Agent for VMware enables backup and recovery of ESX(i) virtual machines without installing agents into the guest systems.
The agent is delivered in two versions:
Preparation
We highly recommend that you install Acronis Backup Management Server prior to the Agent for VMware installation. During the agent installation, specify the management server each time you are asked to register the agent or prompted for a license server (unless you chose to use a separately installed license server).
Agent for VMware (Virtual Appliance)
There are three methods of installing Agent for VMware (Virtual Appliance):
Use this method for troubleshooting purposes or if you cannot install Acronis Backup Management Server for some reason.
Connect the console to the management server. In the Navigation tree, right click Virtual machines, then click Deploy Agent for VMware. Refer to the context help for further instructions.
This is the easiest method. It is recommended in most cases. Connect the console to the management server. In the Navigation tree, right click Virtual machines, and then click Configure VMware vCenter integration. Specify the vCenter Server, and then enable Automatic deployment. Any time a virtual machine is selected for backup but the agent is not installed on its host, the Virtual Appliance will be automatically deployed on the host when the backup starts.
Agent for VMware (Windows)
If your production ESX(i) hosts are so heavily loaded that running the virtual appliances is not desirable, consider installing Agent for VMware (Windows) on a physical machine outside the ESX infrastructure.
If your ESX(i) uses a SAN attached storage, install the agent on a machine connected to the same SAN. The agent will back up the virtual machines directly from the storage rather than via the ESX(i) host and LAN. This capability is called a LAN-free backup.
The diagram below illustrates a LAN-based and a LAN-free backup. LAN-free access to virtual machines is available if you have a fibre channel (FC) or iSCSI Storage Area Network. To completely eliminate transferring the backed-up data via LAN, store the backups on a local disk of the agent's machine or on a SAN attached storage.
Agent for VMware (Windows) can be installed on any machine that runs Windows and meets the system requirements. Follow the instructions described in the "Interactive installation of Acronis Backup Advanced" section.
During installation, specify the vCenter Server or ESX(i) Server whose virtual machines the agent will back up.
You will be able to set or change this setting at a later time. To access this setting after the agent has been installed, connect the console to the machine with the agent and select from the top menu Options > Machine options > Agent for VMware (Windows).
Providing licenses
Agent for VMware requires either of the following licenses to work:
The installation of the agent does not require a license. However, you must specify a license server. Once the agent starts backing up a virtual machine, the agent checks whether the virtual machine's host has a license. If it does not have one, the agent takes a free license from the specified license server and assigns it to the host. If the host is included in a cluster, licenses will be assigned to all of the clustered hosts. Therefore, you need one license for each clustered ESX(i). This ensures the uninterrupted operation of your backup plans when virtual machines are moved around the cluster.