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Setting VM credentials for application-aware protection

To provide application-aware protection of Windows VMs, vProtect requires local administrator credentials to interface with the VM’s application-specific VSS writers. Once credentials have been established, vProtect discovers any hosted SQL or Exchange applications, and leverages VSS writers to quiesce data and perform any necessary post-backup processing.

To protect Windows VMs hosting Exchange or SQL simple recovery model applications, it is recommended that you set credentials to ensure an application consistent backup. Log file truncation is handled by VMware application-aware backups as described here:

Application

Log file truncation with VMware application-aware backup

Exchange

Logs truncated with VMware full and incremental backup.

SQL

Logs not truncated with VMware application-aware backup. Do the following:

• Simple recovery model - No logs created. Use VMware application-aware backups.
• Full recovery model - Use agent backups or use VMware application-aware backups with separate transaction log backups to truncate logs. (Schedule periodic transaction log backups using a SQL Maintenance Plan. Do not use SQL Maintenance Plan with agent backups.)
• Bulk-logged recovery model - Use agent. See SQL backup strategies and recommendations for details.

Note:   Application-aware backups cannot be used to protect VMware templates or VMs on non-Windows operating systems.

Once you have configured and enabled credentials for a Windows VM, application-aware backups are run. If vProtect cannot gain access using these credentials, the backup fails.

To check whether application-aware protection succeeded, click the backup in the Status window or on the Backups report to view associated details. Look for the following in the Raw Output:

• appaware YES indicates the VM is configured for application-aware backups.
• appaware NO indicates the VM is not configured for application-aware backups.
• Failed to connect to host for guest vss operations indicates vProtect attempted application-aware backup, but could not gain access. Check the credentials for errors.

If credentials have not been enabled for the Windows VM, vProtect does not attempt application-aware backup. Application data is included in the backup, and the completed backup is in green/success status (if no other warnings/failures occur).