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NetApp Backup and Recovery

Discover VMware workloads with NetApp Backup and Recovery

Contributors netapp-mwallis
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Before you can protect VMware datastores and VMs running on ONTAP systems, you need to discover them in NetApp Backup and Recovery. You can also import backup data and policies from SnapCenter.

Required NetApp Console role
Backup and Recovery super admin. Learn about Backup and recovery roles and privileges. Learn about NetApp Console access roles for all services.

Discover VMware workloads and optionally import SnapCenter Plug-in resources

During discovery, NetApp Backup and Recovery analyzes VMware workloads within your organization and assesses and imports existing protection policies, snapshots, and backup and restore options.

If you use the on-premises SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere, you can import VMware datastores and resources VMs into NetApp Backup and Recovery.

Note After adding a storage system to NetApp Console, wait a few minutes before discovering resources. Discovering resources immediately after adding a storage system can cause the discovery to fail.
Note NetApp Backup and Recovery supports only VMware vCenter and does not discover vVols or VMs on vVols.

During the import process, NetApp Backup and Recovery performs the following tasks:

  • Enables secure SSH access to the vCenter server.

  • Activates maintenance mode on all Resource Groups in the vCenter server.

  • Prepares the metadata of the vCenter and marks it as unmanaged in the NetApp Console.

  • Configures database access.

  • Discovers VMware vCenter, datastores, and VMs.

  • Imports existing protection policies, snapshots, and backup and restore options from SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere.

  • Displays the discovered resources in the NetApp Backup and Recovery Inventory page.

Discovery occurs in the following ways:

  • If you already have SnapCenter or the SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere, import SnapCenter resources into NetApp Backup and Recovery by using the NetApp Backup and Recovery UI.

    Note If you already have SnapCenter Plug-in, ensure you've met the prerequisites before importing from SnapCenter. For example, you should create systems in NetApp Console for all on-premises SnapCenter cluster storage first before importing from SnapCenter. See Prerequisites for importing resources from SnapCenter. To import data directly from a SnapCenter host, refer to Import and manage SnapCenter host resources.

  • If you don't already have the SnapCenter Plug-in, you can still discover workloads within your systems by adding a vCenter manually and performing discovery.

If not using the SnapCenter Plug-in, add a vCenter and discover resources

If you don't have SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware installed, add vCenter information so NetApp Backup and Recovery can discover workloads. Within each Console agent, select the systems where you want to discover workloads.

Steps

  1. From the NetApp Console left navigation, select Protection > Backup and Recovery.

  2. Select Discover resources.

  3. Enter the following information:

    1. Workload type: Select VMware.

    2. vCenter settings: Do the following:

      1. If you haven't yet stored credentials for this vCenter server, select Add credentials.

        • Select the Console agent to use with this vCenter.

        • Enter a name for this credential.

        • Enter the domain, user name, and password for the account.

        • Select Done.

      2. Enter the vCenter FQDN or IP address, select a Console agent, and select credentials to use to authenticate with vCenter.

        Tip If you are entering vCenter information, enter information for both vCenter settings and Host registration. If you added or entered vCenter information here, you also need to add plugin information in Advanced Settings next.

    3. Advanced settings: Optionally, enter a port to use for communication with vCenter and enable the use of self-signed certificates. Self-signed certificates are not recommended for production environments.

  4. Select Discover.

Import SnapCenter plug-in for VMware resources into NetApp Backup and Recovery

Import resources from the NetApp SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware into NetApp Backup and Recovery. During the import, the Console discovers your ESXi hosts, datastores, VMs, and schedules, so you don't need to recreate them manually.

You can do this in the following ways:

  • During discovery, select the option to import resources from SnapCenter Plug-in.

  • After discovery, from the Inventory page, select an option to import SnapCenter Plug-in resources.

  • After discovery, from the Settings menu, select an option to import SnapCenter Plug-in resources. For details, see Configure NetApp Backup and Recovery.

This is a two-part process described in this section:

  1. Import the vCenter metadata from SnapCenter Plug-in. The imported vCenter resources are not yet managed by NetApp Backup and Recovery.

  2. Initiate management of selected vCenters, VMs, and datastores in NetApp Backup and Recovery. After you initiate management, NetApp Backup and Recovery labels the vCenter as "Managed" on the Inventory page and is able to back up and recover the resources that you imported. After you initiate management in NetApp Backup and Recovery, you no longer manage those resources using the SnapCenter Plug-in.

Import vCenter metadata from SnapCenter Plug-in

This first step imports vCenter metadata from SnapCenter Plug-in. At that point, the resources are not yet managed by NetApp Backup and Recovery.

Tip After you import vCenter metadata from the SnapCenter Plug-in, NetApp Backup and Recovery does not take over protection management automatically. To do so, you must explicitly select to manage the imported resources in NetApp Backup and Recovery. This ensures that you are ready to have those resources backed up by NetApp Backup and Recovery.
Steps

  1. From the Console left navigation, select Protection > Backup and Recovery.

  2. Select Settings.

  3. Select Import from SnapCenter > Import from SnapCenter.

  4. In the Import from field, select SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware (SCV).

  5. Enter SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware host credentials:

    If the SnapCenter Plug-in is already registered, you can update the existing registration details.

    • IP address: Enter the IP address of the SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere.

    • Port number: Enter the port number for the Plug-in.

    • Username and Password: Enter the username and password you created during OVA deployment.

    • SSH password: Enter the SSH password for the root user if SSH is enabled.

    • Agents: Select the Console agent used with the Plug-in.

  6. Enter VMware vCenter credentials:

    • Existing credentials: If you select this option, you can use the existing credentials that you have already added. Choose the credentials name.

    • Add new credentials: If you don't have existing vCenter credentials, you can add new credentials. Enter the following information:

      • Credentials name: Enter the name of this new set of credentials.

      • vCenter IP/hostname: Enter the FQDN or IP address of the vCenter you want to import into NetApp Backup and Recovery.

      • vCenter Username and Password: Enter the username and password for the vCenter.

      • vCenter port number: Enter the port number for the vCenter.

  7. Select Import to validate your entries and register the SnapCenter Plug-in.

Result

The Inventory page shows the vCenter as unmanaged in NetApp Backup and Recovery until you explicitly select to manage it.

Manage resources imported from SnapCenter Plug-in

After you import the vCenter metadata from the SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware, manage the resources in NetApp Backup and Recovery. After you select to manage those resources, NetApp Backup and Recovery can back up and recover the resources that you imported. After you initiate management in NetApp Backup and Recovery, you no longer manage those resources in SnapCenter Plug-in.

After you select to manage the resources, NetApp Backup and Recovery imports the resources, VMs, and policies from the SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware. The resource groups, policies, and snapshots are migrated from the Plug-in and become managed in NetApp Backup and Recovery.

Steps

  1. After you import the VMware resources from SnapCenter Plug-in, select Inventory from the Backup and Recovery menu.

  2. From the Inventory page, select the imported vCenter that you want NetApp Backup and Recovery to manage.

  3. Select the Actions icon Actions option > View details to display the workload details.

  4. From the Inventory > workload page, select the Actions icon Actions option > Manage to open the Manage vCenter page.

  5. Check the box "Do you want to continue with the migration?" and select Manage.

Result

The Inventory page shows the newly managed vCenter resources.

Continue to the NetApp Backup and Recovery Dashboard

  1. To display the Dashboard, select Dashboard from the Backup and Recovery menu.

  2. Review the health of data protection. The number of at risk or protected workloads increases based on the newly discovered, protected, and backed up workloads.

    Learn what the Dashboard shows you.