vCenter Configuration Manager Backup and Disaster
Recovery Guide
VCM 5.3
This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all
subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new edition. To
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EN-000472-00
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Contents
About This Book 5
Implementing a Disaster Recovery Plan 7
Performing Backup Procedures 9
Backing Up the Database 9
Perform a Full Backup 10
Perform a Differential Backup 17
Perform a File System Backup 23
Back up HTTP Certificates 23
Performing Recovery Procedures 29
Import HTTP Certificates 30
Restoring the Databases 35
Restore the System Database 35
Restore the Report Server Database 37
Restore the VCM Databases 39
Installing VCM 41
Restoring File System Components 43
Script for Exported Reports 43
Index 45
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About This Book
This manual, VCM Backup and Disaster Recovery Guide, describes the steps required to ensure the
preparation and implementation of a successful disaster recovery plan for VMware vCenter Configuration
Manager (VCM). This document contains the following information:
n
Backup procedures
n
Recovery procedures
n
Database restoration procedures
Read this document and complete the associated procedures to prepare for a successful disaster recovery
plan. The VCM Backup and Disaster Recovery Guide covers VCM version 5.3.
Intended Audience
The information presented in this manual is written for system administrators who are experienced
Windows or UNIX/Linux/Mac OSX system administrators and who are familiar with managing network
users and resources, and performing system maintenance.
To use the information in this guide effectively, you must have a basic understanding of how to configure
network resources, install software, and administer operating systems. You also need to fully understand
your network’s topology and resource naming conventions.
Document Feedback
VMware welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation. If you have comments, send
your feedback to docfeedback@vmware.com.
VMware VCM Documentation
The vCenter Configuration Manager (VCM) documentation consists of the VCM Hardware and Software
Requirements Guide, VCM Hardware and Software Requirements Guide, VCM Foundation Checker User's Guide,
VCM online Help, and other associated documentation.
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Technical Support and Education Resources
The following technical support resources are available to you. To access the current version of this book
and other books, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
Online and Telephone
Support
To use online support to submit technical support requests, view your product
and contract information, and register your products, go to
http://www.vmware.com/support.
Customers with appropriate support contracts should use telephone support for
priority 1 issues. Go to http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html.
Support Offerings To find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs,
go to http://www.vmware.com/support/services.
VMware Professional
Services
VMware Education Services courses offer extensive hands-on labs, case study
examples, and course materials designed to be used as on-the-job reference tools.
Courses are available onsite, in the classroom, and live online. For onsite pilot
programs and implementation best practices, VMware Consulting Services
provides offerings to help you assess, plan, build, and manage your virtual
environment. To access information about education classes, certification
programs, and consulting services, go to http://www.vmware.com/services.
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Implementing a Disaster Recovery Plan
1
To provide a disaster recovery plan for vCenter Configuration Manager (VCM), VMware recommends
the following procedures be implemented for an “Active Production / Standby Spare” recovery model.
This guide provides a baseline for configuring the proper backup schedules and information on how to
recover a system using these prepared backups. The frequencies and retention values provided may be
adjusted to meet specific service-level agreements and retention requirements.
When implementing a Disaster Recovery Plan, ensure the following:
n
Historical data should be retained, and will be as current as the last scheduled database backup.
n
Duplicate hardware of the production VCM Collector will be available in an alternate location for
recovery tasks.
n
The recovery Collector will be prepared with all software prerequisites for a VCM installation matching
the product versions of the production Collector.
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Performing Backup Procedures
2
The following steps should be taken to ensure that all required databases have been properly backed up in
compliance with your corporate standards. The maintenance plan created for this process should be used
in addition to other database integrity and re-indexing maintenance plans. Although both backup plans, as
well as other maintenance tasks, may be combined into a single SQL Maintenance Plan, creating separate
plans can assist in future troubleshooting and Maintenance Plan organization.
IMPORTANT Although the procedures in this document apply to SQLServer, you should apply the
concepts about backing up your data to any third-party software you are using.
Backing Up the Database
The example provided in this guide assumes a weekly full backup and a daily differential backup of each
database. Transaction log (point-in-time) backups are not available, as the VCM databases are configured
in Simple Recovery mode and should not be modified.
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Perform a Full Backup
Full backups will remain available on-disk for four weeks and differential backups will remain available for
seven days. When adjusting the frequency or retention of backup schedules, ensure that the required
amount of disk space is available for the maximum number of backup sets.
Procedure
1. Start Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.
2. Connect to the VCM Database Server using an account with SQL Administrative privileges.
3. In Object Explorer, navigate to the Maintenance Plans node.
4. Right-click Maintenance Plans, and then select Maintenance Plan Wizard.
5. Click Next, and then enter a name and description for the maintenance plan.
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6. Click Change to create a schedule for the Full Backup Plan.
7. Ensure that the schedule is enabled as a Recurring schedule type.
8. Configure the schedule at a time when minimal Collector activity will be occurring.
9. Click Next. The Select Maintenance Tasks page appears.
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10. Select Back Up Database (Full), and then click Next. The Select Maintenance Task Order page appears.
11. If you are combining this backup task with other tasks, set an appropriate execution order. VMware
recommends performing the backup after all other tasks. The Define Back Up Database (Full) Task
page appears.
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12. Click the Database(s) drop-down menu and select the databases to be backed up.
The following databases should be included in the backup set (select corresponding databases if
alternate names were used during the initial installation): CSI_Domain, master, msdb, ReportServer,
VCM, VCM_Coll, and VCM_UNIX.
13. Click OK to select the databases and return to the Define Back Up Database (Full) Task.
Performing Backup Procedures
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14. Click OK to select the databases and return to the Define Back Up Database (Differential) Task.
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