In the ever-evolving world of data management, safeguarding your virtual infrastructure is crucial. This comprehensive guide dives into the world of Veeam Backup & Replication 12, showcasing how effortlessly one can backup new VMware ESXi virtual machines. With the surge of data and the critical need for reliable backup solutions, this article is a beacon for IT professionals and organizations aiming to bolster their data protection strategies.

Prerequisites

To effectively backup virtual machines from a new VMware ESXi using Veeam Backup & Replication 12, certain prerequisites are essential:

1. VMware ESXi Environment: A functional VMware ESXi environment is required. This includes having VMware vSphere and ESXi servers properly set up and configured.
2. Veeam Backup & Replication 12 Installation: Ensure that Veeam Backup & Replication 12 is installed and configured on a server that can communicate with the VMware ESXi servers. If you haven’t done that yet, follow this tutorial to complete the installation the easiest way possible.
3. Network Configuration: Adequate network connectivity between the Veeam server and the VMware ESXi servers is crucial. This ensures efficient data transfer during the backup process.
4. Storage Repository: Set up a storage repository that is accessible to Veeam for storing the backups. This can be local storage, a Linux Server as a backup repository, a network-attached storage (NAS) system, or a cloud storage solution.
5. VMware vCenter Server (Optional): If you’re using a vCenter Server to manage your ESXi hosts, ensure it’s configured and accessible to Veeam.
6. Credentials: Have the necessary administrative credentials for both VMware ESXi/vCenter and Veeam Backup & Replication for setting up and configuring backup jobs.
7. Understanding Backup Requirements: Clearly understand the backup requirements, including which VMs need to be backed up and how frequently.
8. Backup Policies and Procedures: Establish clear backup policies and procedures, including retention policies and recovery objectives.

These prerequisites will help ensure a smooth and effective backup process for VMware ESXi virtual machines using Veeam Backup & Replication 12.

Launch the Backup Wizard

• Open the Veeam Backup & Replication console.
• Navigate to the “Home” tab.
• Click on “Backup Job” and select “Virtual machine…” to start the Backup Job Wizard.

• If prompted to register your virtualization infrastructure to enable hypervisor-level protection, click “Yes”.

Add VMware vSphere Server

• In the “Add Server” window, choose “VMware vSphere” to add VMware infrastructure servers to the inventory.

Specify VMware vSphere Server Type

• Choose “vSphere” to add a vCenter Server or a standalone vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) to the inventory.

Enter the Server Details

• Enter the DNS name or IP address of the VMware server.
• Provide a description for the server for easy identification.
• Click “Next” to proceed.

Provide Administrator Credentials

• Click “Add…” to enter the server administrator’s credentials.

• In the “Credentials” window, input the username (e.g., “root”) and password.
• Optionally, add a description for the credentials.
• Click “OK” to save the credentials and return to the previous window.

• With the credentials selected, click “Apply” to add the server to Veeam Backup & Replication.

• If you receive a certificate security alert indicating an untrusted certificate, review the details.
• If you acknowledge the risks or know the certificate is safe, click “Continue” to proceed.

Complete Server Addition

• After the server is successfully added, review the summary information.

• Click “Finish” to close the wizard.

Create a Backup Job

• Once you finish the wizard, it will start creating a new backup job.

Select Virtual Machines to Backup

• In the ‘Virtual Machines’ tab, click ‘Add’ to select the virtual machines you want to include in the backup job.
• From the ‘Add Objects’ window, expand ‘Hosts and Clusters’ and select the relevant VMs or entire hosts/clusters to be backed up.

• Click ‘Add’.

• After adding the VMs, ensure they are listed under ‘Virtual machines to backup’.
• Click ‘Next’ to finalize the VM selection and proceed with the backup job configuration.

Configure Storage for Backup Job

• Go to the ‘Storage’ tab in the New Backup Job wizard.
• Select the desired Backup proxy or leave it at ‘Automatic selection’.
• Choose a Backup repository where the backup files will be stored.
• Set the Retention policy for how long you want to keep the backup files.
• Optionally, configure additional settings such as GFS (Grandfather-Father-Son) retention policy or secondary destinations for the job.
• Click ‘Next’ to continue.

Set Up Guest Processing Options

• In the ‘Guest Processing’ tab, enable ‘Application-aware processing’ if you want to ensure that transactionally consistent backups are created.
• Optionally, enable ‘Guest file system indexing’ for easy file-level recovery.
• If needed, customize credentials for guest OS processing.
• Click ‘Next’ to proceed.

Schedule the Backup Job

• Under the ‘Schedule’ tab, set up the schedule for automatic job execution. You can choose daily, monthly, or periodic triggers.
• Set up a schedule that fits your recovery point objectives (RPOs), ensuring backups occur as often as necessary for your organization’s needs.
• Consider setting up notifications within Veeam to alert you to the status of backup jobs.
• Configure any ‘Automatic retry’ options and backup window limitations if necessary.
• Click ‘Apply’ to save the schedule settings.

• In the ‘Summary’ tab, review all the settings of your backup job.
• If you want to run the job immediately after finishing the wizard, check ‘Run the job when I click Finish’.
• Click ‘Finish’ to create the backup job.

Run Active Full Backup

• After configuring the backup job run “Active Full backup”.

• You may be prompted to run an Active Full backup. If you choose ‘Yes’, Veeam Backup & Replication will perform a full backup immediately, which will be the baseline for any subsequent incremental backups.

Monitor Backup Job Progress and Success

• Once the backup job is running, you can monitor its progress in the Veeam Backup & Replication console under the ‘Jobs’ section. Look for the status to ensure it is running successfully.
• After the backup job finishes, check the ‘Last Result’ column in the ‘Jobs’ section. A status of ‘Success’ indicates the backup completed without errors.
• You can also view detailed statistics of the backup job by selecting the job and looking at the ‘Summary’, ‘Data’, and ‘Status’ sections.

Start the Backup Job Manually

• If you need to run the backup job at any time, you can start it manually. To do this, select the job from the list, and click the ‘Start’ button on the top menu.

Test Restores Periodically

• Regularly test your backups by performing restore operations to verify the integrity of your data and the effectiveness of your backup strategy.

Conclusion

Embarking on a journey through the intricacies of Veeam Backup & Replication 12 reveals more than just a backup solution; it’s a testament to the power of technology in safeguarding our digital assets. This guide not only equips you with the knowledge to efficiently backup VMware ESXi virtual machines but also instills confidence in your data protection capabilities. Embrace this knowledge and step into a future where your virtual environments are secure, recoverable, and resilient.

roosho Senior Engineer (Technical Services)

I am Rakib Raihan RooSho, Jack of all IT Trades. You got it right. Good for nothing. I try a lot of things and fail more than that. That's how I learn. Whenever I succeed, I note that in my cookbook. Eventually, that became my blog. 

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