Backing up virtual machine data to IBM Storage Protect

Create a run now backup task or scheduled backup task for your virtual machine data. The data is stored on IBM Storage Protect server storage.

Back up your virtual machine by following these steps:

1. Start the Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI with either of these methods:
   • Click the Data Protection for VMware vSphere GUI icon in the Solutions and Applications window of the vSphere Client.
   • Open a web browser, and go to the GUI web server. For example:

     https://guihost.mycompany.com:9081/TsmVMwareUI/

     Log on with the vCenter user ID and password.
2. In the Getting Started window, click Define a backup task to open the Schedule a Backup wizard. Review the welcome information and click Next to create the backup task.
3. Click Next to begin the wizard. Follow the instructions in each page of the wizard and click Next to continue to the next page.
4. In the General page, specify a name for the backup schedule you are creating in the Backup schedule name field. The schedule name must not contain any spaces. You can optionally add a description for the schedule.
5. In the Source page, select a VMware datacenter and expand the branches in the navigation tree. Select the virtual machines, virtual machine templates, host cluster, or host that you want to back up.
   
   If you want to include newly added or discovered virtual machines to future runs of this task, check Newly added virtual machines are included in this backup task. This check box has the following characteristics:

   • If you select all of the virtual machines on one ESX host and you select this option, the schedule backs up that ESX host. That is, all virtual machines on that host, present and future, are backed up.
   • If you select one or more virtual machines on an ESX host (but not all), and you select this option, then the schedule includes only the selected virtual machines and any future virtual machines that are added to the host. The remaining virtual machines on that host that are not selected are excluded.
   • If you rename a virtual machine, and you select this option, the schedule backs up the renamed virtual machine.
   • If you do not select this option, only virtual machines can be selected for backup. Host clusters and hosts cannot be selected.
   • To easily exclude virtual machines that follow a naming convention from being added, expand the Advanced VM filter option. Enter a text pattern that identifies the virtual machines to exclude. Specify an asterisk (*) to match any character. Specify a question mark (?) to match a single character. For example:

     vm=prod1*,*testvm,*dept*, dept4?prod

     Click Apply filter to disable selection for these virtual machines. If you enter a virtual machine name without wildcard characters, and the virtual machine is known in the source tree, then this virtual machine is removed from the filter display. However, it is shown in the tree as not checked.
6. In the Destination page, select the data mover node that runs the backup operation. Select a data mover node that is not currently used in a backup or restore operation.
7. In the Schedule page, specify when to run the backup by clicking Run the backup now or Schedule for later. If your user authority is insufficient, Schedule for later is unavailable. Select the appropriate Backup strategy from the drop-down list:

   IFINCREMENTAL / IFFULL

   Indicates the incremental-forever incremental backup type and the incremental-forever full backup type. These backup types are applicable only if you have a license to use IBM Storage Protect for Virtual Environments.

   Select the appropriate Backup type:

   • Click Incremental to back up the blocks that changed since the previous backup (full or incremental). The most recent incremental is appended to the previous backup. If a full backup does not exist for this VM, a full backup is automatically performed. As a result, you do not have to verify that a full backup exists.
   • Click Full to create an image of an entire VM. After the full backup is taken, there is no requirement to schedule additional full backups. When full is selected, VM templates that are unchanged since the last backup are also included.

   
   
   

   • If you selected Schedule for later, click Next and proceed to Step 8.
   • If you selected Run the backup now, click Next, and proceed to Step 9.
8. In the Repetition page, specify the following information:
   1. If you selected A full backup, followed by six incremental backups in the previous step:
      1. Specify the date and time to run the first backup. The first full backup is scheduled to run at this date and time.
      2. The six incremental backups are scheduled to run on the remaining six days of the week and at the selected time.
   2. If you selected Incremental or Full in the previous step:
      1. Specify the date and time to run the first backup.
      2. Specify the interval that you want the backup to run.
   3. Click Next.
9. In the Summary page, review your backup settings and click Finish to save your task. If you selected Run the backup now, the backup operation begins immediately when you click Finish.