How to back up virtual machines to the online storage?

Use either of the following methods or both.

Install Acronis software onto the virtualization host

This approach comes in handy when the virtualization product installed on the host server is VMware ESX(i) or Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V or Microsoft Hyper-V Server.

You will be able to back up entire virtual machines or their volumes using a single subscription for virtual machines. The subscription applies to all machines hosted on the host or to the entire vCenter cluster. File-level backup and recovery is not possible for virtual machines, but is possible for a Windows host.

Installing the software, backing up, and recovery are described in the "Backing up Virtual Machines" document for Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 Virtual Edition. When installing Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 for online backup only, you do not need to enter a license key during installation.

Host-based backup is available only for paid licenses of VMware ESXi. Choose the below approach if your ESXi Server uses a free license.

Install Acronis software into the guest system

The machine will be treated as a physical one. You will need a separate server or workstation subscription for this machine. This approach comes in handy when:

• the machine is not hosted on a virtualization server
• the virtualization product installed on the host server is not VMware ESX(i) or Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V or Microsoft Hyper-V Server
• you want to use pre/post backup or pre/post data capture commands on the machine
• you want to perform file-level backup and recovery
• you want to back up an independent disk or an RDM disk attached in the physical compatibility mode on a running ESX(i) machine.

Installing the software, backing up, and recovery are the same as with a physical machine.