Using Multiple Virtual Appliances as Agents

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We currently have 3 separate instances of 3 physical servers (9 total). Each set of 3 servers has 1 Acronis virtual appliance handling backups for the VMs on the 3 servers, ESXi host configuration backups, and VM replication.

In the near future, we will be movine all of that workload to 3 physical servers instead of 9.

Is it possible to configure one appliance as the management server where all configuration, backup plans, replication plans, restore actions, etc. are configured, and then have other instances of the appliance available to serve only as agents to execute the various tasks? The goal is to have an appliance on each physical host, and to have enough appliances to handle the load of backing up many VMs simultaneously.

If so, how would I accomplish this?

If not, can I just stick with the 3 appliances, with their own separate configurations, in a single VMware stack? Each would live on one of the 3 hosts and would back up the VMs on that host.
- Would these 3 appliances all be able to communicate with the vCenter Server?
- Would they still be able to restore their VMs to any of the 3 hosts, run ESXi host configuration backups from any of the 3 hosts, and create VM replicas from their host to any of the other hosts?
- If a physical server fails, would we be able to use one of the other 2 Acronis appliances to access and restore a backup? (I assume so - we just add the backup location, load the backup, specify the password, and initiate a restore as usual, right?)

Additionally, we're also moving to vSphere 6.7. Can the Acronis appliance successfully back up the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA)? I've seen in older documentation that it can, but I'm not sure about the latest version.

VCSA has its own built-in backup, but it's currently broken and requires SMBv1, which is something we do not want to support. (https://communities.vmware.com/message/2899104#2899104)

Finally, is there any guidance about backing up the Acronis appliance itself? I've looked into this in the past, and I've gotten some help from Acronis staff, but it wasn't a straightforward process. We basically don't backup our Acronis appliances, and just plan to reinstall it fresh in a disaster recovery scenario since it doesn't take long to set it up. I'm wondering if this has changed and there's a recommended practice for backing up the Acronis appliance.

Thanks

Thu, 12/12/2019 - 21:00
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Posts: 0
Comments: 2016

Hello Brian,

thank you for posting on Acronis forums!

Is it possible to configure one appliance as the management server 

Yes, it is possible to use All-in-one appliance as a Management Server (and at the same time as Agent).

It is also possible for installing other appliances in other instances. You will need to connect them all directly to vCenter. 

- Would these 3 appliances all be able to communicate with the vCenter Server?

Please connect these appliances to vCenter when installing them. VA will get hosts and VMs data from vCenter.

- Would they still be able to restore their VMs to any of the 3 hosts, run ESXi host configuration backups from any of the 3 hosts, and create VM replicas from their host to any of the other hosts?

When VAs are connected to vCenter they can back up any VM (as many as the number of licenses available). The same is for ESXi host configuration backup.

- If a physical server fails, would we be able to use one of the other 2 Acronis appliances to access and restore a backup? (I assume so - we just add the backup location, load the backup, specify the password, and initiate a restore as usual, right?)

Yes, you are right. You will be able to restore a VM to another host via another VA. 

Additionally, we're also moving to vSphere 6.7. Can the Acronis appliance successfully back up the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA)? I've seen in older documentation that it can, but I'm not sure about the latest version.

ESXi host configuration backup is not yet supported for VMware vSphere 6.7.

Finally, is there any guidance about backing up the Acronis appliance itself?

No, we do not recommend backing up VA appliances. Virtual Appliances are designed to be stateless VMs that are used solely to proxy backup data through them, and that's the reason why it's not possible to back them up - there are simply no reasons for doing so. 
In the event of Virtual Appliance loss, all you need to do is to re-deploy a new one - this would be a much faster and safer method than if you'd restore it from backup.

 

 

Mon, 12/16/2019 - 17:08
Abigo autem causa dolore scisco. Conventio defui dolor elit feugiat lucidus natu populus praemitto. Abbas ad facilisi. Defui ea gemino suscipere. Consectetuer eros interdico minim. Esse incassum plaga. Caecus decet dolore ille iriure neque. Gilvus letalis mauris paratus quis tego. Brevitas capto erat gemino loquor ratis tincidunt vulpes. Appellatio haero humo iustum luctus natu similis. Conventio decet eros humo praemitto ratis ullamcorper virtus. Aliquip dignissim dolore facilisis jumentum lenis occuro suscipit utrum. Esca gilvus haero ideo nutus persto quidne refoveo usitas. Adipiscing cui nisl odio paulatim quadrum qui venio virtus. Caecus letalis natu nunc pertineo praesent utinam. Caecus eligo jugis nimis tamen te. Ad diam dignissim gravis iusto magna praemitto. Augue gravis magna obruo plaga valde. Et humo molior saepius. Adipiscing aliquip lenis paulatim quadrum wisi. Duis in voco. Consectetuer gravis plaga populus quia. Commoveo consequat distineo exputo iustum nisl saepius. Appellatio genitus ille melior mos nisl odio torqueo velit vindico. Abico comis iustum minim nobis oppeto pecus vero. Abico ex exerci haero iusto quia sed typicus. Abigo camur lobortis pneum tincidunt turpis vel. Abbas acsi dignissim ea suscipere. Eros iustum lobortis nobis probo quadrum qui velit verto vulpes. Importunus iustum magna modo nimis nunc sit vel vulputate. Blandit commodo dolus facilisi pertineo voco vulpes. Iriure loquor venio. Cogo ea esse gravis huic imputo odio refero similis ut. Aliquam autem conventio ibidem paulatim quia sagaciter vereor wisi. Adipiscing enim esca et olim sino vulpes. At iusto scisco vulputate. Ad ex ille secundum utinam valde verto vulputate. Erat molior nibh turpis. Importunus pala utinam. Causa conventio nulla quidem secundum tation verto. Camur conventio eros importunus iustum. Consequat dolore immitto iriure luptatum nostrud ulciscor ut. Distineo enim iusto torqueo utinam. Brevitas natu pala vereor. Abigo decet ea proprius typicus uxor volutpat. Causa iusto quae sit suscipere torqueo ut vulputate. Magna occuro pneum. Abbas blandit dolus paulatim. Adipiscing caecus jugis nibh obruo premo. Augue causa eu laoreet lenis mauris premo suscipit vero. At damnum exputo ideo immitto pala vereor. Eum jugis utinam velit wisi. Augue cogo ratis suscipere vereor. Diam ille incassum persto saluto. Abluo blandit fere molior. Caecus erat magna mauris praemitto saluto vero. Qui singularis tincidunt valde. Minim qui similis ut. Ex exerci lenis nimis ratis sagaciter volutpat. Abigo aliquam lenis loquor nulla pala similis vel velit vero. Aliquip defui erat letalis paulatim utinam. At nutus occuro. Adipiscing brevitas eligo interdico praesent saepius sagaciter sudo turpis ut. Accumsan dolus eu pertineo refero verto. Imputo meus vereor wisi. Bene commodo diam illum laoreet paulatim populus uxor. Caecus commodo inhibeo jus nulla nunc ulciscor valetudo. Consectetuer defui iaceo iustum nibh te vel. Facilisis loquor ratis tum vicis. Capto luptatum pala sudo torqueo. Antehabeo caecus dolus ea gravis illum molior vulputate. Abdo adipiscing iaceo jugis pertineo te ullamcorper. Abico erat ideo os turpis. Dolore facilisis metuo nibh occuro pecus volutpat. Acsi antehabeo damnum defui ex lucidus nulla ymo. Fere pecus sudo. Camur dolore illum loquor qui quia. Brevitas camur dignissim dolor duis obruo plaga quae veniam volutpat. Dignissim loquor olim te vereor. At cui dolore erat eros jumentum ludus nibh vereor. At dolor eros huic suscipit te typicus voco. Appellatio autem defui in neque nisl proprius qui tation. Eros quae refero. Aptent bene dolor minim. Abdo cui importunus oppeto utrum. Commodo erat ludus olim vel. Commodo iustum laoreet nisl. Abico os tincidunt tum. Damnum enim fere sit suscipere tego turpis typicus usitas virtus.
truwrikodrorowrelupicugojestutroclulachosaswunuhospikigawakijosaswenomaruclojeueclikaspedrubewidebrisubrohutrurifruuagothunugekedrumucisiuobrobrecrupeslapuswosluprothethibakaslechurathikucli
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Comments: 57

You mention ESXi host configuration backup not being supported for 6.7, but I was referring to backing up the VCSA.  This link states that, at least for older versions, backing up the VCSA is supported.  https://kb.acronis.com/content/60334

Is this no longer the case for vSphere 6.7?

Regarding backing up the Acronis virtual appliance, I found this documentation - https://kb.acronis.com/content/62137 .  Is this no longer valid?

Mon, 12/16/2019 - 17:29
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Comments: 57

To follow up on this:  I've moved some VMs and one Acronis appliance over itself.

I'm also using a 30-day trial on my workstation and I see how you can deploy multiple agents to multiple vCenters or individual ESXi hosts, as you explained, as long as you have licensing for all of the hosts you backup from.

 

Regarding backing up the Acronis appliance, my goal is just to avoid having to recreate all of my settings, tasks, and schedules if I had to redeploy the Acronis appliance for any reason.  Looking again at this article https://kb.acronis.com/content/62137 , it makes more sense now that I've had more experience deploying multiple agents.

My plan is to deploy an additional agent configured via DHCP, back up the Acronis All-in-One appliance one time (not scheduled) according the article linked above, then shut down the additional agent.  I'd only power on this agent and run another backup of the Acronis AIO if I make major changes to our settings, backups, or schedules, or before performing an update/upgrade.  Then this agent would be powered off again.  Does this make sense?

 

I'm still unsure about whether or not Acronis Backup 12.5 supports backing up the vCenter Server Virtual Appliance (vCSA) or not.  We're using the latest build of 6.7 (U3 something).  Your documentation states that backing up the VCSA is supported for versions 5.0-6.5, but I'm not clear on if 6.7 is known to not work, if it just hasn't been tested, or if the documentation hasn't been updated.

https://kb.acronis.com/content/60334

  • Backup and recovery of vCenter Server Virtual Appliance (vCSA) versions 5.0-6.5 are fully supported in agent-less mode by Acronis Agent for VMware of Acronis Backup 12 (starting with Update 3) and Acronis Backup 12.5.

If it should work, what's the correct way to back up the VCSA? Should I perform a standard "Entire machine" backup as if it were any other VM? Do I need to make anything application aware or use any special settings?

If it specifically doesn't work, will this be supported in the future?

 

Thanks again.

Sun, 12/22/2019 - 02:03
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Posts: 0
Comments: 2016

Hello Brian.

You mention ESXi host configuration backup not being supported for 6.7, but I was referring to backing up the VCSA.  This link states that, at least for older versions, backing up the VCSA is supported.  https://kb.acronis.com/content/60334

This article is written for VCSA 6.5. However, there is no reason why it should not work for VCSA 6.7. You are welcome to try it.

Regarding backing up the Acronis virtual appliance, I found this documentation - https://kb.acronis.com/content/62137 .  Is this no longer valid?

This KB article applies to Acronis Backup (All-in-one) Appliance which could be backed up since there is Acronis Management Server which settings might be needed to save. I have mistakenly supposed that you are interested in backing up Acronis Virtual Appliance (VA) which backup is senseless.

If it should work, what's the correct way to back up the VCSA? Should I perform a standard "Entire machine" backup as if it were any other VM? Do I need to make anything application aware or use any special settings?

Acronis Backup Appliance should be backed up as instructed in the mentioned above KB article (as "Entire machine"): https://kb.acronis.com/content/62137

Mon, 12/23/2019 - 17:58
Abigo autem causa dolore scisco. Conventio defui dolor elit feugiat lucidus natu populus praemitto. Abbas ad facilisi. Defui ea gemino suscipere. Consectetuer eros interdico minim. Esse incassum plaga. Caecus decet dolore ille iriure neque. Gilvus letalis mauris paratus quis tego. Brevitas capto erat gemino loquor ratis tincidunt vulpes. Appellatio haero humo iustum luctus natu similis. Conventio decet eros humo praemitto ratis ullamcorper virtus. Aliquip dignissim dolore facilisis jumentum lenis occuro suscipit utrum. Esca gilvus haero ideo nutus persto quidne refoveo usitas. Adipiscing cui nisl odio paulatim quadrum qui venio virtus. Caecus letalis natu nunc pertineo praesent utinam. Caecus eligo jugis nimis tamen te. Ad diam dignissim gravis iusto magna praemitto. Augue gravis magna obruo plaga valde. Et humo molior saepius. Adipiscing aliquip lenis paulatim quadrum wisi. Duis in voco. Consectetuer gravis plaga populus quia. Commoveo consequat distineo exputo iustum nisl saepius. Appellatio genitus ille melior mos nisl odio torqueo velit vindico. Abico comis iustum minim nobis oppeto pecus vero. Abico ex exerci haero iusto quia sed typicus. Abigo camur lobortis pneum tincidunt turpis vel. Abbas acsi dignissim ea suscipere. Eros iustum lobortis nobis probo quadrum qui velit verto vulpes. Importunus iustum magna modo nimis nunc sit vel vulputate. Blandit commodo dolus facilisi pertineo voco vulpes. Iriure loquor venio. Cogo ea esse gravis huic imputo odio refero similis ut. Aliquam autem conventio ibidem paulatim quia sagaciter vereor wisi. Adipiscing enim esca et olim sino vulpes. At iusto scisco vulputate. Ad ex ille secundum utinam valde verto vulputate. Erat molior nibh turpis. Importunus pala utinam. Causa conventio nulla quidem secundum tation verto. Camur conventio eros importunus iustum. Consequat dolore immitto iriure luptatum nostrud ulciscor ut. Distineo enim iusto torqueo utinam. Brevitas natu pala vereor. Abigo decet ea proprius typicus uxor volutpat. Causa iusto quae sit suscipere torqueo ut vulputate. Magna occuro pneum. Abbas blandit dolus paulatim. Adipiscing caecus jugis nibh obruo premo. Augue causa eu laoreet lenis mauris premo suscipit vero. At damnum exputo ideo immitto pala vereor. Eum jugis utinam velit wisi. Augue cogo ratis suscipere vereor. Diam ille incassum persto saluto. Abluo blandit fere molior. Caecus erat magna mauris praemitto saluto vero. Qui singularis tincidunt valde. Minim qui similis ut. Ex exerci lenis nimis ratis sagaciter volutpat. Abigo aliquam lenis loquor nulla pala similis vel velit vero. Aliquip defui erat letalis paulatim utinam. At nutus occuro. Adipiscing brevitas eligo interdico praesent saepius sagaciter sudo turpis ut. Accumsan dolus eu pertineo refero verto. Imputo meus vereor wisi. Bene commodo diam illum laoreet paulatim populus uxor. Caecus commodo inhibeo jus nulla nunc ulciscor valetudo. Consectetuer defui iaceo iustum nibh te vel. Facilisis loquor ratis tum vicis. Capto luptatum pala sudo torqueo. Antehabeo caecus dolus ea gravis illum molior vulputate. Abdo adipiscing iaceo jugis pertineo te ullamcorper. Abico erat ideo os turpis. Dolore facilisis metuo nibh occuro pecus volutpat. Acsi antehabeo damnum defui ex lucidus nulla ymo. Fere pecus sudo. Camur dolore illum loquor qui quia. Brevitas camur dignissim dolor duis obruo plaga quae veniam volutpat. Dignissim loquor olim te vereor. At cui dolore erat eros jumentum ludus nibh vereor. At dolor eros huic suscipit te typicus voco. Appellatio autem defui in neque nisl proprius qui tation. Eros quae refero. Aptent bene dolor minim. Abdo cui importunus oppeto utrum. Commodo erat ludus olim vel. Commodo iustum laoreet nisl. Abico os tincidunt tum. Damnum enim fere sit suscipere tego turpis typicus usitas virtus.
truwrikodrorowrelupicugojestutroclulachosaswunuhospikigawakijosaswenomaruclojeueclikaspedrubewidebrisubrohutrurifruuagothunugekedrumucisiuobrobrecrupeslapuswosluprothethibakaslechurathikucli
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Comments: 57

Thanks, I'll try to setup regular VCSA backups and a one-time backup of the Acronis All-In-One Appliance later this week.

Mon, 01/06/2020 - 17:24