SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere overview

The Plug-in for VMware vSphere is a host-side component of the NetApp storage solution. It provides a vSphere web client GUI on vCenter to protect VMware virtual machines (VMs) and datastores, and supports SnapCenter application-specific plug-ins in protecting virtualized databases and file systems on primary and secondary storage.

• Support for VMs, VMDKs, and datastores

  The Plug-in for VMware vSphere provides a VMware vSphere web client in vCenter. The web client GUI allows you to perform backups of VMs, VMDKs, and datastores. It also allows you to restore VMs, VMDKs, and files and folders that reside on a guest OS.

• Support for virtualized databases and file systems

  The Plug-in for VMware vSphere provides native backup, recovery, and cloning of virtualized applications (virtualized SQL and Oracle databases and Windows file systems) when you use the SnapCenter GUI. SnapCenter natively leverages the Plug-in for VMware vSphere for all SQL, Oracle, and Windows file system data protection operations on virtual machine disks (VMDKs), raw device mappings (RDMs), and NFS datastores.

  To take application-consistent backups of virtualized MS-SQL and Oracle databases, you must deploy Plug-in for VMware vSphere in addition to SnapCenter Plug-in for Microsoft SQL Server or SnapCenter Plug-in for Oracle Database.

  After the Plug-in for VMware vSphere is installed, you do not need to take any further action; the plug-in handles all interaction with vCenter.

  Note: When backing up VMs, VMDKs, and datastores, the Plug-in for VMware vSphere does not support RDMs. Backup jobs for VMs ignore RDMs. If you need to back up RDMs, you must use a SnapCenter application or file system plug-in.
  Note: SnapCenter does not support single Snapshot copies of databases and VMs together. Backups for VMs and databases must be scheduled and run independently, which creates separate Snapshot copies, even if the databases and VMs are hosted in the same volume. Application backups must be scheduled by using the SnapCenter GUI; VM and datastore backups must be scheduled by using the SnapCenter web client GUI in vCenter.

  The Plug-in for VMware vSphere supports all virtualized applications that are supported by SnapCenter.

• VMware Tools is required for VM consistent Snapshot copies.

  If VMware Tools is not installed and running, the file system is not quiesced and a crash consistent Snapshot is created.

• VMware Storage VMotion feature is required for restore operations in SAN (VMFS) environments

  The restore workflow for VMware file system (VMFS) restore operations utilizes the VMware Storage VMotion feature. Storage VMotion is a part of the vSphere Standard License but is not available with the vSphere Essentials or Essentials Plus licenses.

  Most restore operations in NFS environments use native ONTAP functionality (for example, Single File SnapRestore) and do not require VMware Storage VMotion.

• The Plug-in for VMware vSphere is installed on a Windows host.

  Although the Plug-in for VMware vSphere must be installed on a Windows host, it supports both Windows-based and Linux-based vCenters. SnapCenter natively uses this plug-in to communicate with your vCenter for data protection operations on Windows and Linux virtualized applications without user intervention.

• Virtual Storage Console for VMware vSphere (VSC) backup jobs

  If you are using Virtual Storage Console for VMware vSphere (VSC) 6.x or earlier for backup and recovery, you must migrate your backup jobs to the Plug-in for VMware vSphere. In VSC Appliance 7.0 and later, the backup and recovery functionality of VMs, VMDKs, and datastores has been moved to the SnapCenter plug-in. However, you can use the VSC Appliance 7.0 and later for storage management operations.

  There are two migration paths from VSC to the Plug-in for VMware vSphere:

  • If you are using VSC in conjunction with SnapCenter 2.0 to back up VMs and datastores, you can use the migration feature in the SnapCenter GUI. See the installation and setup documentation for more information.

    Installing and setting up SnapCenter

  • If you are using VSC with SnapManager for Virtual Infrastructure (SMVI), you can use the NetApp Import Utility for SnapCenter and Virtual Storage Console to migrate the backups, backup jobs, and storage connections. The utility is in the NetApp Support Toolchest.

    NetApp ToolChest: NetApp Import Utility for SnapCenter and Virtual Storage Console

• VSC Appliance 7.0

  VSC Appliance 7.0 and later can coexist with SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere 3.0 and later on the same vCenter instance. However, SnapCenter 3.x and later cannot co-exist with VSC 6.2.x and earlier on the same vCenter instance.

  You use the Plug-in for VMware vSphere to perform backup and restore operations, and you use the VSC Appliance to perform host and storage monitoring, datastore provisioning, and Storage Policy Based Management (SPBM) support.

In addition to these major features, the Plug-in for VMware vSphere also provides support for iSCSI, Fibre Channel, FCoE, VMDK over NFS 3.0 and 4.1, and VMDK over VMFS 5.0 and 6.0.

For the latest information about supported versions, see the NetApp Interoperability Matrix Tool (IMT).

NetApp Interoperability Matrix Tool

For information about NFS protocols and ESXi, see the VMware "vSphere Storage" documentation.

For information about SnapCenter data protection, see the Data Protection Guide for your plug-in.

For information about the SnapCenter architecture, features, and benefits, see the SnapCenter concepts documentation.