vSphere backup is a sort of standard practice for administering virtual machine clusters. To allow vSphere backup VM, user can apply one of two standard approaches: install some vSphere backup tools to a guest OS, or perform vSphere backup and recovery outside.
Handy Backup provides instruments for both methods. Although it has no dedicated vSphere backup plugin, all options and features of standard file-system or disk image backup can be applied to guide vSphere backup VM or an entire array of machines.
To vSphere Essentials backup or to saving copies from inside of a few virtual machines, any edition of Handy Backup can satisfy all the needs. For anything bigger than traditional small business applications, the strongest server-level editions may be recommended.
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Method One: Backup from Inside
Install a copy of Handy Backup to any (or each) of vSphere backup VM. Set up backup tasks to provide saving copies of crucial data from each instance. This method allows vSphere backup and recovery from inside, just as for any typical computer existed.
Note: Single-machine editions of Handy Backup are designed for Windows only.
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Method Two: Using Handy Backup as External vSphere Backup Tool
Under this method, all VMware machines are viewed as simple files and folders. It allows backing up an entire vSphere infrastructure in a single action using the basic “Computer” option. It allows VMware vSphere hot backup, i.e. requires no stopping VMs for using.
Bonus Method: Saving a Disk Image with vSphere Backup Array
This method is a sort of external copying. It creates an exact image of the physical or logical drive containing VMware vSphere infrastructure, providing vSphere consolidated backup of all data the virtual machine array contains.
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Besides the two or three techniques providing vSphere Essentials backup or saving data from a particular machine, Handy Backup has many other advantages and features, such as allowing vSphere cloud backup to Amazon S3 or to any other cloud service provider. Some principal features that can be very handy for backup are shortly described at the list below.
Selecting from full, incremental or vSphere differential backup technique;
Automatically backing up any databases from inside of vSphere backup VM;
Providing a choice of storage options, from clouds to FTPs to local drives;
Allowing timestamps to sort, select or manage multiple copies of one backup;
Encrypting and compressing data, to ensure security of backups.
Of course, any vSphere backup task can be scheduled for execution once or repeatedly on a basis from minutes to months, providing automation of saving vSphere environment. User can start backup tasks silently as Windows service, receiving E-mail notifications about any task.
As mentioned earlier, Handy backup is designed for Windows. However, using the Server Network edition, you can install Network Agents (remote backup clients of Handy Backup) to some physical or virtual machines under any popular Linux distro.
This technique may be useful for either internal backup (installing Network Agents on vSphere VM instances under Linux) or external data saving, when VMware environment functions on some remote Linux-based physical servers.
Allowing VMware vSphere hot backup and saving data to any media including cloud services, Handy Backup is a perfect example of sturdy and simple, fully automated utility among different vSphere backup tools.
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