May 12, 2015 at 13:21Veeam Availability Suite 8.0 Update 2: Support for vSphere 6, Veeam Endpoint Backup FREE, and more
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Recently, Update 2 was released for the integrated Veeam Availability Suite 8 solution, which includes Veeam Backup & Replication and Veeam ONE products. Updates concern both products, and today I will tell about the most significant of them - this is full support for vSphere 6, support for Veeam Endpoint Backup FREE solution and new Veeam ONE features.
When the article on the Veeam blog was published on the implementation of support for vSphere 6, its main idea was to please our users in advance with the news that this support will be implemented. From that moment on, our team of testing engineers performed the whole range of load tests of release candidates, checking support for vSphere 6 RTM - and now we are announcing the release of Veeam Availability Suite 8.0 Update 2.
By the already established good tradition, we did not limit ourselves to basic compatibility, but Provided full support for vSphere 6 by implementing a number of unique features, such as:
Let's consider these innovations in more detail.
Support for Virtual Volumes, VMware Virtual SAN 2.0 and Hot-Add mode for SATA virtual disks was implemented using the new version of Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK). I note, however, that the functionality that we provide for Virtual SAN is unique. This mode of working with data will probably be the most effective for EVO: RAIL and EVO: RACK solutions, since they are based on the use of VMware Virtual SAN - just deploy a virtual Veeam proxy on each of the hosts.
If you are already familiar with the new generation technologies for VMware storage, then you know that the Storage Policy-Based Management (SPBM) approach to storage managementallows you to manage the requirements for virtual infrastructure storage systems in vSphere ─ both in the current version and with a reserve for the future. For our part, we implemented support for backing up and restoring storage policies - in particular, we can restore storage policies for a virtual machine as part of its full recovery (Full VM restore). This eliminates manual operations and shortens recovery time. SPBM policies play an important role in recovery because virtual machines that they are not assigned to can, for example, adversely affect the availability of a restored machine or virtual machines located on the same storage system. By default, Veeam will restore the same policy that the virtual machine had in the backup - but, of course, if necessary, you can assign a different one.
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Personally, I was most interested in how Fault Tolerant virtual machine backup support will be implemented in Veeam Backup & Replication.
It turns out that vSphere 6 allows you to create snapshots of fault-tolerant virtual machines through the API (and this is the only way to create a snapshot for such machines ). And that was what Veeam Backup & Replication needed to learn how to create backup copies and replicas for these machines - and now it is done in the same way as for the rest of the virtual machines. Thus, now you can maximize Enable Fault Tolerance capabilities in your data center to most effectively support data availability.
vSphere 6 also provides new APIs for programming and managing labels, or tags (vSphere tags). They are very convenient for creating backup policies in the case of a heterogeneous infrastructure with many optimization settings. We supported the use of tags in vSphere 5 (see here for more details ), and now in vSphere 6 so that you can continue to create effective policies using this flexible and convenient tool even after upgrading to a new version.
An important new feature is vMotion support between vCenter servers. As far as I remember, Veeam Backup & Replication always supported systems from several vCenter servers, however with the innovation there was such a difficulty: the backup task “lost” the virtual machines entering it (added explicitly, and not in the container) after they were transferred to another vCenter server - this was due to a change in their object ID (moRef). We solved this problem by adding support for vMotion migration between vCenter servers to our Quick Migration functionality . Now the corresponding objects included in the task will be automatically updated. We also support migration to a virtual volume.
I note that Quick Migration is also supported in the free version.Veeam Backup Free Edition . I recommend it as a way to migrate virtual machines in cases where it is not possible to use vMotion - for example, a slow or unreliable data channel or lack of the necessary license. This functionality allows you to migrate machines to new clusters where vSphere 6 will be deployed, rather than dragging the “tail” of the design flaws and problems of infrastructure design from old clusters.
For Veeam, vSphere 6 support means not only taking full advantage of the full range of new features, but also providing our users with the confidence that they can safely use these features and their virtual infrastructure will be protected from failures. Why do not we declare support for the new platform in the forefront, and instead prefer to spend several weeks in-depth testing of the pre-release version? The answer is simple: because we value your data, their reliable protection and ensuring their availability at the required level. Haste would only introduce unnecessary risks; for example, as can be seen from discussions on our forum or from twitterAnton Gostev (@TheRealGostev), we found a serious error in the operation of data transmission via Direct SAN access in vSphere 6 - thanks to rigorous testing:
Each release of the major version of vSphere means a lot of innovations compared to previous versions. That is why we pay great attention and time to testing the reliability of each updated vSphere component and its interaction with our product. That is why we, as a rule, announce support for the new version of vSphere at a certain point - after 6 weeks from the release date of VMware, and this often pays off many times. So, by opening Release Notes for VDDK vSphere 6, you will see that the error we detected, which Anton Gostev pointed out, was added to the top of the Known Issues list as critical, i.e. capable of affecting the performance of the production infrastructure. However, there is no reason for Veeam users to sound the alarm, because while VMware is working on the fix, we made a patch for VDDK in our Update 2. So Veeam users, including those who use SAN mode for backup, can safely switch to vSphere 6.
It is also important to note that we continue to support previous versions of vSphere, which are still used in organizations and continue to be supported by VMware. So, our Update 2 works with vSphere 4.0 (and higher). Returning to the Veeam Forums, I want to emphasize that our plans for version support are always transparent for users, as well as their plans for changing the platform for us.
For example, at the beginning of this year, we conducted a survey among forum participants on what platform their organization plans to work by the end of 2015. We sent the survey results to the development team to help engineers prioritize new functionality that real people will need in real life. As can be seen from the results (see the picture), most of the forum participants (today it is 45%) plan to introduce vSphere 6 by the end of the year, however, some users still remain on earlier versions, and we will not abandon them either.
Undoubtedly, one of the “breakthroughs” this year is the recent release of the backup tool for physical machines Veeam Endpoint Backup FREE . It will be supported by Update 2 for Veeam Backup & Replication: the created backups will now also be displayed in the Veeam Backup console, and they can be stored in the repository. This is great news for those who have critical applications running on physical machines for one reason or another.
This is what the Veeam Backup & Replication v8 Update 2 console looks like - as you can see, assigning permissions to save physical machine backups to the repository is very simple:
Support also includes:
Thus, with the installation of Update 2, all Veeam Backup & Replication commercial license holders get an integrated backup solution for virtual and physical machines.
If you have not yet met the new Veeam Endpoint Backup FREE tool, I highly recommend you do it. I think you will not be disappointed, because it is easy to use and completely free.
For Veeam ONE, Update 2 was also released. The most interesting and useful new product, according to product manager Vitaly Safarov (@vitsa), is monitoring of all new vSphere 6 functionality, including Virtual Volumes. Monitoring the operation of the new functionality is very important for such critical technologies, since without it it is impossible to provide full support. Veeam ONE gives you just that ability to manage your entire infrastructure, including storage.
In conclusion, I want to share useful links with you:
Full vSphere 6 Support
When the article on the Veeam blog was published on the implementation of support for vSphere 6, its main idea was to please our users in advance with the news that this support will be implemented. From that moment on, our team of testing engineers performed the whole range of load tests of release candidates, checking support for vSphere 6 RTM - and now we are announcing the release of Veeam Availability Suite 8.0 Update 2.
By the already established good tradition, we did not limit ourselves to basic compatibility, but Provided full support for vSphere 6 by implementing a number of unique features, such as:
- VMware Virtual Volumes and VMware Virtual SAN 2.0 Storage Support
- Support for backup and recovery policies as part of a Storage Policy-Based Management (SPBM) approach to storage management
- Fault Tolerant VMs backup and restore support
- VSphere 6 tag support
- VMotion support between vCenters (Cross-vCenter vMotion)
- Quick Migration to VVolume Virtual Volume
- Implementing Hot-Add Data Transfer Mode for SATA Virtual Disks
Let's consider these innovations in more detail.
Support for Virtual Volumes, VMware Virtual SAN 2.0 and Hot-Add mode for SATA virtual disks was implemented using the new version of Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK). I note, however, that the functionality that we provide for Virtual SAN is unique. This mode of working with data will probably be the most effective for EVO: RAIL and EVO: RACK solutions, since they are based on the use of VMware Virtual SAN - just deploy a virtual Veeam proxy on each of the hosts.
If you are already familiar with the new generation technologies for VMware storage, then you know that the Storage Policy-Based Management (SPBM) approach to storage managementallows you to manage the requirements for virtual infrastructure storage systems in vSphere ─ both in the current version and with a reserve for the future. For our part, we implemented support for backing up and restoring storage policies - in particular, we can restore storage policies for a virtual machine as part of its full recovery (Full VM restore). This eliminates manual operations and shortens recovery time. SPBM policies play an important role in recovery because virtual machines that they are not assigned to can, for example, adversely affect the availability of a restored machine or virtual machines located on the same storage system. By default, Veeam will restore the same policy that the virtual machine had in the backup - but, of course, if necessary, you can assign a different one.
“ Personally, I was most interested in how Fault Tolerant virtual machine backup support will be implemented in Veeam Backup & Replication.
It turns out that vSphere 6 allows you to create snapshots of fault-tolerant virtual machines through the API (and this is the only way to create a snapshot for such machines ). And that was what Veeam Backup & Replication needed to learn how to create backup copies and replicas for these machines - and now it is done in the same way as for the rest of the virtual machines. Thus, now you can maximize Enable Fault Tolerance capabilities in your data center to most effectively support data availability.
vSphere 6 also provides new APIs for programming and managing labels, or tags (vSphere tags). They are very convenient for creating backup policies in the case of a heterogeneous infrastructure with many optimization settings. We supported the use of tags in vSphere 5 (see here for more details ), and now in vSphere 6 so that you can continue to create effective policies using this flexible and convenient tool even after upgrading to a new version.
An important new feature is vMotion support between vCenter servers. As far as I remember, Veeam Backup & Replication always supported systems from several vCenter servers, however with the innovation there was such a difficulty: the backup task “lost” the virtual machines entering it (added explicitly, and not in the container) after they were transferred to another vCenter server - this was due to a change in their object ID (moRef). We solved this problem by adding support for vMotion migration between vCenter servers to our Quick Migration functionality . Now the corresponding objects included in the task will be automatically updated. We also support migration to a virtual volume.
I note that Quick Migration is also supported in the free version.Veeam Backup Free Edition . I recommend it as a way to migrate virtual machines in cases where it is not possible to use vMotion - for example, a slow or unreliable data channel or lack of the necessary license. This functionality allows you to migrate machines to new clusters where vSphere 6 will be deployed, rather than dragging the “tail” of the design flaws and problems of infrastructure design from old clusters.
For Veeam, vSphere 6 support means not only taking full advantage of the full range of new features, but also providing our users with the confidence that they can safely use these features and their virtual infrastructure will be protected from failures. Why do not we declare support for the new platform in the forefront, and instead prefer to spend several weeks in-depth testing of the pre-release version? The answer is simple: because we value your data, their reliable protection and ensuring their availability at the required level. Haste would only introduce unnecessary risks; for example, as can be seen from discussions on our forum or from twitterAnton Gostev (@TheRealGostev), we found a serious error in the operation of data transmission via Direct SAN access in vSphere 6 - thanks to rigorous testing:
Each release of the major version of vSphere means a lot of innovations compared to previous versions. That is why we pay great attention and time to testing the reliability of each updated vSphere component and its interaction with our product. That is why we, as a rule, announce support for the new version of vSphere at a certain point - after 6 weeks from the release date of VMware, and this often pays off many times. So, by opening Release Notes for VDDK vSphere 6, you will see that the error we detected, which Anton Gostev pointed out, was added to the top of the Known Issues list as critical, i.e. capable of affecting the performance of the production infrastructure. However, there is no reason for Veeam users to sound the alarm, because while VMware is working on the fix, we made a patch for VDDK in our Update 2. So Veeam users, including those who use SAN mode for backup, can safely switch to vSphere 6.
It is also important to note that we continue to support previous versions of vSphere, which are still used in organizations and continue to be supported by VMware. So, our Update 2 works with vSphere 4.0 (and higher). Returning to the Veeam Forums, I want to emphasize that our plans for version support are always transparent for users, as well as their plans for changing the platform for us.
For example, at the beginning of this year, we conducted a survey among forum participants on what platform their organization plans to work by the end of 2015. We sent the survey results to the development team to help engineers prioritize new functionality that real people will need in real life. As can be seen from the results (see the picture), most of the forum participants (today it is 45%) plan to introduce vSphere 6 by the end of the year, however, some users still remain on earlier versions, and we will not abandon them either.
Veeam Endpoint Backup FREE Support
Undoubtedly, one of the “breakthroughs” this year is the recent release of the backup tool for physical machines Veeam Endpoint Backup FREE . It will be supported by Update 2 for Veeam Backup & Replication: the created backups will now also be displayed in the Veeam Backup console, and they can be stored in the repository. This is great news for those who have critical applications running on physical machines for one reason or another.
This is what the Veeam Backup & Replication v8 Update 2 console looks like - as you can see, assigning permissions to save physical machine backups to the repository is very simple:
Support also includes:
- exporting contents of a backup physical disk to various virtual disk formats;
- recovery of files and application objects;
- Setting up backup transfer tasks to a remote site and to tape.
Thus, with the installation of Update 2, all Veeam Backup & Replication commercial license holders get an integrated backup solution for virtual and physical machines.
If you have not yet met the new Veeam Endpoint Backup FREE tool, I highly recommend you do it. I think you will not be disappointed, because it is easy to use and completely free.
Veeam ONE v8 Update 2 release
For Veeam ONE, Update 2 was also released. The most interesting and useful new product, according to product manager Vitaly Safarov (@vitsa), is monitoring of all new vSphere 6 functionality, including Virtual Volumes. Monitoring the operation of the new functionality is very important for such critical technologies, since without it it is impossible to provide full support. Veeam ONE gives you just that ability to manage your entire infrastructure, including storage.
From words to action!
In conclusion, I want to share useful links with you:
- Release Notes for Veeam Backup & Replication 8.0 Update 2
- Release Notes for Veeam ONE 8.0 Update 2
- Update 2 - download link for updates for Veeam Backup & Replication and Veeam ONE
- Habr article with a review of Veeam Endpoint Backup FREE
- An article on Habré with a review of VMware Virtual Volumes
- Snapshot: a snapshot for memory (with a review of Virtual Volumes and vSphere 6) - video (in Russian)