Block Tracking (CBT) must be enabled for the virtual machine.

To enable CBT,

  1. Power off the virtual machine.
  2. Right-click the virtual machine and select 'Edit Settings'.
  3. Click 'Options'.
  4. Under the ‘Advanced’ section, click ‘General’, then ‘Configuration Parameters’. The ‘Configuration Parameters’ dialog box appears.
  5. Click 'Add Row'.
  6. Add the parameter ctkEnabled, and then set its value to true.
  7. Click 'Add Row' again, add scsi0:0.ctkEnabled, and set its value to true.

Note:

  • scsi0:0 in scsi0:0.ctkEnabled refers to the SCSI device assigned to the virtual disk. Each disk added to the virtual machine receives a unique SCSI device, such as scsi0:0, scsi0:1, or scsi1:1.
  • CBT must be enabled individually for each virtual disk; it cannot be applied globally to the VM.

How do I disable Change Block Tracking (CBT) for VMware backup?

To disable CBT for VMware backup,

  1. Power off the virtual machine.
  2. Right-click the virtual machine and select 'Edit Settings'.
  3. Click 'Options'.
  4. Under the 'Advanced section', click 'General', then click 'Configuration Parameters'. The 'Configuration Parameters' dialog box opens.
  5. Set the 'ctkEnabled' parameter to false for the desired SCSI disks.
  6. Power on the virtual machine.

Which ports are required by the IDrive® 360 desktop application to perform backup and restore operations?

Ports 443 and 902 must be open and accessible on the source host to enable backup and restore operations.

How do I test VMware connectivity to port 902?

To test connectivity to port 902 on an ESXi host, run the following command from a command prompt:

C:\>telnet server 902

How can I back up my VMware virtual machines?

To back up your VMware virtual machines,

  1. Sign in to the IDrive 360 desktop application and click 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  2. Click 'VMware'. The VMware connection screen appears, with 'VMware backup' selected by default.
  3. Select 'ESXi 6.5/6.7/7.0/8.0'.
  4. Enter valid credentials and click 'Connect to ESXi'.
  5. Select 'Online Backup', 'Local Backup', or 'IDrive® 360 Express™'.

    Note: ‘Online Backup’ stores data on the IDrive 360 cloud. ‘Local Backup’ and ‘IDrive® 360 Express™ Backup’ store data on the local drive.

  6. Select the virtual machines from the list and specify a temporary path for the local backup.
  7. Click 'Schedule Now'.
  8. The 'Scheduler' appears, where you can schedule the backup for a future date and time or perform an immediate backup of the selected virtual machines.

How do I view and back up virtual machines from vCenter?

To back up multiple ESXi virtual machines via vCenter,

  1. Sign in to the IDrive 360 desktop application and click 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  2. Click 'VMware'. The VMware connection screen appears, with 'VMware backup' selected by default.
  3. Select 'vCenter'.
  4. Enter the IP address, Port, Username, Password, then click 'Connect to vCenter'.
  5. Select 'Online Backup', 'Local Backup', or 'IDrive® Express™ Backup'.
  6. Select the virtual machine(s) from the list and specify a temporary path for the local backup.
  7. Click 'Schedule Now'.
  8. The 'Scheduler' appears, allowing you to schedule the backup for a future date and time or perform an immediate backup of the selected virtual machines.

Can I back up VMware virtual machines to a network-mapped or NAS drive?

Yes, you can back up VMware virtual machines to a network-mapped drive or NAS drive. While selecting the local backup path, choose the network-mapped or NAS drive and provide the necessary authentication.

To back up VMware virtual machines to a network-mapped or NAS drive,

  1. Sign in to the IDrive 360 desktop application and click 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  2. Click 'VMware'. The VMware connection screen appears, with 'VMware backup' selected by default.
  3. Select 'ESXi 6.5/6.7/7.0/8.0' or 'vCenter'.
  4. Enter valid credentials and click 'Connect to ESXi'/'Connect to vCenter'.
  5. Select 'Online Backup', 'Local Backup', or 'IDrive® 360 Express™'.
  6. Select the virtual machines from the list.
  7. Select the network-mapped or NAS drive as the backup location.
  8. Click 'Schedule Now'.
  9. Enter your username and password to authenticate the network-mapped or NAS drive, then click 'Authenticate'.
  10. The 'Scheduler' appears, allowing you to schedule the backup for a future date and time or perform an immediate backup of the selected virtual machines.

How do I back up VMware virtual machines to a network computer?

To back up VMware virtual machines to a computer on the local network,

  1. Go to 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  2. Click 'VMware'. The VMware connection screen appears, with 'VMware backup' selected by default.
  3. Select 'ESXi 6.5/6.7/7.0/8.0' or 'vCenter', as required.
  4. Enter the server IP address, Port, Username, and Password, then click 'Connect to ESXi’ or ‘Connect to vCenter'.
  5. Select 'Online Backup', 'Local Backup', or 'IDrive® 360 Express™ Backup'.
  6. Select the virtual machines for backup from the list.
  7. Click against 'Temporary path for VMware local backup'.
  8. In the popup window, click 'Network', then double-click and select the required computer from the list of network computers.
  9. If prompted, enter the username and password to authorize access.
  10. Click 'Schedule Now'.
  11. The 'Scheduler' appears, allowing you to schedule the backup for a future date and time or perform an immediate backup of the selected virtual machines.

How do I perform a backup of VMware virtual machines to a network location or network-attached storage (NAS)?

To back up VMware virtual machines to a network location or NAS,

  1. Go to 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  2. Click 'VMware'. The VMware connection screen appears, with 'VMware backup' selected by default.
  3. Select 'ESXi 6.5/6.7/7.0/8.0' or 'vCenter', as required.
  4. Enter the IP address, Port, Username, and Password of the server, then click 'Connect to ESXi’ or ‘Connect to vCenter'.
  5. Select 'Online Backup', 'Local Backup', or 'IDrive® 360 Express™ Backup'.
  6. Select the virtual machines to back up from the list.
  7. Click 'Verify access to network location for backup'. This 'Network Details' popup will appear.
  8. Enter the NAS or Network UNC path (\\IP Address or Computer name\dir), along with the username and password, then validate the connection.
  9. Click 'Schedule Now'.
  10. The 'Scheduler' appears, allowing you to schedule the backup for a future date and time or perform an immediate backup of the selected virtual machines.

What are the system requirements for IDrive® 360 VMware backup?

The system requirements for IDrive 360 VMware backup are:

  • ESXi: 6.5, 6.7, 7.0, 8.0
  • vCenter: 6.5, 6.7, 7.0, 8.0
  • Operating System: Windows 64-bit
  • RAM: 2 GB
  • Storage: Sufficient hard disk space to store virtual machine files for temporary backup and restore

Do I need to turn off or shut down the virtual machines in VMware Manager to take a backup?

No. You do not need to shut down your active virtual machine(s) to perform a backup. IDrive 360 allows you to back up virtual machine(s) while they are running.

How secure is data transfer during backup/restore using IDrive® 360 VMware backup?

IDrive 360 uses military-grade 256-bit AES encryption to secure all data transferred during backup and restore operations with IDrive 360 VMware backup.

How do I restore a virtual machine to the VMware server?

To restore virtual machines to an ESXi host,

  1. Sign in to the IDrive 360 desktop application and click 'Restore'.
  2. Select 'Online Restore', 'Local Restore', or 'IDrive® 360 Express™ Restore'.
  3. Locate and select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder in your IDrive 360 account or local drive.

    Note: If 'Local Restore' is selected, you can choose the required version from the 'Version' list.

  4. Click 'Restore Now' to restore the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder to the local computer.
  5. Once restored, click 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  6. Click 'VMware'. The VMware connection screen appears.
  7. Click 'VMware restore', enter valid credentials, and click 'Connect to ESXi'.
  8. Browse and select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder restored earlier.
  9. Select the virtual machines to restore.
  10. Click 'Restore Now'. The restore settings popup will appear.
    - By default, the 'Existing machine' is selected as the restore location.
    -To create a new virtual machine in the same location, select 'New machine' and enter a name.
  11. A confirmation popup appears informing that the VMDK file will be overwritten and the virtual machine will remain powered off. Click 'Yes' to proceed.
    On successful completion, a restore summary will be displayed.

To restore virtual machines from vCenter,

  1. Sign in to the IDrive 360 desktop application and click 'Restore'.
  2. Select 'Online Restore', 'Local Restore', or 'IDrive® 360 Express™ Restore'.
  3. Locate and select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder in your IDrive 360 account or local drive.

    Note: If 'Local Restore' is selected, you can choose the required version from the 'Version' list.

  4. Click 'Restore Now' to restore the folder to your local computer.
  5. Once restored, click 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  6. Click 'VMware', then 'VMware restore'.
  7. Select 'vCenter' as the connection type.
  8. Enter the vCenter IP address, port, username, and password.
  9. Click 'Connect to vCenter'.
  10. Locate and select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder restored.
  11. Choose the virtual machines to restore.
  12. From the 'Select the ESXi host for restore' dropdown, select the required ESXi host.
    - This dropdown lists all the ESXi hosts connected to the selected vCenter server at the time of restore.
  13. By default, ‘Existing machine' is selected as the restore location. To create a new VM, select 'New machine' and enter a name.
  14. A confirmation popup appears informing that the VMDK file will be overwritten and the VM will remain powered off.
  15. Click 'Yes' to proceed.
    On successful completion, a restore summary will be displayed.

How do I restore virtual machines from a vCenter server?

IDrive 360 supports restoring virtual machines from a vCenter server.

To restore virtual machines from vCenter,

  1. Sign in to the IDrive 360 desktop application and click 'Restore'.
  2. Select 'Online Restore', 'Local Restore' or 'IDrive® 360 Express™ Restore'.
  3. Locate and select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder from your IDrive 360 account or local drive.

    Note: If 'Local Restore' is selected, you can choose the required version from the 'Version' list.

  4. Click 'Restore Now' to restore the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder to the local computer.
  5. After the folder is restored, click 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  6. Click 'VMware'. The VMware connection screen appears.
  7. Click 'VMware restore'.
  8. Select 'vCenter' as the connection type.
  9. Enter the vCenter IP address, port number, username, and password.
  10. Click 'Connect to vCenter'.
  11. Locate and select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder restored earlier.
  12. Choose the virtual machines you want to restore to the vCenter server.
  13. From the ‘Select the ESXi host for restore’ dropdown, choose the required ESXi host.

    Note: This dropdown lists all the ESXi hosts connected to the selected vCenter server at the time of restore.

  14. Click 'Restore Now' to initiate the restore process.
    The restore settings popup will appear.
  15. By default, the 'Existing machine' is selected as the restore location. To create a new VM in the same location with the restored data, choose 'New machine' and provide a name.
  16. Click 'OK' to proceed.
  17. A confirmation popup will appear informing that the VMDK file will be overwritten and the virtual machine will remain powered off during the restore operation. Click 'Yes' to proceed.
    On successful completion, a restore summary will be displayed.

How can I restore VMware virtual machines from a network location?

IDrive 360 supports restoring VMware virtual machines from vCenter, ESXi hosts, and network/NAS locations. Follow the steps based on your restore scenario.

To restore a virtual machine from a network computer to an ESXi host,

  1. Sign in to the IDrive 360 desktop application.
  2. Go to 'Server Backup' > 'VMware' > 'VMware restore'.
  3. Enter valid credentials and click 'Connect to ESXi'.
  4. Browse the 'IDVMwareBackup’ folder from the network computer (download the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder from your IDrive 360 account or local drive to a network computer).

    Note: If 'Local Restore' is selected, you can choose the required version from the 'Version' list.

  5. Click . The 'Browse My Computer' popup will appear.
  6. Click 'Network' and double-click the required computer.
  7. Enter your username and password for network authentication.
  8. Select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder from the network location.
  9. Select the virtual machines to restore and click 'Restore Now'.
    The restore settings popup will appear.
  10. By default, the 'Existing machine' is selected as the restore location. To create a new VM, select 'New machine' and enter a name.
  11. Confirm overwrite of VMDK files and note that VMs remain powered off. Click ‘Yes’.
    On completion, a restore summary is displayed.

To restore virtual machines from vCenter,

  1. Sign in to the IDrive 360 desktop application and click 'Restore'.
  2. Select 'Online Restore', 'Local Restore', or 'IDrive® 360 Express™ Restore'.
  3. Locate and select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder from your IDrive 360 account or local drive.

    Note: If 'Local Restore' is selected, you can choose the required version from the 'Version' list.

  4. Click 'Restore Now' to restore the IDVMwareBackup folder to your local computer.
  5. Once the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder is restored, click 'Server Backup'. A slider menu appears.
  6. Click 'VMware' > 'VMware restore'.
  7. Select 'vCenter' as the connection type.
  8. Enter the vCenter IP address, port, username, and password.
  9. Click 'Connect to vCenter'.
  10. Locate and select the restored 'IDVMwareBackup' folder.
  11. Choose the virtual machines to restore.
  12. From the 'Select the ESXi host for restore' dropdown, choose the required ESXi host.

    Note: This dropdown lists all the ESXi hosts connected to the selected vCenter server at the time of restore.

  13. By default, the 'Existing machine' is selected as the restore location. To create a new VM, select 'New machine' and enter a name.
  14. Confirm overwrite of VMDK files (VMs remain powered off) and click ‘Yes’.
    On completion, a restore summary is displayed.

To restore a virtual machine from a network/NAS location to an ESXi host,

  1. Go to 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  2. Click 'VMware' > 'VMware restore'.
  3. Enter 'IP address', 'Port', 'Username', 'Password', and click 'Connect to ESXi'.
  4. Select 'Online Backup', 'Local Backup' or 'IDrive® 360 Express™ Backup'.
  5. Browse the 'IDVMwareBackup'' folder from the network computer (download the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder from your IDrive 360 account or local drive to a network/NAS location.

    Note: If 'Local Restore' is selected, you can choose the required version from the latest 30 versions using the 'Version' list.

  6. Click 'Verify access to network location for restore'. The 'Network Details' popup will appear.
  7. Enter the UNC path ("\\IP Address or Computer name\dir") of network/NAS location, your username and password for network authentication.
  8. Select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder from the network location.
  9. Select the virtual machines you want to restore and click 'Restore Now'.
    The restore settings popup will appear.
  10. By default, the 'Existing machine' is selected as the restore location. To create a new VM in the same location with the selected data, choose 'New machine' and enter a name.
  11. Click 'OK' to proceed.
  12. A confirmation popup will appear informing that the VMDK file will be overwritten and the virtual machine will remain powered off during the restore operation. Click 'Yes' to proceed.
    On successful completion, a restore summary will be displayed

To restore virtual machines from vCenter,

  1. Sign in to the IDrive 360 desktop application and click 'Restore'.
  2. Select 'Online Restore', 'Local Restore', or 'IDrive® 360 Express™ Restore'.
  3. Locate and select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder from your IDrive 360 account or local drive.

    Note: If 'Local Restore' is selected, you can choose the required version from the 'Version' list.

  4. Click 'Restore Now' to restore the IDVMwareBackup folder to your local computer.
  5. Once the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder is restored, click 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  6. Click 'VMware' > 'VMware restore'.
  7. Select 'vCenter' as the connection type.
  8. Enter the vCenter IP address, port, username, and password.
  9. Click 'Connect to vCenter'.
  10. Locate and select the restored 'IDVMwareBackup' folder.
  11. Choose the virtual machines you want to restore to the vCenter server.
  12. From the 'Select the ESXi host for restore' dropdown, choose the required ESXi host.

    Note: This dropdown lists all the ESXi hosts connected to the selected vCenter server at the time of restore.

  13. By default, the 'Existing machine' is selected as the restore location. To create a new VM in the same location with the selected data, choose 'New machine' and enter a name for the virtual machine.
  14. Click 'OK' to proceed.
    A confirmation popup will appear informing that the VMDK file will be overwritten and the virtual machine will remain powered off during the restore operation.
  15. Click 'Yes' to proceed.
    On successful completion, a restore summary will be displayed.

Can I restore VMware virtual machines from a network-mapped drive or NAS drive?

Yes. IDrive 360 allows restoring VMware virtual machines from a local path, including network-mapped drives and NAS devices.

To restore to VMware server or ESXi host from network-mapped drive or NAS,

  1. Go to 'Server Backup' on the IDrive 360 desktop application. A slider menu will appear.
  2. Click 'VMware' > 'VMware restore'.
  3. Enter valid credentials and click 'Connect to ESXi'.
  4. Browse to the ‘IDVMwareBackup’ folder located on your network-mapped or NAS drive.
  5. Select the virtual machines you want to restore.
  6. Click 'Restore Now'.
  7. In the restore settings popup:
    - By default, 'Existing machine' is selected.
    - To create a new virtual machine, select 'New machine'.
  8. Click 'OK'.
  9. Confirm the prompt indicating that the VMDK file will be overwritten and the virtual machine will remain powered off during restore. Click Yes.

    When the restore completes, a restore summary is displayed.

To restore virtual machines from vCenter,

  1. Sign in to the IDrive 360 desktop application and click 'Restore'.
  2. Select 'Online Restore', 'Local Restore', or 'IDrive® 360 Express™ Restore'.
  3. Locate and select the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder from your IDrive 360 account or local drive.

    Note: If using 'Local Restore', choose the required version from the 'Version' list.

  4. Click 'Restore Now' to restore the IDVMwareBackup folder to your local computer.
  5. Once the 'IDVMwareBackup' folder is restored, click 'Server Backup'. A slider menu will appear.
  6. Click 'VMware'. The VMware connection screen appears.
  7. Click 'VMware restore'.
  8. Select 'vCenter' as the connection type.
  9. Enter the vCenter IP address, port, username, and password.
  10. Click 'Connect to vCenter'.
  11. Locate and select the restored 'IDVMwareBackup' folder.
  12. Choose the virtual machines to restore.
  13. From the 'Select the ESXi host for restore' dropdown, choose the required ESXi host.

    Note: This dropdown lists all the ESXi hosts connected to the selected vCenter server at the time of restore.

    - By default, the 'Existing machine' is selected as the restore location. To create a new VM, choose 'New machine' and enter a name for the virtual machine.

  14. Click 'OK'.
  15. A confirmation popup appears, stating that the VMDK file will be overwritten and the virtual machine will remain powered off during the restore process.
  16. Click 'Yes' to proceed.
    On successful completion, a restore summary will be displayed.

Is an additional or external storage volume required for VMware backup?

No. An additional or external storage volume is not required. However, ensure that the temporary location you select while scheduling the VMware backup has sufficient disk space to accommodate the selected data during the backup process.

Can I attach a VMDK file from IDrive® 360 VMware Backup to a different VMware server?

Yes, you can attach a VMDK file from IDrive 360 VMware backup to a different VMware server.

Can I upload the backed-up VMDK file using Sphere Client or Web Interface to attach to VMware ESXi?

Yes. You can upload the backed-up VMDK file to an ESXi datastore using the vSphere Client or Web Interface. However, VMDK files created from IDrive 360 VMware backup are typically in monolithic sparse format, which is not directly attachable to a virtual machine on ESXi.
To make it attachable, you must convert the uploaded VMDK file to thin-provisioned or ESXi-compatible format using the vmkfstools command.

Run the following command to convert the monolithic sparse vmdk file:
vmkfstools - i "Source vmdk path" "destination vmdk path after conversion"
For example: vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/centos/centos.vmdk" "/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/centos/centosafterconvert.vmdk"

After conversion, you can attach the converted VMDK file to a new or existing virtual machine from the ESXi host.

Does VMware ESXi require a licensed version to perform backups?

Yes, VMware ESXi requires a licensed version to enable APIs that support snapshot creation and backup operations.

What is the maximum hard disk size of a VM that I can back up?

You can back up virtual machine hard disks up to 2 TB in size.