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Hyper-V backup procedures

Use these procedures to run Hyper-V backups. For cluster considerations, see Special considerations for backing up Hyper-V clusters.

ClosedTo execute an immediate Hyper-V backup

Use the procedure described here to execute immediate backups of virtual machines. The procedure is the same for clustered and non-clustered VMs. To back up a clustered VM, you must select the cluster application in the Navigation pane. For non-clustered VMs hosted on a cluster node, you must select the host node.

1 Review Best practices for protecting Hyper-V virtual machines and Selecting Hyper-V VMs to protect for tips and guidelines on selecting virtual machines for an immediate backup.
2 Select the applicable Hyper-V application or navigation group in the left Navigation pane and click Backup.

The list of available VMs is determined by what you select in this step:

• Select the Hyper-V application to display all VMs hosted on the application.
• Select the navigation group to display only its VMs.
3 Select the 1-Time Backup tab.

This retrieves a list of virtual machines available on the Hyper-V application.

Click the reload arrows at the bottom to refresh the list of virtual machines discovered in the environment.

4 In the Select Virtual Machines area, check boxes to select the virtual machines to backup. To select or deselect all VMs in the list, click the gray box above the first VM’s checkbox.

Hover over the VM name to see more information. For example, you may see a message indicating that the VM is offline or Integration Services are not installed.

5 Choose the type of backup by selecting Full or Incremental.

You cannot run an incremental backup unless the appliance is currently storing a successful full backup for the VM. If the system does not have a successful full backup for the VM and you try to run an incremental backup, you are prompted to perform a full backup first.

6 Backups are stored on the default device unless you select a different device. To back up to a different device, select one in the Available Devices area.
7 Check the Verify Backup box to perform a data transfer integrity check for each backup.

Important!  Failure to check this box can lead to undesirable results when attempting to restore from the backup.

8 Click Backup at the bottom of the screen to initiate the backup process.

A separate backup is created for each virtual machine selected.

To view the status of the active backup operations, select Settings > System Monitoring > Jobs. For details, see Monitoring running backup jobs. To see the status of completed backup jobs, select Reports > Backups.

ClosedTo create a Hyper-V backup schedule

Use the procedure described here to create backup schedules for virtual machines. The procedure is the same for clustered and non-clustered VMs. To back up clustered VMs, you must select the cluster application in the Navigation pane. For non-clustered VMs hosted on a cluster node, you must select the host node.

1 Review Best practices for protecting Hyper-V virtual machines and Selecting Hyper-V VMs to protect for tips and guidelines on selecting virtual machines for inclusion in backup schedules.
2 Select the applicable Hyper-V application or navigation group in the left Navigation pane and click Backup.

The list of available VMs is determined by what you select in this step:

• Select the Hyper-V application to display all VMs hosted on the application.
• Select the navigation group to display only its VMs.
3 Select the Schedule Backup tab.
4 Enter a unique Schedule Name.
5 If desired, enter a Schedule Description.
6 Check the box next to Schedule enabled. If this box is not checked, the schedule will not run.
7 In the VMs to Protect area, check boxes to select all virtual machines that need to be protected by the schedule. To select or deselect all VMs in the list, click the gray box above the first VM’s checkbox.

Hover over the VM name to see more information. For example, you may see a message indicating that the VM is offline or Integration Services are not installed.

8 In the Schedule area, select a backup strategy from the list.
• Choose from Incremental Forever, Full with Incrementals, or Custom. See Hyper-V backup strategies for more information.
• Backups for the selected strategy display below.

Note:  If the appliance is not currently storing a successful full backup for a VM included in a schedule, the appliance will run a full for this VM during the first scheduled backup even if you have not included a full backup in the schedule. An incremental backup cannot run for a particular VM until the appliance is storing a successful full backup for this VM.

9 Do one of the following:
• For a non-custom strategy, define the frequency at which backups of each type will run using the fields below each backup.
• For a custom strategy, click the Calendar icon to define the frequency at which backups of each type will run. Do the following for each backup instance:
– Drag a backup icon onto the calendar. Drag onto today’s date or later.
– In the Add Backup window, define the backup type, start date, start time, recurrence, and description (optional).
– Then click Confirm.
10 If desired, modify the minimum and maximum retention settings. These settings apply to all selected VMs. To set different values for each VM, do not enter settings here. Instead, go to Settings > Storage and Retention > Backup Retention. For details see About retention control.

Modifying retention settings here also updates values displayed on the Backup Retention page. Once you modify this setting in the schedule, you cannot change it again from the schedule itself. Instead, make changes from the Backup Retention page as described in About retention control.

11 If you would like to add new VMs to this schedule automatically, check the Auto-include new VMs box.

This option can be enabled in only one schedule for each Hyper-V server that the system is protecting.

12 Click Advanced Settings and perform the following:
• Check the Verify Backup option to perform a data transfer integrity check for each backup.

Important!  Failure to check this box can result in undesirable results when attempting to restore from the backup.

• (Optional) Specify the following settings:
– Select the backup device to which backups will be written.
– Check the Email Schedule Report option to receive email notification upon completion of the scheduled backup jobs. You also have the option to receive a PDF attachment of the report in the email.
– Check the Email Failure Report option to receive email notification upon failure of any backup job on the schedule. You also have the option to receive a PDF attachment of the report in the email.
• Click Confirm to save Advanced Settings.
13 Click Save to create the schedule.
ClosedTo view or modify a Hyper-V backup schedule
1 Select a Hyper-V application or navigation group in the left Navigation pane and click Backup.
2 Select the Schedule Backup tab.
3 In the Schedule Name field, select the desired schedule from the list.
4 Modify settings as desired and click Save.

For a description of each setting, see To create a Hyper-V backup schedule.

ClosedTo delete a Hyper-V backup schedule

Note:  You can also delete Hyper-V schedules from the Enterprise Backup subsystem. See To delete an Enterprise backup schedule for details.

1 Select a Hyper-V application or navigation group in the left Navigation pane and click Backup.
2 Select the Schedule Backup tab.
3 In the Schedule Name field, select the desired schedule from the list.
4 Click Delete Schedule.
ClosedTo enable or disable a Hyper-V backup schedule

Note:  You can also enable and disable Hyper-V schedules from the Enterprise Backup subsystem. See To enable or disable an Enterprise backup schedule for details.

1 Select a Hyper-V application or navigation group in the left Navigation pane and click Backup.
2 Select the Schedule Backup tab.
3 In the Schedule Name field, select the desired schedule from the list.
4 Do one of the following:
• To enable the schedule, check the Schedule Enabled box.
• To disable the schedule, uncheck the Schedule Enabled box.
5 Click Save.