Symantec Backup Exec™ Management Plug-In For Vmware® User'S Guide

Symantec Backup Exec
Management Plug-in for

VMware User's Guide
The software described in this book is furnished under a license agreement and may be used
only in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
Documentation version: 1.0
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Contents
Chapter 1
Introducing Symantec Backup Exec Management

Plug-in for VMware ....................................................... 5
About the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for
VMware ................................................................................. 5
Chapter 2
Monitoring virtual machine backups ................................ 7

About the monitoring view .............................................................. 7
Virtual machine backup details .................................................. 8
Accessing the monitoring view ....................................................... 10
Updating the monitoring view ........................................................ 11
Generating reports ....................................................................... 12
Closing the monitoring view for a media server ................................. 12
Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtual machine ............. 13
Viewing a list of unprotected virtual machines .................................. 13
Excluding a virtual machine from protection ..................................... 14
Chapter 3
Validating virtual machine backups ................................ 15

About validating virtual machine backups ........................................
Before you validate virtual machine backups .....................................
Validating virtual machine backups .................................................
General options for backup validation ........................................
Network Settings options for virtual machines ............................
Chapter 4
15
15
16
18
20
Recovering virtual machines automatically .................. 23

About virtual machine auto recovery ...............................................
How virtual machine auto recovery works ........................................
About configuring firewall settings for virtual machine auto
recovery ...............................................................................
Configuring the ApplicationHA Console settings ................................
Options for configuring ApplicationHA Console settings ...............
Adding or editing logon accounts ..............................................
Configuring the auto recovery settings .............................................
Auto recovery options .............................................................
Configuring the notification settings ...............................................
23
24
25
25
25
26
28
29
32
Contents
About the Configuration Synchronizer ............................................. 33

Best practices for virtual machine auto recovery ................................ 33
Chapter 5
Configuring the default settings for Symantec

Backup Exec Management Plug-in for
VMware ............................................................................ 35
Configuring the update interval for the monitoring view ..................... 35
Changing the default folders for storing temporary backup validation
files and reports ..................................................................... 36
Specifying the operation timeout values ........................................... 37
Chapter
Introducing Symantec
Backup Exec Management
Plug-in for VMware
This chapter includes the following topics:
About the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware
About the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in

for VMware
The Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware lets Backup Exec
administrators use the vSphere client application to:
Monitor the backup jobs that run on virtual machines.
View the backup status of the virtual machines.
View the details of past backups and future backups.
Exclude virtual machines from backup jobs.
Validate the virtual machine backups.
Auto-recover virtual machines that have faulted due to application failure.
The Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware communicates with
the Backup Exec media server to get the information for the virtual machines.
Both the VMware vCenter and the ESX host are supported.
See About the monitoring view on page 7.
See Accessing the monitoring view on page 10.
Introducing Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware

About the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware
Chapter
Monitoring virtual machine

backups
About the monitoring view
Accessing the monitoring view
Updating the monitoring view
Generating reports
Closing the monitoring view for a media server
Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtual machine
Viewing a list of unprotected virtual machines
Excluding a virtual machine from protection

The monitoring view lets you determine the backup status of the virtual machines
that are backed up using Backup Exec. It also provides the last backup validation
status and the auto recovery status of the virtual machines.
For each of the media servers you are connected to, a separate monitoring view
is available on the Symantec Backup Exec tab.
The monitoring view shows the following information:
Summary information of the virtual machines.

The summary information includes the name of the media server that you are
connected to. It also provides the following information:
Monitoring virtual machine backups

Protected Machines
The total number of virtual machines that are backed up using Backup
Exec.
Failed Machines
The total number of virtual machines whose last backup has failed.
Excluded Machines
The total number of virtual machines that are excluded from the backup
jobs.
Auto Recovery Requests

The total number of virtual machines that need your consent to be restored.
A list of virtual machines that are accessible to the logged-in user, along with
the last backup details.
The backup details include the virtual machine's name, last backup status,
next backup method, backup validation status, and other information. You
can click the plus (+) sign next to the virtual machine name to see the details
of the old backups.
See Virtual machine backup details on page 8.
Auto recovery request pending icon

You might see an auto recovery request pending icon in the monitoring view
for all the media servers you are connected to. This icon appears when at least
one of the connected media servers includes one or more virtual machines
that need your consent to be restored.
Auto recovery request pending icon
See Updating the monitoring view on page 11.

See Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtual machine on page 13.
Virtual machine backup details

The following details appear in the monitoring view.
Table 2-1
Virtual machine backup details
Item
Description
Machine Name
Indicates the name of the virtual machine.

Table 2-1
Virtual machine backup details (continued)
Item
Description
Last Backup Status
Displays one of the following statuses:

Success
The virtual machine is backed up using Backup Exec.
Failed
The last backup of the virtual machine has failed.
Excluded
The virtual machine is excluded from the backup jobs. The
excluded virtual machines are not backed up by Backup Exec.
None
The virtual machine has a backup status other than protected,
failed, or excluded, such as running, queued, or stalled.
Last Run
Shows the date and time when the last backup was run.
Last Run Job Name
Shows the name of the job that was used for the last backup.
For completed and failed backup jobs, the job name appears as a
blue hyperlink. Click the link to see the job log.
Next Run
Indicates the date and time when the next backup is scheduled to
run.
NextBackupMethod Indicates the method of the next backup, such as full, incremental,
or differential.
Last Validation
Status
Shows one of the following statuses:

Successful
The last backup validation job for the virtual machine was
completed successfully.
Successful with exceptions
The last backup validation job for the virtual machine was
completed successfully. However, some exceptions occurred.
This status indicates that one or more custom scripts have failed
to run during validation.
Failed
The last backup validation job for the virtual machine has failed.
Unable to validate
The last backup validation job for the virtual machine has failed
to start.
The status appears as a hyperlink. Click the link to see the report
for the last backup validation job. You can see reports for the last
three backup validation jobs.
10

Table 2-1
Virtual machine backup details (continued)
Item
Description
Auto Recovery
Shows one of the following statuses:
Enabled
The virtual machine is enabled for auto recovery.
Successful
The virtual machine was restored successfully.
Successful with exceptions
The virtual machine was restored successfully. However, some
exceptions occurred.
Failed
The virtual machine was not restored.
Consent Pending
The virtual machine has faulted and is awaiting your consent
for auto recovery.
Click the status to see the pending auto recovery request and
to restore the virtual machine.
In Progress
The restore job for the virtual machine is running.
Unable to start
The restore job for the virtual machine was not created.
Unknown
The status of the restore job for the virtual machine is not
known.

To get the monitoring information for the virtual machines, you must connect to
the media server that protects them. You must have backup operator rights on
the media server that protects the virtual machines that you want to monitor.
After you are connected to a media server, a monitoring view for that media server
is added to the Symantec Backup Exec tab. The monitoring view remains available
until you close it.
See Closing the monitoring view for a media server on page 12.

To access the monitoring view
Log on to the vSphere client.

Note: The VMWare vCenter or ESX hosts are added to the Backup Exec
selection list using the NetBIOS name, fully qualified domain name (FQDN),
or IP address. You must use the same name to log on to the vCenter or the
ESX host from the vSphere client. For example, you used the FQDN
(servername.domain.com) to add vCenter to the Backup Exec selection list.
Then, you must log on to the vCenter from the vSphere client using the FQDN
only.
On the Symantec Backup Exec tab, enter the logon credentials that are
required to connect to the media server.
Click Login.
The monitoring view for the media server is added to the Symantec Backup
Exec tab.
Click Login to Server to connect to more media servers. A separate monitoring
view is added to the Symantec Backup Exec tab for each media server you
connect to.

See Generating reports on page 12.

By default, the monitoring view status is updated after eight hours. However, you
can update it on demand. The number of hours since the monitoring view was
last updated appears in the top right corner of the interface. Position the cursor
over the last update (in hours) to see the actual time of the last update and the
time of the next update.
The default monitoring view update interval is configurable.
See Configuring the update interval for the monitoring view on page 35.
To update the monitoring view
From the Select View list, select the monitoring view you want to update.
Click the update icon.

Update icon
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12

Generating reports
Generating reports
The Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware lets you generate
the following reports:
Table 2-2
Backup Exec reports
Report Name
Description
Backup Exec: Protected Virtual Machines
Includes all the information that is shown

in the monitoring view for the media servers.
See Accessing the monitoring view
on page 10.
Backup Exec: Unprotected Virtual

Machines
Includes all the information that is shown

in the Unprotected Machines view.
See Viewing a list of unprotected virtual
machines on page 13.
Both the reports can be generated in Comma Separated Value (CSV) or HTML
format.
To generate a report
From the Select View list, select the required monitoring view or the
Unprotected Machines view.
Click the generate report icon.

Generate report icon
Type a file name, select a file location and file type, and then click Save.
Closing the monitoring view for a media server

You have to disconnect from a media server to close its monitoring view.
To close the monitoring view for a media server
From the Select View list, select the monitoring view that you want to close.
Click Logout.
See Accessing the monitoring view on page 10.

Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtual machine
Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtual

machine
In case you want to view the backup details of a specific virtual machine, you can
do so by accessing the protection summary. The backup details of each virtual
machine are updated in the summary notes for the virtual machines. The
protection summary information is displayed in the Annotations section of the
Summary tab in the vSphere client application.
Note: If required, you can prevent the protection summary from appearing in the
Annotations section. To prevent the the protection summary from appearing in
the Annotations section, set the DisableAnnotation key in the
BEVMPlugin.config file to True. The BEVMPlugin.config file is located at
\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\Virtual Infrastructure
Client\Plugins\Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware.
To view the protection summary of a specific virtual machine
Open the vSphere client application.
In the left pane, select the required virtual machine.
Click the Summary tab.

The monitoring information is shown in the Annotations section.

See Virtual machine backup details on page 8.
Viewing a list of unprotected virtual machines

A default view, called Unprotected Machines is available in the Select View list.
This view provides a list of virtual machines that are not protected, or are protected
using some other media server you are not connected to. Only the name of the
virtual machine is available in this view. No other details are provided.
To view a list of unprotected virtual machines
From the Select View list, select Unprotected Machines.
See Excluding a virtual machine from protection on page 14.

See Generating reports on page 12.
13
14


If you do not want to protect a virtual machine, you can exclude it from the backup
jobs. Backup Exec does not back up the virtual machines that are excluded from
backup jobs.
Note: After a virtual machine is excluded from backup jobs, you must use the
Backup Exec Administration Console to include the virtual machine in backup
jobs again.
Note: You cannot exclude a virtual machine that is configured for auto recovery.
See About virtual machine auto recovery on page 23.
To exclude a virtual machine from protection
From the Select View list, select the media server view that includes the
virtual machine that you want to exclude from backup jobs.
Right-click the protected virtual machine, and then click Exclude.
See Viewing a list of unprotected virtual machines on page 13.

Chapter
Validating virtual machine

backups
About validating virtual machine backups
Before you validate virtual machine backups
Validating virtual machine backups
About validating virtual machine backups

You can validate virtual machine backups to ensure the integrity of the backups
and test the ability to restore from them. You can validate the backups that are
stored on backup-to-disk folders or deduplication storage folders.
During backup validation, the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for
VMware does the following:
Checks if the backups are complete and readable.
Performs a recovery validation of the backups without restoring them.
See Before you validate virtual machine backups on page 15.
Before you validate virtual machine backups

Before you validate virtual machine backups, you must install VMware Workstation
7.0 or later on your computer. You can download VMware Workstation at the
following URL:
http://www.vmware.com/go/vmvalidator
16

See Validating virtual machine backups on page 16.

You can validate Granular Recovery Technology (GRT)-enabled full backups only.
You can validate up to the last three successful backups that were created within
the last three months. Backups that are stored on both the backup-to-disk folders
or the deduplication storage folders can be validated.
Note: Incremental backups or full backups without GRT enabled cannot be
validated.
Optionally, while validating the virtual machine backups, you can also run custom
scripts on the virtual machines. For example, you can run a script to check if the
SQL services or the application services are running.
Note: The backups that you want to validate must contain the VMware Tools.
See Before you validate virtual machine backups on page 15.
To validate a virtual machine backup
From the Select View list, select the media server view that includes the
virtual machine whose backup you want to validate.
Select one or more virtual machines, and then click Validate.

Ensure that all the virtual machines that are required at the time of recovery
are selected for validation.
Note: If you select a virtual machine that is a part of a vApp, all the associated
virtual machines are automatically selected for validation.
In the Select the virtual machines that need to be validated panel, specify
the logon accounts that you want to use to access the backup sets and the
virtual machines.
The backup sets are accessed with read-only permissions.
See General options for backup validation on page 18.
Click Next.

In the Select the backup that needs to be validated panel, select the backup
that you want to validate for each virtual machine.
You can select only one backup at a time for each virtual machine.
Note: Backups of excluded virtual machines are not available for validation.
To validate backups of an excluded virtual machine, you must include the
virtual machine in backup jobs using the Backup Exec Administration Console.
Click Next to select the custom scripts you want to run on the virtual
machines.
(Optional) In the Add scripts for the selected Virtual Machines panel, do the
following:
To change the order for validating Do the following in the order listed:
the virtual machines
In the Specify the order for validating virtual
machines list, select a virtual machine whose
order you want to change.
Click the Up or the Down arrow to move the
virtual machine to the desired position in the
list.
Repeat the steps for all the virtual machines
whose order you want to change.
To add a script
Do the following in the order listed:
Click Add Script.
On the Browse dialog box, navigate to the

location that contains the script.
Select the script, and then click OK.
To change the order for executing Do the following in the order listed:
the scripts
In the Specify the script execution order for
<Virtual machine name> list, select a script
whose order you want to change.
Click the Up or the Down arrow to move the
script to the desired position in the list.
Repeat the steps for all the scripts whose order
you want to change.
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18

To remove a script
Do the following in the order listed:
In the Specify the script execution order for

<Virtual machine name> list, select a script
you want to remove.
Click Remove Script.
Click Next to specify whether you want to validate the selected virtual
machines individually or set up a network to validate communication between
them.
See Network Settings options for virtual machines on page 20.
Click Validate to begin the backup validation.

During the backup validation, the validation progress details are displayed.
10 After the backup validation is complete, click OK.

See About validating virtual machine backups on page 15.
General options for backup validation

The following table describes the options in the Select the virtual machines that
needs to validated panel. The options that you configure here are used to validate
the virtual machine backups.
Table 3-1
Backup Validate Options
Option
Description
Media server name
Indicates the name or the IP address of the media

server that protects the virtual machines.

Table 3-1
Backup Validate Options (continued)
Option
Description
Logonaccountforbackup-to-disk Lets you select a logon account that you want to use to
access the backup-to-disk folders where your backup
sets reside. Select a logon account that has
administrator privileges on the media server on which
the backup-to-disk folders are located. If the selected
backup sets reside on different backup-to-disk folders,
select a logon account that can be used to access all of
them.
You are not required to select a logon account if any
of the following is true:
The backup sets storage location is other than
backup-to-disk folders. For example, deduplication
storage folders.
The vSphere client is running on the media server
that contains the backup-to-disk folders where your
backup sets reside.
Logon account for deduplication Lets you select a logon account that you want to use to
storage
access the deduplication storage folders where your
backup sets reside. Select the logon account that was
used to create the deduplication storage folder.
If you have selected multiple backups for validation,
ensure that they are stored on the same deduplication
storage folder. You cannot validate the backups that
are stored on different deduplication storage folders
at the same time.
Logon credentials for virtual
machines
Lets you select a logon account that you want to use to

access the virtual machines and run scripts on them.
Ensure that you select a logon account that has
privileges for running the scripts on the virtual
machine.
You are not required to select a logon account for the
virtual machines on which you do not want to run any
scripts.
Add
Shows a list of virtual machines and lets you add them

to the list of virtual machines that are selected for
backup validation.
19
20

Table 3-1
Backup Validate Options (continued)
Option
Description
Remove
Lets you remove virtual machines that are marked for

removal from the list of virtual machines that are
selected for backup validation.
Note: Before you use this option, select the Remove

check box for the virtual machines to mark them for
removal.
Network Settings options for virtual machines

The following table describes the options in the Specify the network settings for
the virtual machines panel. These options enable you to either validate each
virtual machine individually, or set up a network to validate communication
between them.
Table 3-2
Network Settings Options
Option
Description
Validate one virtual machine at a time

without setting up private network
Validates backup of one virtual machine, powers

it off, and then moves to the next virtual
machine backup. Select this option if you want
to validate each virtual machine individually.
Symantec recommends using this option when
you have limited system resources and you want
to validate multiple virtual machine backups.
Set up private network for validating

communication between virtual
machines
Lets you set up a private network within the

virtual machines that are selected for
validation. Select this option if you want to
validate if the virtual machines can
communicate with each other. For example, if
your Exchange Server and Active Directory are
on separate virtual machines, you must use this
option.
Selected virtual machines are in the

same subnet
Indicates that the virtual machines that are

selected for validation are in the same subnet.

Table 3-2
Network Settings Options (continued)
Option
Description
Selected virtual machines are in

separate subnet
Indicates that the virtual machines that are

selected for validation are in separate subnets.
Selecting this option enables you to set up a
private network between the virtual machines.
Virtual machine
Lists all the virtual machines that are selected

for validation. You can select a virtual machine
and specify its network details in the Virtual
machine network details field.
ESX Server
Indicates the name or the IP address of the ESX

Server that hosts the selected virtual machine.
This field is not editable.
Virtual machine network
Lists the networks to which the selected virtual

machine belongs.
Virtual machine network details
Lets you specify the network details, that is, the

subnet mask and the gateway address for the
selected virtual machine.
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Chapter
Recovering virtual
machines automatically
About virtual machine auto recovery
How virtual machine auto recovery works
About configuring firewall settings for virtual machine auto recovery
Configuring the ApplicationHA Console settings
Configuring the auto recovery settings
Configuring the notification settings
About the Configuration Synchronizer
Best practices for virtual machine auto recovery
About virtual machine auto recovery

The Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware lets you configure
virtual machines for auto recovery. Backup Exec integrates with Symantec
ApplicationHA to enable virtual machine auto recovery. ApplicationHA constantly
monitors the health of the applications on the virtual machines. If an application
on the virtual machine faults, ApplicationHA tries to bring it online. If the fault
still remains, the ApplicationHA triggers a virtual machine restart through its
integration with VMware HA. If the fault still remains, ApplicationHA notifies
Backup Exec. Backup Exec automatically restores the virtual machine from its
latest backup set. By default, you are prompted for consent before Backup Exec
restores the virtual machine.
24
Recovering virtual machines automatically

Note: To auto-recover virtual machines, you must install the Symantec Backup
Exec Management Plug-in for VMware on the media server with Virtual Machine
Auto Recovery feature selected. During installation, the Backup Exec High
Availability service is deployed on the media server, which is required for virtual
machine auto recovery.
Once the Backup Exec High Availability service is running on the media server,
you can configure auto recovery settings from remote computers.
See How virtual machine auto recovery works on page 24.

Backup Exec integrates with Symantec ApplicationHA to enable auto recovery of
virtual machines. ApplicationHA constantly monitors the health of the applications
on the virtual machines. If an application on the virtual machine faults,
ApplicationHA tries to bring it online. If the fault still remains, the ApplicationHA
triggers a virtual machine restart through its integration with VMware HA.
ApplicationHA and VMware HA settings control the number of attempts to bring
the application online and the number of virtual machine restarts. If
ApplicationHA's remediation procedures do not rectify the fault, it notifies Backup
Exec to restore the virtual machine.
On receiving the notification, Backup Exec automatically sets up a restore job for
the virtual machine. By default, you are prompted for consent before Backup Exec
restores the virtual machine. You can respond to the consent prompt through the
Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware. The virtual machine
files, such as, configuration, snapshot, and log files are preserved before the virtual
machine is restored. You may use these files for diagnostics and data recovery.
You may delete these files after you have used them to free up disk space.
Note: Symantec ApplicationHA needs to be purchased and installed separately.
For more information about Symantec ApplicationHA, refer to the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/business/application-ha

About configuring firewall settings for virtual machine auto recovery
About configuring firewall settings for virtual machine

auto recovery
If firewall is enabled on the media severs, you must add the following to the
Firewall Exceptions list:
BackupExecHAServiceHost.exe
BackupExecHAPreserveVM.exe
Bewl.exe
Unrequester.Register.exe
Ports 50104, 50105, and 50106
See Configuring the ApplicationHA Console settings on page 25.

The ApplicationHA Console Settings view lets you enable the Virtual Machine
Auto Recovery feature and configure the ApplicationHA Console for the selected
Backup Exec media server.
To configure the ApplicationHA Console settings
In the Select View list, select the media server view that includes the virtual
machines you want to configure for auto recovery.
Click Auto Recovery.
Click ApplicationHA Console Settings.
Specify the options for configuring ApplicationHA Console settings.

See Options for configuring ApplicationHA Console settings on page 25.
Click Configure.
Click Apply.
See About configuring firewall settings for virtual machine auto recovery
on page 25.
Options for configuring ApplicationHA Console settings

The following table describes the options for configuring ApplicationHA Console
settings.
See Configuring the ApplicationHA Console settings on page 25.
25
26

Table 4-1
ApplicationHA Console settings
Option
Description
Enable Virtual Machine Auto

Recovery with ApplicationHA
Enables the Virtual Machine Auto Recovery feature.

You must select this option to perform auto recovery
of virtual machines.
You can configure the ApplicationHA Console
settings only after you select this option.
Note: If you deselect this option, the existing

ApplicationHA Console settings are removed.
Media Server Name
Indicates the name or the IP address of the media

server for which you want to configure the
ApplicationHA Console.
ApplicationHA Console Server
Lets you type the name or the IP address of the

ApplicationHA Console server that you want to
configure for the selected media server.
Note: For the first time configuration, ensure that

you specify an ApplicationHA Console server that
you trust.
ApplicationHA Console Logon
Account
Lets you select the logon account that you want to

use to connect to the ApplicationHA Console. You
must select a logon account that has administrative
privileges on the ApplicationHA Console server. It
can be a local administrator account or a domain
account with administrator privileges.
Click the button next to the ApplicationHA Console
Logon Account field to select a logon account. On
the Logon Account Selection dialog box you can
select, add, or edit logon accounts.
See Adding or editing logon accounts on page 26.
Adding or editing logon accounts

On the Logon Account Selection dialog box, you can add or edit ApplicationHA
Console logon accounts.

To add a new ApplicationHA logon account
On the Logon Account Selection dialog box, click New.
Enter the appropriate options.

See Create logon account options on page 27.
Click OK.
To edit an existing logon account
On the Logon Account Selection dialog box, select the logon account you
want to edit.
Click Edit.
Edit the required options.

See Edit logon account options on page 28.
Click OK.
Create logon account options

The following table describes the options on the Create Logon Account dialog
box.
Table 4-2
Create logon account options
Option
Description
User Name
Lets you type a user name for the logon account.
Password
Lets you type a password for the logon account. You can
leave this field blank if the logon account does not need a
password.
Confirm Password
Lets you retype the password for verification. The password

must match the password you typed in the Password field.
Account Name
Lets you type a name for the logon account. This name
appears on the Logon Account Selection dialog box.
27
28

Table 4-2
Create logon account options (continued)
Option
Description
This is a restricted logon

account
Enables the logon account to be used only by the owner of

the logon account and those who know the password. Anyone
other than the owner who needs to edit the auto recovery
settings is required to enter the password for the logon
account.
If you do not select this option, a common shared logon
account is created.
Edit logon account options

The following table describes the options on the Edit Logon Account dialog box.
Table 4-3
Edit logon account options
Option
Description
User Name
Lets you edit the user name for the logon account.
Change Password
Lets you edit the password for the logon account.
Account Name
Lets you edit the name of the logon account.

The Auto Recovery Settings view lets you configure the default settings for auto
recovery. It also lets you add new virtual machines and configure the auto recovery
settings for them.
Additionally, it displays the virtual machines that are already configured for auto
recovery and lets you edit their auto recovery settings.
Note: Before you start configuring the auto recovery settings, ensure that the
ApplicationHA Console settings are configured. The auto recovery settings are
enabled only after the ApplicationHA Console settings are configured.

To configure the auto recovery settings
Click Virtual Machine Auto Recovery Settings.
Specify the required auto recovery options.

See Auto recovery options on page 29.
Click Apply.
See Best practices for virtual machine auto recovery on page 33.
Auto recovery options

The following table describes the auto recovery options that you can configure
for the virtual machines.
See Configuring the auto recovery settings on page 28.
Table 4-4
Auto recovery options
Option
Description
Recover only if latest backup is

within x
Enables Backup Exec to restore virtual machines

only if the backup is not older than the specified
number of days or hours. By default, this is set to
2 days.
This option is applicable to all the virtual machines
that are configured for auto recovery.
Note: Encrypted backups are not supported. If the

latest backup is encrypted, it is skipped silently and
the last newest backup is used to restore the virtual
machine.
Default vCenter Logon Account
Lets you select a default logon account for

connecting to the vCenter. You can select the same
logon account that is used for backing up your
virtual machines.
Click Validate Logon Account to ensure that you
can connect to vCenter using the selected logon
account.
29
30

Table 4-4
Auto recovery options (continued)
Option
Description
vSphere Inventory Path
Indicates the vSphere inventory path that is

currently selected. For example, datacenter or
folder.
Media Server
Indicates the name or the IP address of the selected

media server.
Configured Virtual Machines
Shows a list of virtual machines that are configured

for auto recovery. The auto recovery settings for
the selected virtual machine and its last restore
status is displayed in the Auto Recovery Settings
for <virtual machine name> area. The last restore
status appears as a blue hyperlink. Click the link to
see the restore job log.
You can click Edit to edit the auto recovery settings
for the selected virtual machines.
Add
Shows a list of virtual machines and lets you add

them to the list of virtual machines that are
configured for auto recovery.
The new virtual machines are added with default
auto recovery settings. If required, you can select
the virtual machine, click Edit, and edit the default
auto recovery settings.
See Edit auto recovery settings options
on page 31.
Edit
Lets you edit the auto recovery settings for the

selected virtual machine.
See Edit auto recovery settings options
on page 31.
Remove
Lets you remove the selected virtual machine from

the list of virtual machines that are configured for
auto recovery.

Edit auto recovery settings options

The following table describes the options on the Edit Auto Recovery Settings
dialog box.
See Auto recovery options on page 29.
Table 4-5
Edit auto recovery settings options
Option
Description
Virtual Machine Name
Indicates the name of the virtual machine you

selected for editing auto recovery settings.
Prompt for consent before restore
Enables Backup Exec to prompt for your consent

before it restores the virtual machine in case it
faults. If this option is set to No, Backup Exec
restores the virtual machine without prompting
you first.
You must set this option to Yes for the virtual
machines that belong to other users. When you are
prompted to restore such virtual machines, you can
inform the owner before restoring them.
By default, this option is set to Yes.
Preserve files of faulted virtual

machine before restore
Preserves all the files, such as, configuration,

snapshot, and log files, that constitute a virtual
machine.
The preserved files are stored in a subfolder named
Backup_Exec_VM_Faulted_On_Date. The subfolder
is created in the location where the virtual
machines source vmdk file resides.
By default, this option is enabled.
Note: Backup Exec does not support independent

disks (vmdk). If the virtual machine has
independent disks, they are not preserved even if
this option is selected.
31
32

Table 4-5
Edit auto recovery settings options (continued)
Option
Description
Override Default vCenter Logon

Account for this virtual machine
Lets you use a logon account other than the default

vCenter logon account for the selected virtual
machine.
After you select this option, you can specify the
logon account that you want to use for the virtual
machine in the vCenter Logon Account field.
vCenter Logon Account
This field is enabled only after you select the option

Override Default vCenter Logon Account for this
virtual machine.
Lets you select the vCenter logon account that you
want to use for the selected virtual machine. Click
the button next to the vCenter Logon Account field
to select a logon account. You can select the same
logon account that is used for backing up your
virtual machines.
Note: The logon account you select is used only for

the selected virtual machine. All other virtual
machines continue to use the default vCenter logon
account.

You can configure notification settings to inform recipients when important
events occur during auto recovery. For example, a notification is sent when
ApplicationHA Console notifies Backup Exec to restore a faulted virtual machine,
or when Backup Exec restores a faulted virtual machine.
To send notifications you must first configure the SMTP server settings on the
Backup Exec server. For information on configuring SMTP server settings, see
the Symantec Backup Exec Administrators Guide.
Note: The auto recovery events that occur on the media server and in the vSphere
Client are entered in Windows events and VMware events respectively.

To configure notification settings
Click Notification Settings.
Do one of the following:
To select the recipients who must receive the

notifications.
Click Add.
To edit the email address of the selected recipient.
Click Edit.
To remove any of the recipients you have selected to

receive notifications.
Click Remove.
To create new recipients.
Click New.
Click Apply.

Backup Exec synchronizes its configuration information with vSphere environment
and ApplicationHA once every day. It detects any virtual machines that have been
removed from the vSphere environment and removes them from its configuration.
It synchronizes with ApplicationHA to ensure that ApplicationHA notifies Backup
Exec when application failures are detected on the virtual machines that are
configured for auto recovery.

The following best practices are recommended for virtual machine auto recovery:
Monitor Windows event logs to see the events that occur on the Backup Exec
media server.
Monitor VMware event logs to see the events that occur in the vSphere Client.
Register to receive email notifications when important events occur during

auto recovery.
See Configuring the notification settings on page 32.
33
34

Reconfigure a virtual machine for auto recovery if it is renamed or moved in

the vSphere inventory.
Back up a virtual machine in the following scenarios:
A virtual machine is enabled for auto recovery.
Any software is updated or upgraded on the virtual machine. For example,

Windows software update or ApplicationHA Agent Pack upgrade.
A monitored application on the virtual machine is reconfigured. For

example, a new application or service is added for monitoring.
When the Preserve files of faulted virtual machine before restore option is
enabled, the files of the faulted virtual machine are stored before it is restored.
These files are stored in a folder named Backup_Exec_VM_Faulted_On_Date,
which is created in the location where the virtual machines source vmdk file
resides. You must manually delete these files after use to free up disk space.
Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware does not automatically
remove the virtual machine files.
Chapter
Configuring the default

settings for Symantec
Backup Exec Management
Plug-in for VMware
Configuring the update interval for the monitoring view
Changing the default folders for storing temporary backup validation files and
reports
Specifying the operation timeout values
Configuring the update interval for the monitoring

view
The default update interval that you configure applies to all the monitoring views.
To configure the update interval for the monitoring view
On the Plug-ins menu, click Configure Symantec Backup Exec Management

Plug-in for VMware.
Click General Settings.
In the Update the status of monitoring view every: field, type the number
of hours you want to wait between updates of the monitoring view.
Click OK.
36
Configuring the default settings for Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware
Changing the default folders for storing temporary backup validation files and reports
See Updating the monitoring view on page 11.

See Changing the default folders for storing temporary backup validation files
and reports on page 36.
See Specifying the operation timeout values on page 37.
Changing the default folders for storing temporary

backup validation files and reports
The Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware creates temporary
files during backup validation. These temporary files are removed from your
computer after the backup validation is completed. The Symantec Backup Exec
Management Plug-in for VMware also generates reports, which include the backup
validation details.
By default, the temporary backup validation files and the backup validation reports
are stored in the following folders:
Temporary backup validation files

\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Virtual
Machine Validator\Temporary Storage
Backup validation reports

\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Virtual
Machine Validator\Validation Reports
If required, you can change the default folders to any other folders of your choice.
To change the default folders for storing temporary backup validation files and
reports:

Plug-in for VMware.
Click Virtual Machine Validator Settings.
Under Folder Settings, type the path to the required folders or click Browse
to locate the folders.
Click OK.
See Specifying the operation timeout values on page 37.

The timeout values determine the amount of time (in minutes) the Symantec
Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware should wait before it terminates
an operation. You can configure the timeout values for terminating the virtual
machine power-on operation and running the scripts.
To configure the operation timeout values

Plug-in for VMware.
Click Virtual Machine Validator Settings.
Under Timeout Settings, specify the timeout values as required.
Click OK.
See Changing the default folders for storing temporary backup validation files
and reports on page 36.
37
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Symantec Backup Exec

Management Plug-in for

Introducing Symantec Backup Exec Management

Monitoring virtual machine backups ................................ 7

Validating virtual machine backups ................................ 15

Recovering virtual machines automatically .................. 23

About the Configuration Synchronizer ............................................. 33

Configuring the default settings for Symantec

About the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware

About the Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in

Monitor the backup jobs that run on virtual machines.

View the backup status of the virtual machines.

View the details of past backups and future backups.

Exclude virtual machines from backup jobs.

Validate the virtual machine backups.

Auto-recover virtual machines that have faulted due to application failure.

Introducing Symantec Backup Exec Management Plug-in for VMware

Monitoring virtual machine

About the monitoring view

Accessing the monitoring view

Updating the monitoring view

Closing the monitoring view for a media server

Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtual machine

Viewing a list of unprotected virtual machines

Excluding a virtual machine from protection

About the monitoring view

Summary information of the virtual machines.

Monitoring virtual machine backups

Auto Recovery Requests

Auto recovery request pending icon

See Updating the monitoring view on page 11.

Virtual machine backup details

Virtual machine backup details

Indicates the name of the virtual machine.

Monitoring virtual machine backups

Virtual machine backup details (continued)

Last Backup Status

Displays one of the following statuses:

Last Run Job Name

Shows one of the following statuses:

Monitoring virtual machine backups

Virtual machine backup details (continued)

Shows one of the following statuses:

See About the monitoring view on page 7.

Accessing the monitoring view

Monitoring virtual machine backups

To access the monitoring view

Log on to the vSphere client.

See About the monitoring view on page 7.

Updating the monitoring view

Click the update icon.

Monitoring virtual machine backups

Backup Exec reports

Backup Exec: Protected Virtual Machines

Includes all the information that is shown

Backup Exec: Unprotected Virtual

Includes all the information that is shown

Click the generate report icon.

See About the monitoring view on page 7.

Closing the monitoring view for a media server

See Accessing the monitoring view on page 10.

Monitoring virtual machine backups

Viewing the protection summary of a specific virtual