We have two FAS3020s in a cluster and use an NFS datastore for three ESX 3.5 servers that run about 22 VMs. We are just about to deploy SMVI v2 and I had three questions:
1. Does SMVI need VCB?
Right now we use backup software that leverages VCB to backup our VMs. After doing some reading it appears that SMVI does not use VCB. It quiesces the VM using VMWare tools, takes a VM snapshot, and finally a Netapp Snapshot. Once the Netapp snapshot has been taken, the VMWare snapshot is deleted.
2. Can I use SMVI to backup SQL and Exchange?
I have both SQL 2005 and Exchange 2007 running as VMs. I present my Exchange server with two luns from my filer via the iSCSI initiator and use Snapmanager for Exchange to backup my Exchange server database and logs. I present my SQL server with four luns from my filer via the iSCSI initiator and use Snapmanager for SQL for backup. What I am really asking is can I use SMVI to backup the C: drive which is what is encapsulated inside the VMDK? I know SMVI will not backup the luns attached to these two VMs but I do not need it for that purpose, This articled talks a bit about this but I am still unsure:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1009073
3. Does SMVI have any problem when used against domain controllers?
My two domain controllers which also run DNS and DHCP are VMs. Will using SMVI to backup these cause any problems?