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Hardware and Software Requirements: Data Protection for VMware V8.1.0

Preventive Service Planning


Abstract

This document details the hardware and software requirements for IBM® Spectrum Protect™ for Virtual Environments: Data Protection for VMware V8.1.0.

Content

The Data Protection for VMware requirements vary by high level functional component. Data Protection for VMware has the following high level functional components:

  • Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI
  • Data mover
  • Recovery agent
  • Mount proxy

Note:
  • All Data Protection for VMware functional components must be at the same fix pack level. Within a given fix pack level, the interim fix level can differ.

    Examples:
    • When upgrading the Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI all other functional components (data movers, recovery agents and mount proxy nodes) must be also upgraded to the same fix pack level.
    • When upgrading a data mover from 8.1.0.x to 8.1.0.y (where x<y), it is not required that all other functional components be upgraded to 8.1.0.y (but they all must be at the same fix pack level).

This document is divided into linked sections for ease of navigation. You may use the links to jump to the section of the document that you want.

Software requirements for Data Protection for VMware
Additional software requirements

Support and limitations

Hardware requirements for Data Protection for VMware

Where to download IBM Spectrum Protect for Virtual Environments 8.1.0

Hardware and Software requirements for other releases of Data Protection for VMware



Software requirements for Data Protection for VMware
    Supported VMware vSphere versions

    The following VMware vSphere versions are supported:
    • vSphere 5.5 and 5.5 update and patch levels
    • vSphere 6.0 and 6.0 update and patch levels
    • vSphere 6.5 and 6.5 update and patch levels (See "Important considerations for vSphere 6.5" below)

    Attention: VMware KB 2090639 describes a critical VMware Changed Block Tracking (CBT) integrity issue that can lead to unrestorable backups of VMs on ESXi 5.5 hosts. To avoid this issue, upgrade ESXi 5.5 hosts to Patch 4 or later patch or update level.

    Important considerations for vSphere 6.5
    1. Support for vSphere 6.5 requires IBM Spectrum Protect for Virtual Environments: Data Protection for VMware version 8.1.0.1 or higher
    2. Virtual Machines using VMware new vSphere 6.5 Virtual Machine encryption are not supported
    3. Virtual Machines that have virtual disk on VMware Virtual Volumes (VVOL) is not supported on vSphere 6.5
    4. IBM Spectrum Protect extension to the VMware vSphere Web Client does not support the vSphere 6.5 HTML5-based vSphere Web Client

    Note:
    • To determine the system level of a host, run the command vmware -l. To determine the build number of a host run the command vmware -v. Or check in the VMware vSphere Web Client help section under "about VMware vSphere" for the version and build number. For more information about identifying VMware versions search the VMware Knowledge Base.
    • Backup Management tagging, introduced in Data Protection for VMware version 7.1.6, requires VMware vCenter 6.0 Update 1 or later update or patch level.
    • The IBM Spectrum Protect extension in the vSphere Web Client requires vSphere Web Client version 5.5 update 1 or later. Update 1 is included in the vSphere 5.5 package.
    • To view supported vSphere and ESXi host versions, refer to the following technote: "Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments: Data Protection for VMware data mover compatibility guide with VMware's Virtual Disk Development Kit"
      http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21672351
    • The 8.1.0.2 interim fix of the IBM Spectrum Protect Data Protection for VMware includes VMware VDDK 6.0.3. For VDDK 6.0.3 Release Notes see: https://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vddk/vddk-603-releasenotes.html


    Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI

    This functional component integrates the product with the VMware vSphere client in order to back up, restore, and manage virtual machines in the VMware vCenter and includes the Data Protection for VMware command-line interface.

    Note:
    • To enable file restore capability, the Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI must be installed on a Windows system.
    • To enable file restore for a Linux® virtual machine, in addition to installing Data Protection for VMware on a Windows system, a Linux mount proxy system must also be configured.
    Note: In order for the Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI to function correctly with tagging support, ensure that at least one data mover is installed on the same system as the Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI.

    Attention: Connection to the vCenter Server is required to install the Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI. If your vCenter Server uses an RSA key with an encryption length greater than 2048 bits, then before installing the Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI, you must download and install the unrestricted JCE policy files. The instructions are in the technote Installing the Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI: Download unrestricted SDK JCE files. You do not need to install these files if your RSA key encryption length is 2048 bits or less.

    The supported operating systems by platform are listed in Operating systems support overview tables

    Data mover

    The data mover enables:
    • off-host block level incremental backups
    • application protection for VM guests

    The VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) version 6.0.2 runtime files are used for backing up virtual machines by the data mover. The data mover supports the following operating systems, as long as they are also supported by the VDDK version 6.0.2. For updates on supported operating systems and known issues and limitations regarding the VDDK 6.0.2 see the VDDK release notes web page.

    Note: The 8.1.0.2 interim fix of the IBM Spectrum Protect Backup-Archive Client, which can be used as the Data Protection for VMware data mover, includes VMware VDDK 6.0.3. For recently resolved issues, known issues and workarounds regarding VDDK 6.0.3 see the VMware web site.

    The data mover utilizes the VDDK API's to open, close, read and write virtual machine disk (VMDK) data. To determine the level of VDDK used in each level of Data Protection for VMware, as well as compatible ESX/ESXi builds supported by the VDDK level, please refer to the technote:


    For details about the supported applications, and required licensed software programs in order to perform database or mailbox level restore operations with Application protection for VM guests - see Supports and Limitations.

    The supported operating systems by platform are listed in Operating systems support overview tables

    Mount proxy

    A mount proxy represents the Linux or Windows system that provides access to virtual machine disks and requires an iSCSI connection. Mount proxy systems are required when using the Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI Mount wizard to mount a backed up virtual machine disk and when using the new file restore portal. The user has the option to automatically create shares (either CIFS or NFS) of the mounted volumes for a file restore operation.

    When mounting a Windows virtual machine, a Windows mount proxy system is required. When mounting a Linux virtual machine, a pair of Windows and Linux mount proxy systems is required.

    For a Linux mount proxy system, the following applications must be installed and configured:
    • IBM Spectrum Protect data mover Version 8.1.0.

      • Note: The iSCSI service must be configured and running during the VMDK mount operation and the file restore operation. By default, the iSCSI service is started manually. If the system where this service is running restarts, the iSCSI service must be restarted manually.

    For a Microsoft Windows mount proxy system, the following applications must be installed and configured:
    • IBM Spectrum Protect data mover Version 8.1.0.
    • IBM Spectrum Protect for Virtual Environments Version 8.1.0: IBM Spectrum Protect recovery agent.

      • Note: The iSCSI Initiator service must be running during the virtual machine disk mount operation and the file restore operation. By default, the iSCSI service is started manually. If the system where this service is running restarts, the iSCSI service must be restarted manually.

    The supported operating systems by platform are listed in Operating systems support overview tables

    Recovery agent

    This service enables the mounting of any snapshot volume from the IBM Spectrum Protect server. You can view the snapshot locally, with read-only access, on the client system, or use iSCSI protocol to access the snapshot from a remote computer. In addition, the recovery agent provides the instant restore function. A volume used in instant restore processing remains available while the restore process proceeds in the background. The recovery agent is accessed with the recovery agent GUI or command-line interface.

    The supported operating systems by platform are listed in Operating systems support overview tables


    Operating systems support overview tables

    Operating systems support tables for all 8.1.0 Data Protection for VMware functional components:

      Operating systems
      data mover*
      GUI
      Mount Proxy
      Recovery agent

      Linux x86_x64
      Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6(E2)(SL1)(3)(E1)(E2)(SL3)(2)
      Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7(E2)(3)(E1)(E2)(SL4)
      SUSE Enterprise Linux (SLES ) 11(E3)(SL2)(4)(E1)(E3)(SL5)
      SUSE Enterprise Linux (SLES ) 12(E3)(4)(E1)(E3)(SL6)

      *The operating systems listed for data mover, are supported as long as they are also supported by the VDDK v6.0.2. For updates on supported operating systems and known issues and limitations regarding the VDDK 6.0.2 see the VDDK release notes web page.

      (E1) Server Edition only
      (E2) Client and Server Editions
      (E3) Desktop and Server Editions

      (SL1) RHEL 6.6 and later maintenance levels and mod levels
      (SL2) SLES 11SP3 and later maintenance levels and mod levels

      (SL3) RHEL 6.7 and later maintenance levels and mod levels
      (SL4) RHEL 7.2 and later maintenance levels and mod levels
      (SL5) SLES 11SP4 and later maintenance levels and mod levels
      (SL6) SLES 12SP1 and later maintenance levels and mod levels


      (2) RHEL 6.6 requires the Red Hat lvm2 bug fix update 1171805 for the lvm2 component in version lvm2-2.02.117-1.el6. See https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2015-1470.html

      (3) To perform backups or restores of VMware virtual machines the libfuse.so2, libxml2.so, and libexpat.so shared object libraries must be installed on Red Hat Enterprise Linux system. Install fuse-libs version 2 package.

      (4) To perform backups or restores of VMware virtual machines the libfuse.so.2 shared object library must be installed on a SUSE Linux system. Install the libfuse version 2 package.


      Operating systems
      data mover*
      GUI
      Mount Proxy
      Recovery agent

      Windows x64
      Windows 8.1(E5)
      Windows 10 (E5)
      Windows Server 2012(E4)(E4)(1)(E4)(E4)(1)
      Windows Server 2012 R2(E4)(E4)(E4)(E4)

      *The operating systems listed for data mover, are supported as long as they are also supported by the VDDK v6.0.2. For updates on supported operating systems and known issues and limitations regarding the VDDK 6.0.2 see the VDDK release notes web page.

      (E4) Essentials, Standard, and Datacenter Editions
      (E5) Professional and Enterprise Editions

      (1) This functional component provides support for Windows Storage Server 2012 for functionality that is also available and supported by this functional component on the Windows Server 2012 Editions.

    Indicates that the operating system version is not supported by this Data Protection for VMware functional component.
    Indicates that the operating system version is supported by this Data Protection for VMware functional component. Later maintenance and modification levels to the operating system version are also supported.



Additional software requirements

The following additional software is required to use Data Protection for VMware:
  • Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) Server 6.3 and later interim fixes and fix packs
  • Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) Server 7.1 and later interim fixes and fix packs
  • IBM Spectrum Protect Server 8.1 and later interim fixes and fix packs

  • Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) Server 6.3.4, and later maintenance levels, fix packs, releases, and versions is required for use of following features on Data Protection for VMware 8.1:

    • - Show VMs with a backup report
    - Show failures from the most recent backup report
    - Show all backup failures report
    - Show backup history view
    - Show all history view
    - Show failed VMs view
    - Show all VMs view

  • Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) Server 7.1.0, and later maintenance levels, fix packs, releases, and versions is required for use of the following features on Data Protection for VMware 8.1:

    • - Application protection reporting


Support and limitations

Data Protection for VMware components support the following applications:
  • The following browsers are supported with Data Protection for VMware

    • - Microsoft Internet Explorer version 11 on Windows
    - Google Chrome 50 or later on Windows and Linux
    - Mozilla Firefox 45 Extended Service Release or later on Windows and Linux
  • Application protection for VM guests


    • Application protection supports the following 64-bit applications for the Windows x64 platform:
    - Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 CU2 and later CU and maintenance levels: Standard or Enterprise Editions
    - Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 and maintenance levels: Standard or Enterprise Editions

    - Microsoft SQL Server 2014 and later maintenance levels: Standard. Business Intelligence, or Enterprise Editions
    - Microsoft SQL Server 2016 and later maintenance levels: Standard, Business Intelligence, or Enterprise Editions

    Application protection is supported on the data mover for the following operating systems: See platforms listed for data mover in Operating systems support overview tables

    Note: The data mover, which enables application protection backups, is only supported on Windows with 64-bit guest operating systems.

    Application protection requires at least one of the following separately licensed software programs in order to perform individual database or mailbox level restore operations:

    For Microsoft Exchange Server:
    - IBM Spectrum Protect for Mail 8.1.0

    For Microsoft SQL Server:
    - IBM Spectrum Protect for Databases 8.1.0


Hardware requirements for Data Protection for VMware

Hardware requirements vary and depend on the following items:
- Number of protected servers
- Number of protected volumes
- Data set sizes
- LAN and SAN connectivity

The following tables describes the hardware requirements that are needed to install Data Protection for VMware.

Component Minimal requirement Preferred
System Intel Pentium D dual coreIntel Pentium D eight core
Memory 2 GB RAM, 2 GB virtual address space8 GB RAM, 8 GB virtual address space
Available hard disk200 MB2 GB
Network1 GbE10 GbE


Where to download IBM Spectrum Protect for Virtual Environments 8.1.0

The IBM Spectrum Protect for Virtual Environments download document provides information about how and where to obtain the IBM Spectrum Protect for Virtual Environments 8.1.0 package. The information is located at: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg24042955



Hardware and Software requirements for other releases of Data Protection for VMware

The hardware and software requirements for other releases and fix packs for all IBM Spectrum Protect Data Protection for Virtual Environment components are located in the "IBM Spectrum Protect for Virtual Environments - All Requirements Doc" located at:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21505139

Related Information

All requirements Doc

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Document Information

Modified date:
17 June 2018

UID

swg21991991

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