This topic describes how to back up VMware virtual machines (VMs) by using Hybrid Backup Recovery (HBR). After you create a backup plan, you can run backup jobs immediately or on schedule. To improve data security, HBR also supports incremental backup for scheduled backup plans.
Prerequisites
Step 1: Add a vCenter Server
Before you back up VMware VMs, you must add a vCenter Server in the HBR console.
Step 2: Create a backup plan
To create a backup plan, perform the following steps:
(Optional) Specify a gateway to run backup jobs
After a backup plan is created, backup jobs are dispatched to gateways based on the status of each gateway. The status includes the number of jobs that are running on each gateway, whether LAN-free backup is enabled for each gateway, and the performance of the ESXi host of each VM.
If you need to back up a large number of VMs, you can install multiple gateways to increase backup efficiency. The procedure to install multiple gateways is similar to the procedure to install a single gateway. For more information, see Before you begin (on-premises VMware).
After multiple gateways are installed, HBR dispatches backup jobs based on the gateway status, including the load of each gateway. You can also specify the gateway on which you want to run a backup plan.
References
- For more information about how to restore a VMware VM to an on-premises vCenter Server, see Restore a VMware VM.
- For more information about how to restore a VMware VM to an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance, see Restore a VMware VM to an ECS instance.
- For more information about how to use the instant mount feature of HBR to restore specified files on a VMware VM to an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance, see Restore specified files on a VMware VM to an ECS instance.