NetBackup™ for Hyper-V

Administrator's Guide

Release 10.5
NetBackup™ for Hyper-V Administrator's Guide
Last updated: 2024-09-20

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 Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................... 9

About Hyper-V ............................................................................... 9

NetBackup for Hyper-V environment ................................................ 10
Hyper-V terminology related to backup ............................................. 11
Basic phases in a NetBackup backup of a Hyper-V virtual machine
........................................................................................... 12
NetBackup administrator tasks for Hyper-V ........................................ 14
Quick reference for troubleshooting .................................................. 15

Chapter 2 Notes and prerequisites .................................................. 16

NetBackup for Hyper-V prerequisites ............................................... 16

NetBackup for Hyper-V notes and restrictions .................................... 17
NetBackup character restrictions for Hyper-V virtual machine display
names ................................................................................. 20
NetBackup character restrictions for vhd or vhdx names and the VM
path when the Enable file recovery from VM backup option is used
........................................................................................... 21
Notes on Linux virtual machines ...................................................... 21

Chapter 3 Configure NetBackup communication with

Hyper-V .......................................................................... 23

Changing the NetBackup Legacy Network Service logon (vnetd.exe)

to the domain user account ...................................................... 23
Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V resources ........................... 25

Chapter 4 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V ................ 31

Creating a Hyper-V policy .............................................................. 31
Limit jobs per policy on the Attributes tab (for Hyper-V) ........................ 34
Virtual machine host names and display names should be unique if
VMs are selected manually in the policy ...................................... 34
Backup options on the Hyper-V tab .................................................. 35
Backup method (Hyper-V) ........................................................ 35
Optimization options (Hyper-V) .................................................. 36
Primary VM identifier option (Hyper-V) ........................................ 37
 Contents 5

Enable offline backup of non-VSS VMs (Hyper-V with VSS) ............ 38

Cluster shared volumes timeout (Hyper-V with VSS) ...................... 39
Hyper-V - Advanced attributes ........................................................ 39
Provider type configuration parameter (VSS) ................................ 40
Snapshot attribute configuration parameter (VSS) ......................... 40
Virtual disk selection parameter (WMI) ........................................ 41
Existing snapshot handling parameter (WMI) ............................... 42
Consistency level parameter (WMI) ............................................ 42
About the exclude disk options for virtual disk selection .................. 43
Virtual disk selection options: an example to avoid ....................... 45
Restoring data from the backups that excluded the boot disk or
data disks ....................................................................... 45
Browse for Hyper-V virtual machines ................................................ 45
Prerequisites for alternate client backup of a virtual machine (VSS)
........................................................................................... 46
Configure an alternate client backup of virtual machines ....................... 47
Requirements for a NetBackup client inside the virtual machine ............. 48

Chapter 5 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies ........................ 49

About Hyper-V Intelligent Policy (automatic selection of virtual machines

for backup) ............................................................................ 50
The basics of a NetBackup query rule ............................................... 50
Important notes on Hyper-V Intelligent Policy ..................................... 51
NetBackup requirements for Hyper-V Intelligent Policy ......................... 53
Setting up Hyper-V Intelligent Policy: Task overview ............................ 53
Options for selecting Hyper-V virtual machines ................................... 54
Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection ........... 56
Edit or remove a query in Basic mode ............................................... 58
Using the Query Builder in Advanced mode ....................................... 59
AND vs. OR in queries .................................................................. 60
Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder ....................................... 61
The IsSet operator in queries .......................................................... 63
About selecting virtual machines by means of multiple policies .............. 64
Order of operations in queries (precedence rules) ............................... 65
Parentheses in compound queries ................................................... 66
Query rules for virtual machine Notes that contain a newline character
........................................................................................... 67
Query Builder field reference .......................................................... 67
Test Query screen for Hyper-V ........................................................ 75
Test Query: Failed virtual machines .................................................. 76
Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test
Query results ......................................................................... 76
 Contents 6

Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM Name column in Test

query results ......................................................................... 77
Restoring a VM that was backed up with a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy
and that has a pass-through disk ............................................... 78

Chapter 6 NetBackup Hyper-V for SCVMM .................................. 81

About backup of virtual machines in an SCVMM environment ................ 81

Notes on NetBackup for Hyper-V with SCVMM ................................... 83
Creating a query to back up VMs in a localized SCVMM environment
........................................................................................... 84

Chapter 7 Windows Server failover cluster support .................... 85

About virtual machines on Windows failover clusters ........................... 85
Notes on CSV backup and restore ................................................... 86
Creating a policy for virtual machines in a cluster ................................ 86
Location of the restored virtual machine in a cluster ............................. 88
Virtual machine maintenance after a restore ...................................... 89
Removal of cluster resources during restore ................................ 90

Chapter 8 Back up and restore Hyper-V ........................................ 91

Backing up Hyper-V virtual machines ............................................... 91

WMI backup method: State of the virtual machine before and after
restore ................................................................................. 92
Notes on individual file restore ........................................................ 92
Notes on full virtual machine restore ................................................. 95
About restoring individual files ........................................................ 96
Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a host that has a NetBackup client
........................................................................................... 97
Restore options for restore of Hyper-V individual files (NetBackup web
UI) ....................................................................................... 99
Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a shared location on the virtual
machine ............................................................................. 100
Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to a shared
location on the virtual machine .......................................... 102
Restoring the full Hyper-V virtual machine ........................................ 102
Restore Options ......................................................................... 106
About restoring common files ........................................................ 110
The BAR interface may list Hyper-V snapshot files when you browse
to restore Hyper-V VM files ..................................................... 111
 Contents 7

Chapter 9 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V ......................... 114

About the NetBackup Accelerator for virtual machines ........................ 114

Accelerator: full vs. incremental schedules ....................................... 115
How the NetBackup Accelerator works with virtual machines ............... 115
Accelerator notes and requirements for virtual machines ..................... 116
Accelerator forced rescan for virtual machines (schedule attribute)
.......................................................................................... 118
Accelerator requires the OptimizedImage attribute ............................ 119
Accelerator backups and the NetBackup catalog ............................... 119
Accelerator messages in the backup job details log ........................... 120
NetBackup logs for Accelerator with virtual machines ......................... 120
About reporting the amount of Accelerator backup data that was
transferred over the network ................................................... 121
Replacing the Accelerator image size with the network-transferred
data in NetBackup command output ......................................... 124

Chapter 10 Best practices and more information ......................... 128

Best practices ............................................................................ 128

Chapter 11 Troubleshooting ................................................................ 130

NetBackup logs for Hyper-V and how to create them .......................... 131
Enabling VxFI logging ............................................................ 132
Configuring VxMS and vhd logging ........................................... 133
Format of the VxMS core.log and provider.log file names .............. 135
Errors during policy creation .......................................................... 135
NetBackup policy validation failed ............................................ 136
NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V ..................................... 136
Snapshot error encountered (status code 156) ........................... 139
Backup job hangs for multiple virtual machines ................................. 141
Viewing or resizing Windows NTFS shadow storage ......................... 141
The Hyper-V integration component is not installed ............................ 142
LDM volumes and status code 1 .................................................... 142
Hyper-V snapshots (avhd or avhdx files) and status code 1 ................. 143
When backing up the virtual machines that reside on the same CSV,
Windows warning 1584 can be ignored ..................................... 143
Problems with alternate client backup ............................................. 143
Restored virtual machine fails to start .............................................. 144
Problem with a restart of a restored virtual machine: Why did the
computer shut down unexpectedly? ...................................... 145
Problems with restore of individual files ........................................... 146
Problems with restore of the full virtual machine ................................ 147
 Contents 8

Unable to change virtual disk settings for a VM after restore if the VM

had user checkpoints during a backup that used the WMI method
.......................................................................................... 150
Increasing the WMI create disk time-out value .................................. 150
Linux VMs and persistent device naming ......................................... 151

Appendix A VSS backup method: Hyper-V online and offline

backups ........................................................................ 153

About Hyper-V online and offline backups for VSS ............................. 153
Conditions that determine online vs. offline backup for VSS ................. 154
Additional notes on offline backups with VSS .................................... 155
Hyper-V 2012 R2 virtual machines may be in the Off state when
restored .............................................................................. 155

Appendix B Hyper-V pass-through disks ......................................... 157

About Hyper-V pass-through disks with NetBackup ............................ 157

Configurations for backing up pass-through disks .............................. 158
Requirements for backing up Hyper-V pass-through disks ................... 158
Restrictions for Hyper-V pass-through disks ..................................... 159
Configuring a local snapshot backup of Hyper-V pass-through disks
.......................................................................................... 159
About alternate client backup of pass-through disks ........................... 160
Configuring an alternate client backup of Hyper-V pass-through disks
.......................................................................................... 161
Important note on VSS and disk arrays ........................................... 162

Appendix C NetBackup commands to back up and restore

Hyper-V virtual machines ........................................ 163
Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V policy ..................... 163
Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy
.......................................................................................... 165
Notes on Hyper-V policy attributes when you use the NetBackup
commands .......................................................................... 169
The bpplinfo options for Hyper-V policies ......................................... 170
Examples of nbrestorevm for restoring VMs to Hyper-V ...................... 173
Hyper-V examples of restore to original location .......................... 175
Hyper-V examples of restore to alternate locations ...................... 176
The nbrestorevm -R rename file for Hyper-V .................................... 178
Notes on troubleshooting the nbrestorevm command for Hyper-V ......... 179
Logs for troubleshooting the nbrestorevm command .......................... 180
 Chapter 1
Introduction
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ About Hyper-V

■ NetBackup for Hyper-V environment

■ Hyper-V terminology related to backup

■ Basic phases in a NetBackup backup of a Hyper-V virtual machine

■ NetBackup administrator tasks for Hyper-V

■ Quick reference for troubleshooting

About Hyper-V
NetBackup for Hyper-V provides snapshot-based backup of the virtual machines
that run on Hyper-V servers. For a list of supported Hyper-V servers, see the
NetBackup Software Compatibility List available from the following location:
NetBackup Compatibility List for all Versions
The principal features of NetBackup for Hyper-V are the following:
■ NetBackup for Hyper-V uses snapshot technology to keep virtual machines
100% available to users. NetBackup for Hyper-V creates quiesced Windows
snapshots using Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and Windows
Management Instrumentation (WMI).
■ NetBackup for Hyper-V performs full backups and file-level incremental backups
of the virtual machine. With the WMI backup method, it also performs block-level
incremental backups and Accelerator backups.
■ Can restore the full virtual machine from the following:
■ Full backups of the VM.
 Introduction 10
NetBackup for Hyper-V environment

■ Block-level incremental backups of the VM.

■ Accelerator backups of the VM.

■ Can restore individual files of the virtual machine from the following:
■ Full backups of the VM.
■ File-level incremental backups of the VM.
■ Block-level incremental backups of the VM.
■ Accelerator backups of the VM.

■ Can restore to the original virtual machine, to other locations on the Hyper-V
server, or to a different Hyper-V server.

NetBackup for Hyper-V environment

The following table describes the components that are required for NetBackup to
back up and restore a Hyper-V virtual machine.

Table 1-1 Components required for NetBackup for Hyper-V

Component Description and requirements

NetBackup primary Runs the backup policies and starts backups and restores.
server

NetBackup media server Reads and writes backup data and manages NetBackup storage media. The NetBackup
media server can be installed on the Hyper-V host or on a different host.

For a more efficient backup, install the NetBackup media server on the Hyper-V host.

NetBackup client (and Processes backup and restore requests.

optional alternate client)
The NetBackup client must be installed on the Hyper-V host(s).

If the Server type on the policy Clients tab is System Center Virtual Machine Manager,
a NetBackup client must also be installed on the SCVMM server.
Note: In most cases, the client does not need to be installed on any virtual machine. For
exceptions, refer to the following topics.

See “Requirements for a NetBackup client inside the virtual machine” on page 48.

See “Prerequisites for alternate client backup of a virtual machine (VSS)” on page 46.

See “About restoring individual files ” on page 96.

 Introduction 11
Hyper-V terminology related to backup

Table 1-1 Components required for NetBackup for Hyper-V (continued)

Component Description and requirements

Hyper-V server A Windows hypervisor virtualization system, for creating the virtual machine guests that
run in a Windows Server host computer.

Additional requirements may apply. Refer to your Microsoft Hyper-V documentation.

Hyper-V integration Provides the integration between the Hyper-V server and the virtual machines.
services (integration
Note: The Hyper-V backup integration service must be enabled.
components)

The following figure shows the NetBackup for Hyper-V environment.

Figure 1-1 NetBackup for Hyper-V backup environment

NetBackup
primary server

LAN / WAN

NetBackup media server Windows Hyper-V server with virtual

with external storage machines. Each Hyper-V server
(tape or disk) needs one NetBackup client.

Hyper-V terminology related to backup

The following table describes the Hyper-V terminology that is related to backup.

Table 1-2 Hyper-V terminology related to backup

Term Description

avhd, avhdx file A snapshot file that Windows Hyper-V creates, for point-in-time recovery of the virtual machine.

See “Basic phases in a NetBackup backup of a Hyper-V virtual machine” on page 12.

Common vhd, vhdx Refers to a virtual disk (vhd or vhdx file) that contains the files that multiple virtual machines
files require. Instead of copies of the same file existing at multiple places, the virtual machines
share a single vhd or vhdx file (the parent).

See “About restoring common files” on page 110.

 Introduction 12
Basic phases in a NetBackup backup of a Hyper-V virtual machine

Table 1-2 Hyper-V terminology related to backup (continued)

Term Description

CSV A cluster-shared volume in a failover cluster. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for more
details regarding CSV.

Differencing disk A differencing disk is in a child relationship to the parent disk (see common vhd, vhdx files).
The parent and child virtual disks may be on the same physical drive or on different physical
drives. This mechanism enables common files to be shared across virtual machines.

Windows Server A Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC).

Failover Cluster

HA (high availability) Describes a virtual machine that is configured in a cluster. If the virtual machine's Hyper-V
host goes down, the virtual machine automatically moves to another Hyper-V host in the
cluster. Users perceive little or no downtime on the virtual machine. Refer to your Microsoft
documentation for more details.

Pass-through disk Any disk that the Hyper-V server can access. It can be locally attached to the Hyper-V server,
or on a SAN. The pass-through disk is attached to a virtual machine, but the disk is not in
vhd or vhdx format.

vhd, vhdx file A file in a Windows Hyper-V installation that contains the virtualized contents of a hard disk.
The vhd or vhdx files can contain an entire virtual operating system and its programs. Hyper-V
supports several kinds of these files, such as fixed, dynamic, and differencing.

Refer to your Microsoft Hyper-V documentation for more information.

Virtual machine NetBackup backs up these files as part of a full virtual machine backup.
configuration files:
The bin and the vsv files are visible only when the virtual machine is running.
xml, bin, vsv, vmcx,
The vmcx files and vmrs files are for VM configuration versions later than 5 (Hyper-V 2016).
vmrs

Virtual machine GUID A globally unique identifier of the virtual machine.

In an SCVMM environment, the VM GUID is referred to as the VM ID.

Basic phases in a NetBackup backup of a Hyper-V

virtual machine
The following tables describe the phases of the NetBackup backup process for the
two Hyper-V backup methods: VSS and WMI.
 Introduction 13
Basic phases in a NetBackup backup of a Hyper-V virtual machine

Table 1-3 VSS backup method: Phases of NetBackup for Hyper-V backup

Phase Description

Phase 1 The NetBackup primary server initiates the backup.

Phase 2 The NetBackup client on the Hyper-V host initiates a snapshot.

Phase 3 On Windows 2012 hosts: The VSS Hyper-V writer quiesces the Windows virtual machine (places the
data in a consistent state) and creates the snapshot on the host volume. If the Hyper-V writer cannot
quiesce the virtual machine, the virtual machine is placed in the Saved state before creation of the
snapshot.

On Windows hosts: The Hyper-V writer quiesces the Windows virtual machine and creates a .avhd or
.avhdx snapshot on the host volume.

Phase 4 On Windows 2012 hosts: If the virtual machine was placed in the Saved state, Hyper-V returns the virtual
machine to its original state.

Phase 5 The NetBackup client on the Hyper-V host reads the data from the snapshot of the virtual machine and
transfers the data to the media server. The media server writes the data to the NetBackup storage unit.

Phase 6 The NetBackup client on the Hyper-V host deletes the host volume snapshot.

Table 1-4 WMI backup method: Phases of NetBackup for Hyper-V backup

Phase Description

Phase 1 The NetBackup primary server initiates the backup.

Phase 2 The NetBackup client on the Hyper-V host initiates a virtual machine snapshot (checkpoint).

Phase 3 On Windows 2016 or later hosts, the NetBackup client on the Hyper-V host creates a virtual machine
snapshot (checkpoint).

■ If the Hyper-V policy Consistency level option is set to Application consistent or Application
consistent then crash consistent: The VSS integration services component inside the guest OS
attempts to quiesce the virtual machine.
■ If the Hyper-V policy Consistency level option is set to Crash consistent: The virtual machine is not
quiesced.

If the backup uses block-level incremental backup (BLIB), the snapshot is converted to a reference point.
Resilient change tracking (RCT) is used to perform faster backup of the virtual machines by moving only
the blocks that have changed between backups.

As a result of the virtual machine snapshot (checkpoint), the .avhd or .avhdx files are created for the
virtual machine. All subsequent writes from the virtual machine go to these files.
Note: The Consistency level option is set on the policy's Hyper-V tab, under Advanced.
 Introduction 14
NetBackup administrator tasks for Hyper-V

Table 1-4 WMI backup method: Phases of NetBackup for Hyper-V backup
(continued)

Phase Description

Phase 4 The NetBackup client reads the data directly from the virtual machine files on the Hyper-V host and
transfers the data to the media server. The media server writes the data to the storage unit.

Phase 5 The NetBackup client on the Hyper-V host deletes the virtual machine snapshot (checkpoint). As a result,
the.avhd or .avhdx files that were created during the backup are merged back into the original virtual
machine disks.

NetBackup administrator tasks for Hyper-V

The following are the tasks for the NetBackup administrator:
■ Install the NetBackup primary server and media server.
For information on licensing, contact your sales or partner representative.
See the NetBackup Installation Guide.
■ Install a NetBackup client on each Hyper-V server. Only one NetBackup client
is required on each Hyper-V server. As an option for restore, a client may be
installed on a virtual machine.
See “About restoring individual files ” on page 96.
■ To back up VMs under the Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager
(SCVMM), install a NetBackup client on the SCVMM server.
See “About backup of virtual machines in an SCVMM environment” on page 81.
■ Add the name of the NetBackup primary server to the client's server list. In the
NetBackup Backup, Archive, and Restore interface, click File > Specify
NetBackup Machines and Policy Type. Add the primary server to the Server
to use for backups and restores list.
■ Read the notes on NetBackup for Hyper-V.
See “NetBackup for Hyper-V notes and restrictions ” on page 17.
See “Notes on full virtual machine restore” on page 95.
See “Notes on individual file restore” on page 92.
■ Read the best practices.
See “Best practices” on page 128.
■ Create a NetBackup policy for Hyper-V.
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy” on page 31.
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection”
on page 56.
 Introduction 15
Quick reference for troubleshooting

■ Run a Hyper-V backup.

See “Backing up Hyper-V virtual machines” on page 91.
■ Perform a restore.
See “About restoring individual files ” on page 96.
See “Restoring the full Hyper-V virtual machine” on page 102.
■ To troubleshoot your configuration:
See the Troubleshooting chapter.

Quick reference for troubleshooting

Consult the following topics for troubleshooting tips and pointers:
■ See “NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V” on page 136.
■ See “NetBackup logs for Hyper-V and how to create them” on page 131.
 Chapter 2
Notes and prerequisites
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ NetBackup for Hyper-V prerequisites

■ NetBackup for Hyper-V notes and restrictions

■ NetBackup character restrictions for Hyper-V virtual machine display names

■ NetBackup character restrictions for vhd or vhdx names and the VM path when
the Enable file recovery from VM backup option is used

■ Notes on Linux virtual machines

NetBackup for Hyper-V prerequisites

The following prerequisites apply to NetBackup for Hyper-V:
■ For a list of supported Hyper-V servers, see the appropriate version of the
NetBackup Software Compatibility List available from the following location:
NetBackup Compatibility List for all Versions
■ Before starting a backup of a virtual machine, verify that the NetBackup primary
server and media server can communicate with the Hyper-V server. Add the
name of the NetBackup primary server to the server list on the NetBackup client
and (optional) alternate client.
■ On a virtual machine, Windows shadow storage for a volume (such as C:) does
not have to be configured on the same volume. For instance, shadow storage
for the C:\ volume can be configured on D:\.
Windows shadow storage is required whenever the Windows Volume Shadow
Copy Service (VSS) creates point-in-time snapshots.
 Notes and prerequisites 17
NetBackup for Hyper-V notes and restrictions

NetBackup for Hyper-V notes and restrictions

The following notes and restrictions apply to NetBackup for Hyper-V:
■ For VSS with disk arrays:
To use a hardware array snapshot, make sure that the hardware array's VSS
provider supports the snapshots that involve the Hyper-V writer. Consult the
release notes of the array vendor or VSS provider.
■ NetBackup for Hyper-V does not support the NetBackup Instant Recovery
feature.
■ The following is due to a Microsoft limitation: NetBackup for Hyper-V does not
support VSS or WMI backup or restore of the vhdx files that are shared among
multiple VMs.
■ To perform Hyper-V backups with the SAN Client feature, install SAN Client on
the Hyper-V server. Do not install SAN Client on the virtual machines. For more
information on SAN Client with Hyper-V, see the NetBackup SAN Client and
Fibre Transport Guide.

Note: The SAN Client feature for Hyper-V is only supported for the VSS backup
method (not for WMI).

■ The following is due to a Microsoft limitation: If the VM's virtual disk files reside
in a volume or folder that is compressed, NetBackup cannot use the WMI backup
method to create a snapshot of the VM. The snapshot job fails with status 156,
“snapshot error encountered.”
As a workaround, remove compression from the volume or folder where the
virtual disk resides and rerun the backup.
■ NetBackup for Hyper-V supports Windows NTFS file encryption and compression,
for backup and restore. However, it does not support NetBackup’s compression
or encryption options (in the NetBackup policy attributes).
For UNIX or Linux guest operating systems: NetBackup for Hyper-V does not
support any type of compression or encryption, whether they are set in
NetBackup or in the guest OS.

Note: The compressed Windows NTFS files are backed up and restored as
compressed files.

■ If a policy is changed from manual selection to Intelligent policy (or vice versa),
note: The next backup of the VM is a regular full backup, even if a backup already
exists for that VM.
 Notes and prerequisites 18
NetBackup for Hyper-V notes and restrictions

For example:
■ In a new Hyper-V policy, the Select manually option on the Clients tab is
used to select a VM. The first backup from the policy runs.
■ If the primary VM identifier is a host name, ensure that you configure Microsoft
failover cluster with FQDN of VM getting protected.
■ In the policy, an Intelligent Policy query is used to select the same VM, and
the VM is backed up a second time. Because of the switch from manual
selection to query-based selection, this second backup is a regular full
backup. Note that for a policy that uses Enable block-level incremental
backup (BLIB) or BLIB plus Accelerator, the backup processing is not limited
to changed blocks only.
For the second backup, the Detailed status log includes a message similar
to the following:

Sep 29, 2016 11:16:53 AM - Info bpbrm (pid=13680) There is no

complete backup image match with track journal, a regular full
backup will be performed.

The same backup behavior occurs if the policy’s VM selection is switched

from query-based to manual selection: The second backup is a regular full
backup.

■ For the WMI backup method with the Enable block-level incremental backup
option (with or without Accelerator): If the VM has multiple virtual disks that have
the same disk UUID, NetBackup performs a full backup of those disks. It does
not perform an incremental backup of them. The disks that have unique IDs
undergo an incremental backup, as expected. In the Activity Monitor, the job
details include messages such as the following:

The virtual machine (Name: testVM, GUID: 98321741-A936-4128-8AB0-07099B23E25C) uses

multiple disks with the same disk Id.
Disk Id: 7198C033-AB5D-4585-905D-0DA68D26F9C5 Disk path: E:\VMs\testVM\testVM1.vhdx
Disk Id: 7198C033-AB5D-4585-905D-0DA68D26F9C5 Disk path: E:\VMs\testVM\testVM2.vhdx
You may lose optimization during the backups for the above listed disks.

To perform incremental backup of these virtual disks, assign a unique ID to each

disk. For example, you can use the Set-VHD PowerShell cmdlet to reset the
disk ID for testVM1 as follows:
Set-VHD -Path E:\VMs\testVM\testVM1.vhdx –ResetDiskIdentifier
In the case of the differencing disks, you must run additional commands to
re-create the disk chain. For more details on the Set-VHD cmdlet, see the
following Microsoft TechNet article:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh848561.aspx
 Notes and prerequisites 19
NetBackup for Hyper-V notes and restrictions

■ Additional notes are available on Accelerator:

See “Accelerator notes and requirements for virtual machines” on page 116.
■ The following is due to a Microsoft limitation: NetBackup for Hyper-V does not
support backup of encrypted vhd or vhdx files.
■ The following is due to a Microsoft limitation; this note applies to the VSS backup
method only. For the virtual machines that have a FAT or FAT32 file system,
NetBackup supports only Hyper-V offline backup.
See “About Hyper-V online and offline backups for VSS” on page 153.
■ The WMI backup method (for Hyper-V Server 2016 and later) does not employ
online vs offline backups.
See “WMI backup method: State of the virtual machine before and after restore”
on page 92.
■ For the VSS backup method: If a virtual machine is in the Paused state when
the backup starts, the virtual machine is placed in the Saved state after the
backup completes.
■ The WMI backup method supports the option Consistency level (on the policy's
Hyper-V tab under Advanced). The available settings are Application
consistent then crash sonsistent, Application consistent, and Crash
consistent.
For the WMI backup method, note the following:
■ If a virtual machine is in the Paused state during backup and Consistency
level is set to Application consistent, the backup fails during snapshot
creation. If Consistency level is set to Application consistent then crash
consistent or Crash consistent, the backup succeeds. The virtual machine
is in the Off state after the restore.
■ If a virtual machine is in the Saved state during backup and Consistency
level is set to Application consistent, the backup fails during snapshot
creation. If Consistency level is set to Application consistent then crash
consistent or Crash consistent, the backup succeeds. The virtual machine
is in the Saved state after the restore.
See “Consistency level parameter (WMI)” on page 42.
■ NetBackup for Hyper-V has certain character restrictions for virtual machine
display names.
See “NetBackup character restrictions for Hyper-V virtual machine display
names” on page 20.
■ NetBackup for Hyper-V does not support restores with the Fibre Transport data
transfer method.
■ More information is available on the restore of Hyper-V virtual machines.
 Notes and prerequisites 20
NetBackup character restrictions for Hyper-V virtual machine display names

See “Notes on individual file restore” on page 92.

See “Notes on full virtual machine restore” on page 95.
■ More information about NetBackup for Hyper-V support is available in the
following documents:
■ The NetBackup Software Compatibility List:
NetBackup Compatibility List for all Versions
■ Support for NetBackup in virtual environments:
http://www.veritas.com/docs/000006177

NetBackup character restrictions for Hyper-V

virtual machine display names
When Hyper-V virtual machines are included in a NetBackup policy, certain
characters are not allowed in the virtual machine display name.
If the name contains the wrong characters, the backup may fail.
For NetBackup, the following characters are allowed in virtual machine display
names:
■ Uppercase and lowercase ASCII letters (A-Z a-z)
■ Numbers (0-9)
■ Underscore (_)
■ Plus sign (+)
■ Left and right parentheses ()
■ Spaces
■ Hyphen (-) Note however that a display name cannot begin with a hyphen.
■ Period (.) Note the following limitation:
A display name cannot end with a period. For example, a display name of vm1.
is not allowed.

Note: No other characters are allowed.

For the policies that select virtual machines automatically: A space in a display
name is converted to "%20" in the test query results if the virtual machine is listed
as included.
Additional character restrictions for VM names can be found in the NetBackup Cloud
Administrator's Guide, available from this location:
 Notes and prerequisites 21
NetBackup character restrictions for vhd or vhdx names and the VM path when the Enable file recovery from
VM backup option is used

http://www.veritas.com/docs/000003214

NetBackup character restrictions for vhd or vhdx

names and the VM path when the Enable file
recovery from VM backup option is used
For Hyper-V policies that include the Enable file recovery from VM backup option,
non-ASCII characters are not supported in the vhd name or vhdx name or anywhere
in the VM's path. Examples of non-ASCII characters are Japanese or Chinese
characters (multi-byte). If the virtual disk name or VM path contains non-ASCII
characters, the backup job completes but the VM's files cannot be individually
restored from the backup.
As an alternative, you can restore the entire VM.

Notes on Linux virtual machines

The following notes apply to virtual machines with Linux guest operating systems:
■ To quiesce the file system on a Linux VM (with either the VSS or WMI snapshot
method), the proper integration services must be installed in the VM. For a list
of the available integration services, see Support for NetBackup 7.7.x and 8.x
in virtual environments.
■ Unmounted LVM2 volumes must start with /dev
If the path of an unmounted LVM2 volume does not start with /dev, the backup
of the virtual machine fails. Note: The path of the volume is set with the dir
parameter on the LVM volume configuration file. An example of this configuration
file is /etc/lvm/lvm.conf.
■ For Linux files or directories, NetBackup for Hyper-V has the same path name
restriction as NetBackup on a Linux physical host. Files or directories with path
names longer than 1023 characters cannot be individually backed up or restored.
Such files can be restored when you restore the entire virtual machine from a
full virtual machine backup.
For more information on the files that NetBackup does not back up, refer to the
topic on excluding files from backups in the NetBackup Administrator's Guide
for UNIX and Linux, Vol I.
■ The NetBackup policy’s Enable file recovery from VM backup option is not
supported for the disks inside a Linux guest OS that are configured as follows:
■ The disks are divided into logical volumes by means of the Linux Logical
Volume Manager (LVM), and
 Notes and prerequisites 22
Notes on Linux virtual machines

■ The LVM volumes were created with thin-provisioning.

■ More information is available on the restore of Hyper-V virtual machines.

See “Notes on individual file restore” on page 92.
See “Notes on full virtual machine restore” on page 95.
 Chapter 3
Configure NetBackup
communication with
Hyper-V
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ Changing the NetBackup Legacy Network Service logon (vnetd.exe) to the

domain user account

■ Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V resources

Changing the NetBackup Legacy Network Service

logon (vnetd.exe) to the domain user account
You can configure a NetBackup Hyper-V Intelligent Policy to search for VMs in all
the nodes of a Hyper-V failover cluster.
Important! To allow the policy to discover all cluster nodes, you must set the
NetBackup Legacy Network Service (vnetd.exe) logon to the domain user account.
The logon must not be left at its default (the local system account). If the logon is
not changed, the policy does not search the VMs on other nodes of the cluster.

Note: Because VMs can automatically migrate from one cluster node to another,
it is important to allow the policy to search the entire cluster. The node where the
VM currently resides may have changed since the VM was last backed up.

To verify the privileges that are needed to discover the failover cluster
◆ Run the Failover Cluster Manager as the Failover Cluster Manager user.
 Configure NetBackup communication with Hyper-V 24
Changing the NetBackup Legacy Network Service logon (vnetd.exe) to the domain user account

■ On the Failover Cluster Manager host, click Start, click Administrative

Tools, and then right-click Failover Cluster Manager.
■ Click Run as different user, and provide the user name and password for
the Failover Cluster Manager.

To change the NetBackup Legacy Network Service (vnetd.exe) logon to the

domain user account
1 Make sure that your logon account is in the domain's Administrator group or
in the Administrator group on the Hyper-V nodes. This procedure requires
Administrator privileges.
2 On a Hyper-V server node that you want the policy to search, open Services
(run services.msc).
3 Double-click the NetBackup Legacy Network Service. This service is
vnetd.exe.

4 Click the Log On tab, and click This account.

5 Enter the user name and password for the domain user account.
For This account, enter the user name in the form domain\username.
6 Click OK.
 Configure NetBackup communication with Hyper-V 25
Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V resources

7 Restart the NetBackup Legacy Network Service.

8 Repeat these steps for each cluster node that you want the policy to search.

Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V

resources
You can control the number of simultaneous backups that can be performed on a
Hyper-V resource type in the Resource limits host property on the primary server.
The settings apply to all NetBackup policies for the primary server.
For example, to avoid overloading the Hyper-V server, you can place a limit on the
number of concurrent snapshots per server.

Note: The resource limits only apply to policies that use automatic selection of
virtual machines (Query Builder). If virtual machines are selected manually, the
Resource limit settings have no effect.

Note: To limit the number of simultaneous jobs per policy, use the Limit jobs per
policy setting on the policy Attributes tab. The effect of this option depends on
how the policy selects virtual machines.

See “Limit jobs per policy on the Attributes tab (for Hyper-V)” on page 34.
To set limits on the use of Hyper-V resources
1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 Click Hosts > Host properties. Select the primary server. If necessary click
Connect. Then click Edit primary server.
3 Expand Resource limits. Then click Hyper-V.
4 Click in the Resource limit column to change the limit for a resource. The
settings apply to all policies for the primary server.
For each resource type, the default is 0, No limit.
Table 3-1 describes the limits.
 Configure NetBackup communication with Hyper-V 26
Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V resources

Table 3-1 Hyper-V resource types and limits

Resource Backup Resource limit

type method

Active VSS Controls the maximum number of active backup jobs per Hyper-V server. Applies to a
Snapshots Per standalone Hyper-V server as well as to every Hyper-V server in a cluster.
Server
The typical setting for this resource type is 2.

See the following examples.

Example 1:

■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 32 VMs on one Hyper-V server.

■ Active Snapshots Per Server: 12.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 32 snapshot jobs. 12 snapshot jobs and their
backup jobs are active. 20 snapshot jobs are queued. As active backup jobs are
completed, queued snapshot jobs become active.
Example 2:

■ A cluster has two nodes (Node1 and Node2), each node with 32 VMs.
■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 64 VMs in the cluster.
■ Active Snapshots Per Server: 12.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 64 snapshot jobs. 12 snapshot jobs for VMs on
Node1 are active and another 12 snapshot jobs for VMs on Node2 are active. 40 snapshot
jobs are queued. As active backup jobs are completed, queued snapshot jobs become
active.
 Configure NetBackup communication with Hyper-V 27
Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V resources

Table 3-1 Hyper-V resource types and limits (continued)

Resource Backup Resource limit

type method

Active VSS Controls the maximum number of active backup jobs per Hyper-V cluster.
Snapshots Per
The typical setting for this resource type is 4.
Cluster
Example 1:

■ A cluster has two nodes (Node1 and Node2), each node with 32 VMs.
■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 60 VMs in the cluster.
■ Active Snapshots Per Cluster: 20.
■ Active Snapshots Per Server: No Limit.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 60 snapshot jobs. For the VMs in the cluster, 20
snapshot jobs are active. 40 snapshot jobs are queued. As active backup jobs are
completed, queued jobs become active.
Example 2:

■ A cluster has two nodes (Node1 and Node2), each node with 32 VMs.
■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 60 VMs in the cluster.
■ Active Snapshots Per Cluster: 20.
■ Active Snapshots Per Server: 5.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 60 snapshot jobs. 10 snapshot jobs for the VMs
in Node1 and Node2 are active. 50 snapshot jobs are queued. Even though the Active
Snapshots Per Cluster setting is higher, the Active Snapshots Per Server setting
controls the number of active jobs.
 Configure NetBackup communication with Hyper-V 28
Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V resources

Table 3-1 Hyper-V resource types and limits (continued)

Resource Backup Resource limit

type method

Snapshot VSS Controls the maximum number of simultaneous VSS operations such as create snapshot
Operations Per and delete snapshot on a Hyper-V server or a Hyper-V server in a cluster. Applies only
Server during the snapshot creation and snapshot deletion phase of a backup. Does not control
the number of simultaneous backup jobs.

The typical setting for this resource type is 1.

Each VM backup consists of a snapshot job and a subsequent backup job. Note:
Snapshot Operations Per Server controls VSS snapshot creation and deletion, which
are part of the snapshot job. When snapshot creation is completed, the backup job starts.
When the backup job is active, the snapshot job is still shown as active even though the
snapshot creation is completed. Therefore, this resource does not control the number of
active backup jobs. See the following examples.
Example 1:

■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 32 VMs on one Hyper-V server.

■ Snapshot Operations Per Server: 2.
■ Active Snapshots Per Server: No Limit.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 32 snapshot jobs. 2 snapshot jobs are active and
30 snapshot jobs are queued. When the first snapshot job completes the snapshot
creation, its backup job starts and the third snapshot job becomes active. When the
second snapshot job completes snapshot creation, its backup job starts and the fourth
snapshot job becomes active. When all the snapshots are created, there are 32 active
backup jobs.
Example 2:

■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 32 VMs on one Hyper-V server.

■ Snapshot Operations Per Server: 2.
■ Active Snapshots Per Server: 10.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 32 snapshot jobs. 2 snapshot jobs are active and
30 snapshot jobs are queued. When the first snapshot job completes snapshot creation,
its backup job starts and the third snapshot job becomes active. When the second
snapshot job completes snapshot creation, its backup job starts and the fourth snapshot
job becomes active. This process continues until there are 10 active snapshot jobs and
their backup jobs. When the first backup job completes, the eleventh snapshot job
becomes active, and so forth.
 Configure NetBackup communication with Hyper-V 29
Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V resources

Table 3-1 Hyper-V resource types and limits (continued)

Resource Backup Resource limit

type method

Snapshot VSS Controls the maximum number of simultaneous VSS operations such as create snapshot
Operations Per and delete snapshot within a cluster. Applies only during the snapshot creation and
Cluster snapshot deletion phase of a backup. Does not control the number of simultaneous
backup jobs.
For example:

■ A cluster has two nodes (Node1 and Node2), each node with 32 VMs.
■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 60 VMs in the cluster.
■ Snapshot Operations Per Cluster: 5.
■ Active Snapshots Per Cluster: 12.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 60 snapshot jobs. 5 snapshot jobs are active and
55 snapshot jobs are queued. When the first snapshot job completes snapshot creation,
the corresponding backup job starts and the sixth snapshot job becomes active. When
the second snapshot job completes snapshot creation, its backup job starts and the
seventh snapshot job becomes active, and so forth. When 12 backup jobs are active,
the thirteenth and following backup jobs are queued because Active Snapshots Per
Cluster is set to 12.

Active Backups WMI Controls the maximum number of active backup jobs per Hyper-V server. Applies to a
Per Hyper-V standalone Hyper-V server as well as to every Hyper-V server in a cluster.
Server
The typical setting for this resource type is 2.
Example 1:

■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 32 VMs on one Hyper-V server.

■ Active Backups Per Hyper-V Server: 12.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 32 snapshot jobs. 12 snapshot jobs and their
backup jobs are active. 20 snapshot jobs are queued. As active backup jobs are
completed, queued snapshot jobs become active.
Example 2:

■ A cluster has two nodes (Node1 and Node2), each node with 32 VMs.
■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 40 VMs in the cluster (10 on Node1 and 30 on
Node2).
■ Active Backups Per Hyper-V Server: 12.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 40 snapshot jobs. 10 snapshot jobs for VMs on
Node1 are active and 12 snapshot jobs for VMs on Node2 are active. 18 snapshot jobs
are queued for the VMs on Node2.
 Configure NetBackup communication with Hyper-V 30
Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V resources

Table 3-1 Hyper-V resource types and limits (continued)

Resource Backup Resource limit

type method

Active Backups WMI Controls the maximum number of active backup jobs per Hyper-V cluster.
Per Hyper-V
The typical setting for this resource type is 6.
Cluster
Example 1:

■ A cluster has two nodes (Node1 and Node2), each node with 32 VMs.
■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 60 VMs in the cluster.
■ Active Backups Per Hyper-V Cluster: 20.
■ Active Backups Per Hyper-V Server: No Limit.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 60 snapshot jobs. 20 snapshot jobs for VMs on
the cluster are active. 40 snapshot jobs are queued. As active backup jobs are completed,
queued snapshot jobs become active.
Example 2:

■ A cluster has two nodes (Node1 and Node2), each node with 32 VMs.
■ A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy discovers 60 VMs in the cluster.
■ Active Backups Per Hyper-V Cluster: 20.
■ Active Backups Per Hyper-V Server: 5.

The NetBackup Activity Monitor shows 60 snapshot jobs. 10 snapshot jobs for VMs on
Node1 and Node2 are active. 50 snapshot jobs are queued. Even though the Active
Backups Per Hyper-V Cluster setting is higher, the Active Backups Per Hyper-V
Server setting controls the number of active jobs.
 Chapter 4
Configure NetBackup
policies for Hyper-V
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ Creating a Hyper-V policy

■ Limit jobs per policy on the Attributes tab (for Hyper-V)

■ Virtual machine host names and display names should be unique if VMs are
selected manually in the policy

■ Backup options on the Hyper-V tab

■ Hyper-V - Advanced attributes

■ Browse for Hyper-V virtual machines

■ Prerequisites for alternate client backup of a virtual machine (VSS)

■ Configure an alternate client backup of virtual machines

■ Requirements for a NetBackup client inside the virtual machine

Creating a Hyper-V policy

Before you configure a policy, make sure that the Hyper-V server is online.
NetBackup must be able to communicate with the Hyper-V server.
Use the following procedure to create a policy to back up the Hyper-V virtual
machines that you select manually.
To create a policy that selects virtual machines automatically, see the following
topic.
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection” on page 56.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 32
Creating a Hyper-V policy

To create a Hyper-V policy through manual selection of virtual machines

1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 On the left, click Protection > Policies.
3 Click Add.
4 Select Hyper-V as the policy type.
5 Select a policy storage unit or storage unit group (or Any available).
6 In most cases, you can leave the Client-side deduplication option at the
default (Use individual client settings configured in host properties).
This option is described in the NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume I.
7 On the Schedules, define one of the following schedules:
■ Full backup
■ Differential incremental backup
■ Cumulative incremental backup

Note: For the VSS backup method on the Hyper-V tab, incremental backups
require that you select the Enable file recovery from VM backup option.

8 Click the Clients tab.

9 Select the Server type. This option designates the type of environment in
which NetBackup searches for the VMs to back up.

Hyper-V standalone/cluster A standalone Hyper-V server or cluster.

System Center Virtual Machine Manager An SCVMM server that manages Hyper-V
servers or clusters.

This procedure assumes the use of the Hyper-V standalone/cluster option.

For assistance with the System Center Virtual Machine Manager option, see
the following topics.
See “About backup of virtual machines in an SCVMM environment” on page 81.
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection”
on page 56.
10 For Server name, enter the name of the Hyper-V server or cluster. This host
must contain a NetBackup client to perform backups of the virtual machines.
Important: IPv6 addresses are not supported for Server name. Use fully
qualified domain names (FQDN) or host names instead.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 33
Creating a Hyper-V policy

11 Select the Virtual machines for backup.

Select manually To manually select the virtual machines to back up:

■ Click Add.
■ Under Enter the VM display name, type the name of the
virtual machine to back up. Then click Add.
Or, click Browse virtual machines, and click the
appropriate checkboxes to select the virtual machines to
back up. Then click Select.

If NetBackup cannot obtain the IP address of the virtual

machine, the IP address is displayed as NONE.

More information is available on these fields:

See “Browse for Hyper-V virtual machines” on page 45.

System automatically This option sets up the rules that select virtual machines
through Hyper-V automatically. This option is required for VMs that an SCVMM
intelligent policy query server manages.

See “About Hyper-V Intelligent Policy (automatic selection

of virtual machines for backup)” on page 50.

Automatic selection of virtual machines is explained in

different topics:

See “Options for selecting Hyper-V virtual machines”

on page 54.

See “Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine

selection” on page 56.

See “About backup of virtual machines in an SCVMM

environment” on page 81.

12 Select the Hyper-V tab.

For further information on the options on this tab, see the following topics. The
available options depend on the backup method that is selected.
See “Backup method (Hyper-V)” on page 35.
See “Backup options on the Hyper-V tab” on page 35.
See “Hyper-V - Advanced attributes” on page 39.
13 Click Create to save the policy.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 34
Limit jobs per policy on the Attributes tab (for Hyper-V)

Limit jobs per policy on the Attributes tab (for

Hyper-V)
The Limit jobs per policy option operates as follows, depending on how the policy
selects virtual machines.

For the policies that select virtual machines automatically

(Query Builder)
The Limit jobs per policy option controls the number of parent (discovery) jobs
that run simultaneously for the policy. This option does not limit the number of
snapshot jobs and backup (bpbkar) jobs that the parent job launches. For example,
if this option is set to 1 and you begin a backup of a policy that discovers 100 virtual
machines: all the snapshot jobs and backup jobs for each of the 100 virtual machines
are allowed to execute simultaneously. Only the initial discovery job counts against
Limit jobs per policy. If you begin a second backup of the policy, its discovery job
cannot start until all the child jobs from the first backup are complete.

For the policies that use manual selection of virtual

machines
Limit jobs per policy controls the number of virtual machines that the policy can
back up simultaneously. Because no discovery job is needed, each virtual machine
backup begins with a snapshot job. Each snapshot counts against the Limit jobs
per policy setting. If this option is set to 1: the backup of the next virtual machine
that is specified in the policy cannot begin until the first snapshot job and its backup
are complete.
See “Setting global limits on the use of Hyper-V resources” on page 25.

Virtual machine host names and display names

should be unique if VMs are selected manually in
the policy
Hyper-V servers do not require unique names for virtual machines. In a given
Hyper-V server, two or more virtual machines can have the same host name or
display name.
Identically named virtual machines can present a problem for any policies that are
configured as follows:
■ The primary server's policies use the Select manually option on the Clients
tab to select the VMs for backup.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 35
Backup options on the Hyper-V tab

■ The Primary VM identifier option on the Hyper-V tab identifies VMs by their
host names or display names.
These policies may back up a different but identically named VM, instead of the
VM that you selected. In that case, the VM that you selected is not backed up. For
these policies to work, the virtual machines' display names or host names must be
unique.
Consider the following options:
■ For manual policies that identify VMs by display name or host name, change
the VM names so that each VM has a unique host name or display name.
■ As an alternative, configure the policies' Primary VM identifier option to identify
the VMs by their VM GUIDs instead of by host name or display name.
See “Primary VM identifier option (Hyper-V)” on page 37.
■ Instead of policies with manual-selection, use a Hyper-V Intelligent policy to
select the VMs through a query. Even if the Primary VM identifier option is set
to host name or display name, NetBackup identifies each VM by its GUID.

Backup options on the Hyper-V tab

The Hyper-V tab displays when you select Hyper-V as the policy type.
The following topics describe the Hyper-V backup options.
See “Backup method (Hyper-V)” on page 35.
See “Optimization options (Hyper-V)” on page 36.
See “Primary VM identifier option (Hyper-V)” on page 37.
See “Enable offline backup of non-VSS VMs (Hyper-V with VSS)” on page 38.
See “Cluster shared volumes timeout (Hyper-V with VSS)” on page 39.
See “Hyper-V - Advanced attributes” on page 39.

Backup method (Hyper-V)

Table 4-1 Backup methods for Hyper-V policies

Backup method

Volume Shadow Copy Select this method for older Hyper-V hosts that run Windows
Service (VSS) Server versions earlier than Windows 2016. This method does
not support block-level incremental backups or Accelerator.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 36
Backup options on the Hyper-V tab

Table 4-1 Backup methods for Hyper-V policies (continued)

Backup method

Windows Management This method is recommended for Hyper-V hosts that run Windows
Instrumentation (WMI) 2016 or later. It enables the faster Hyper-V backup features and
is required for block-level incremental backups or Accelerator. The
virtual machines must be at a VM configuration version later than
5.

Optimization options (Hyper-V)

Table 4-2 Optimizations for Hyper-V

Option Backup Description

method

Enable file VSS, WMI This option allows the restore of individual guest OS files from the backup, such as
recovery from VM text files and other documents. This option supports full and incremental schedules.
backup
Note: With or without this option, you can restore the entire virtual machine.

See “NetBackup character restrictions for vhd or vhdx names and the VM path when
the Enable file recovery from VM backup option is used” on page 21.

Enable WMI For block-level backups of the virtual machine. Uses Microsoft's resilient change
block-level tracking (RCT) to perform faster backup of virtual machines.
incremental
This option also reduces the size of the backup image.
backup
Note: When you select this option, Perform block-level incremental backups (on
the Attributes tab) is automatically selected by default and grayed out.

Use Accelerator

NetBackup Accelerator uses Microsoft's resilient change tracking (RCT) to perform

faster backups (full and incremental backups).

Exclude deleted WMI Reduces the size of the backup image by excluding any unused or deleted blocks
blocks within the file system on the virtual machine. This option uses proprietary mapping
technology to identify vacant sectors (allocated but empty) within the file system.

This option supports the following file systems: Windows NTFS, and Linux ext2, ext3,
and ext4. It also supports the Windows Logical Disk Manager (LDM) and the Linux
Logical Volume Manager (LVM2).
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 37
Backup options on the Hyper-V tab

Table 4-2 Optimizations for Hyper-V (continued)

Option Backup Description

method

Exclude swap WMI Reduces the size of the backup image by excluding the data in the guest OS system
and paging files paging file (Windows) or the swap file (Linux).
Note: This option does not exclude the swapping and paging files from the backup:
it only excludes the data in those files. If the files are restored, they are restored as
empty files.

Note: For a Linux virtual machine, this option disables the swap file when you restore
the virtual machine. You must reconfigure the swap file after the virtual machine is
restored. To allow the virtual machine to be restored with its swap file enabled, do
not select Exclude swap and paging files.

Primary VM identifier option (Hyper-V)

This setting specifies the type of name by which NetBackup recognizes virtual
machines when it selects them for backup.

Table 4-3 Primary VM identifier options

Option Description

VM hostname Specifies the network host name for the virtual machine.
Note: For VMs in a Hyper-V server or cluster, the host name is available only when the virtual
machine is running. If you select VM hostname but the virtual machine is not running at the time
of the backup, the backup may fail.

Note: On the policy Clients tab, if the Server type is System Center Virtual Machine Manager,
NetBackup can back up VMs by their host name even if they are powered off.

VM display name Specifies the name of the virtual machine as it appears in the Hyper-V Manager console.
Note: NetBackup for Hyper-V does not currently support the virtual machine display names that
contain non-US-ASCII characters. If the display name contains such characters, select VM
hostname or VM GUID.

Note: When virtual machines are included in a NetBackup policy, restrictions apply to the
characters that are allowed in the virtual machine display name.

See “NetBackup character restrictions for Hyper-V virtual machine display names” on page 20.

VM GUID Specifies the unique ID assigned to the virtual machine when the virtual machine was created.

In an SCVMM environment, the VM GUID is referred to as the VM ID.

 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 38
Backup options on the Hyper-V tab

Note: If you create a policy and then change the Primary VM identifier, you may
have to delete the virtual machine selections on the Clients tab. Otherwise,
NetBackup may no longer be able to identify the virtual machines to back up.
For example: if you change the Primary VM identifier from VM hostname to VM
display name, and the display names of the virtual machines are different from
the host names, note: The host names in the Clients tab cannot be used and the
virtual machines are not backed up. You must delete the host name entries on the
Clients tab and browse the network to select the virtual machines by their display
names.

Note: When creating virtual machines, consider using the same name for both the
host name and the display name. If the Primary VM identifier is changed, the
existing entries on the Clients tab still work.

Enable offline backup of non-VSS VMs (Hyper-V with VSS)

For the VSS backup method, this option determines whether or not NetBackup is
allowed to perform an offline backup of a virtual machine. This option is intended
for the guest operating systems that do not support VSS (such as Linux).

Note: Online vs. offline backup are Microsoft backup types and are not configured
in NetBackup.

If this option is enabled, NetBackup can perform an offline backup of a virtual

machine.
In certain situations, if the virtual machine cannot be quiesced for an online backup,
the virtual machine must be placed in the Saved state. The backup is thus performed
offline. User access to the virtual machine may be interrupted during the backup.
After the backup is completed, the virtual machine is returned to its original state.
If this option is disabled, NetBackup is not allowed to perform an offline backup of
a virtual machine. Only an online backup can be done (user access to the virtual
machine is not interrupted). If an online backup cannot be done, the backup job
fails with status 156.
More information is available about online and offline backups.
See “Snapshot error encountered (status code 156)” on page 139.
See “About Hyper-V online and offline backups for VSS” on page 153.
See “Creating a policy for virtual machines in a cluster” on page 86.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 39
Hyper-V - Advanced attributes

Cluster shared volumes timeout (Hyper-V with VSS)

The default is 180 (wait for 3 hours). A wait of 3 hours is recommended if you have
multiple virtual machines on one CSV.
If you do not want NetBackup to wait for another backup to release the shared
volume, set the value to 0. If at the same time another cluster node backs up a
shared volume that this backup requires, the backup fails with status 156.
The appropriate value for this timeout parameter depends on the following factors:
■ The average backup job duration for the virtual machines that reside on the
same CSV. The job duration depends on the size of the virtual machines and
the I/O speed.
■ The number of virtual machines on the same CSV.
More information is available on NetBackup support for the virtual machines that
use CSVs.
See “About virtual machines on Windows failover clusters” on page 85.
See “Notes on CSV backup and restore” on page 86.

Hyper-V - Advanced attributes

The Hyper-V - Advanced attributes are available on the Hyper-V policy tab.
You can set the following parameters for a Hyper-V backup. In most situations, the
best settings are the defaults.
The available settings depend on which backup method you have chosen: VSS or
WMI.

Table 4-4 Hyper-V Advanced Attributes

Configuration Backup Description

parameter method

Provider type VSS See “Provider type configuration parameter (VSS)”

on page 40.

Snapshot Attribute VSS See “Snapshot attribute configuration parameter

(VSS)” on page 40.

Virtual disk selection WMI See “Virtual disk selection parameter (WMI)”
on page 41.

Existing snapshot WMI See “Existing snapshot handling parameter (WMI)”

handling on page 42.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 40
Hyper-V - Advanced attributes

Table 4-4 Hyper-V Advanced Attributes (continued)

Configuration Backup Description

parameter method

Consistency level WMI See “Consistency level parameter (WMI)”

on page 42.

Provider type configuration parameter (VSS)

The Provider type configuration parameter determines the type of VSS snapshot
provider that creates the snapshot.

Auto Attempts to select the available provider in this order: hardware,

software, system.

System Uses the Microsoft system provider, for a block-level copy on write
snapshot.

Unlike the Hardware type, the System provider does not require
any specific hardware.

Software Not certified in this release.

Hardware Uses the hardware provider for a disk array. A hardware provider
manages the VSS snapshot at the hardware level by working with
a hardware storage adapter or controller.

For example: To back up the data that resides on an EMC

CLARiiON or HP EVA array by means of the array’s snapshot
provider, select Hardware. Depending on your array and on the
snapshot attribute you select, certain preconfiguration of the array
may be required. See the NetBackup Snapshot Manager for Data
Center Administrator's Guide.

See “Configuring a local snapshot backup of Hyper-V pass-through disks”

on page 159.
See “Configuring an alternate client backup of Hyper-V pass-through disks”
on page 161.

Snapshot attribute configuration parameter (VSS)

The Snapshot attribute configuration parameter determines the type of VSS
snapshot that is created.

Automatic Uses the default snapshot type of the VSS provider.

 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 41
Hyper-V - Advanced attributes

Differential Uses a copy-on-write type of snapshot. For example, to back up

an EMC CLARiiON array with an EMC CLARiiON SnapView
Snapshot, select Differential.

Plex Uses a clone snapshot or mirror snapshot. For example, to back

up an HP EVA array with an HP EVA Snapclone snapshot, select
Plex.

See “Configuring a local snapshot backup of Hyper-V pass-through disks”

on page 159.

Virtual disk selection parameter (WMI)

Determines the kind of disks on the virtual machine that are included in the backup.
This parameter can reduce the size of the backup, but should be used with care.
The following options are intended only for the virtual machines that have multiple
virtual disks.
■ Include all disks
This option is the default. Backs up all virtual disks that are configured for the
virtual machine.
■ Exclude boot disk
The virtual machine's boot disk (for example the C drive) is not included in the
backup. Any other disks (such as D) are backed up. Consider this option if you
have another means of recreating the boot disk, such as a virtual machine
template for boot drives.

Note: A virtual machine that is restored from this backup cannot start. Data files
are available in the restored data disks.

■ Exclude data disks

The virtual machine's data disks (for example the D drive) are not included in
the backup. Only the boot disk is backed up. Consider this option only if you
have a different policy that backs up the data disks.

Note: When the virtual machine is restored from the backup, the virtual machine
data for the data disk may be missing or incomplete.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 42
Hyper-V - Advanced attributes

Existing snapshot handling parameter (WMI)

This option specifies the action that NetBackup takes when a NetBackup snapshot
is discovered before NetBackup creates a new snapshot for the virtual machine
backup. After it creates a snapshot, NetBackup usually deletes the snapshot when
the backup completes.

Remove NetBackup snapshots and continue the backup

If a virtual machine snapshot exists that NetBackup previously created, NetBackup
removes the old snapshot, creates an updated snapshot, and proceeds with the
virtual machine backup.
See “Hyper-V - Advanced attributes” on page 39.

Abort if NetBackup snapshots exist

If a virtual machine snapshot (checkpoint) exists that a NetBackup backup previously
created for a WMI backup, NetBackup aborts the job for that virtual machine only.
This option is the default operation of NetBackup.
You can use the NetBackup nbhypervtool.exe tool to remove NetBackup
snapshots of the virtual machine. This tool is in the following location on the Hyper-V
server:
install_path\NetBackup\bin\nbhypervtool.exe

For example, to remove a snapshot by specifying the name of the VM:

nbhypervtool.exe deleteNbuCheckpoints -vmname VM_name

Where VM_name is the name of the VM.

To remove a snapshot by specifying the GUID of the VM:
nbhypervtool.exe deleteNbuCheckpoints -vmguid VM_guid

Where VM_guid is the GUID of the VM.

Consistency level parameter (WMI)

This option determines whether or not the I/O on the virtual machine is quiesced
before NetBackup creates the snapshot.
■ Application consistent then crash consistent
NetBackup makes two attempts to quiesce I/O on the virtual machine for an
application-consistent snapshot. If both attempts fail to create an
application-consistent snapshot, NetBackup creates a crash-consistent snapshot
and proceeds with the backup. (See the other two options for a description of
application consistent and crash consistent.)
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 43
Hyper-V - Advanced attributes

■ Application consistent
This setting is the default. I/O on the virtual machine is quiesced before
NetBackup creates the snapshot. Without quiescing file activity, data consistency
in the snapshot cannot be guaranteed. If not consistent, the backed-up data
may be of little or no value.
In the great majority of cases, you should accept the default.

Note: If the virtual machine is in the saved state or the paused state, it cannot
be quiesced and the backup job fails. You must use one of the other Consistency
level options.

Note these prerequisites for the Application consistent option:

■ The latest version of Hyper-V integration services must be installed and
running inside the VM.
■ The Hyper-V integration services must be enabled in the VM settings.

■ Crash consistent

Caution: In most cases, Crash consistent is not recommended. With this

setting, NetBackup cannot guarantee that all required data has been flushed to
disk when the snapshot occurs. The data that is captured in the snapshot may
be incomplete.

The snapshot is created without quiescing I/O on the virtual machine. In this
case, you must perform your own analysis for data consistency in the backed-up
data.

About the exclude disk options for virtual disk selection

The default setting for Virtual disk selection is Include all disks. You should use
this setting in most cases.
The other options are Exclude boot disk and Exclude data disks. These options
are intended for the virtual machines that have multiple virtual disks. You should
use these options with care.
To exclude a boot disk or data disk, note the following requirements:
■ The virtual machine must have more than one disk.
■ NetBackup must be able to identify the boot disk.
■ The boot disk must not be part of a managed volume (Windows LDM or Linux
LVM). The boot disk must be fully contained on a single disk.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 44
Hyper-V - Advanced attributes

The boot disk must include the following:

■ The boot partition.
■ The system directory (Windows system directory or Linux boot directory).
Important! The exclude disk options are meant only for the following cases:
■ Exclude boot disk: Consider this option if you have another means of recreating
the boot disk, such as a virtual machine template for boot drives. If Exclude
boot disk is enabled, the policy does not back up the boot disk.

Note: When the virtual machine is restored from the backup, the virtual machine
data for the boot disk may be missing or incomplete.

Note the following about Exclude boot disk:

■ If the virtual machine has a boot disk but has no other disks, the boot disk
is backed up. It is not excluded.
■ Adding a virtual disk and changing this option before the next backup can
have unexpected results.
See “Virtual disk selection options: an example to avoid ” on page 45.

■ Exclude data disks: Consider this option if you have a different policy or other
backup program that backs up the data disks. If Exclude data disks is enabled
in a policy, that policy does not back up the data disks.
Note the following about excluding data disks:
■ If the virtual machine has only one disk (such as C:), that drive is backed
up. It is not excluded.
■ If the virtual machine's boot disk is an independent disk, and the virtual
machine has a separate data disk, the boot disk is backed up. The restored
boot disk however contains no data, because NetBackup cannot back up
the data in an independent disk.

Note: When the virtual machine is restored from the backup, the virtual machine
data for the data disk may be missing or incomplete.

Caution: The exclude disk options can have unintended consequences if these
rules are not followed.

See “Virtual disk selection parameter (WMI)” on page 41.

 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 45
Browse for Hyper-V virtual machines

Virtual disk selection options: an example to avoid

You should use the Virtual disk selection option with care. For example, if you
add a disk to the virtual machine and change the Virtual disk selection setting,
note: The next backup may not capture the virtual machine in the state that you
intended. You should back up the entire virtual machine (Include all disks) before
using Virtual disk selection to exclude a disk from future backups.

Restoring data from the backups that excluded the boot disk or data
disks
If the policy's Virtual disk selection option excluded the boot disk or data disks,
you can restore the backed-up data as follows:
■ If Enable file recovery from VM backup was enabled on the backup policy:
You can restore individual files from those portions of the virtual machine that
the Virtual disk selection option did not exclude.
■ If the Virtual disk selection option was set to Exclude boot disk: You can
restore the virtual machine and move the restored data disks to another virtual
machine.

Browse for Hyper-V virtual machines

To browse for Hyper-V virtual machines
1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 Open the policy to which you want to add virtual machines.
3 On the Clients tab, enter the Server name.
4 Select Select manually.
5 Select the Add button.
The following table describes the options that you can use to select Hyper-V virtual
machines.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 46
Prerequisites for alternate client backup of a virtual machine (VSS)

Table 4-5 Options for selecting Hyper-V virtual machines

Option Description

Enter the VM display name

Note: The type of name to enter depends on the Primary VM identifier setting on
the Hyper-V tab of the policy.

Enter the host name, display name, or GUID of the virtual machine. The format of the
host name or display name depends on your system. It may be the fully qualified name
or another name, depending on your network configuration and how the name is defined
in the guest OS. If NetBackup cannot find the name or GUID you enter, the policy
validation fails.

Make sure the Browse virtual machines option is cleared.

Browse virtual machines Click this option to discover Hyper-V servers or cluster nodes (shown in the left pane).
You can select virtual machines from a list (in the right pane).

The virtual machine names that are listed may be derived from a cache file. Use of the
cache file is faster than rediscovering the virtual machines on the network if your site
has a large number of virtual machines. If the virtual machine is turned off but was
turned on when the cache file was last created, its name appears in the list.

If the display name of the virtual machine was recently changed in the Hyper-V Manager,
note: The virtual machine name that was used for the backup does not change.

If NetBackup cannot obtain the IP address of the virtual machine, the IP address is
displayed as NONE.

Prerequisites for alternate client backup of a

virtual machine (VSS)
With the VSS backup method, you can back up a virtual machine with a NetBackup
client that is installed on a host other than the Hyper-V server. The separate host
is called an alternate client. Although a NetBackup client must reside on the Hyper-V
server, that client does not perform the virtual machine backup. The alternate client
handles the backup I/O processing, to save computing resources on the Hyper-V
server.
Note that the NetBackup media server can be installed on the alternate client instead
of on the Hyper-V server. In this configuration, the alternate client host performs
the media server processing.
Note the following prerequisites for the alternate client backup of a virtual machine:
■ Requires the VSS backup method.
 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 47
Configure an alternate client backup of virtual machines

■ The VSS snapshot provider must support transportable snapshots with the
Hyper-V writer. A transportable snapshot is one that can be imported to the
alternate client.
Check with the vendor of the VSS provider.
■ The VSS provider should be installed on both the primary client (the Hyper-V
server) and the alternate client.
■ All virtual machine files must reside on Hyper-V host volume(s) that the VSS
provider supports for transportable snapshots involving the Hyper-V writer.
■ The primary client (Hyper-V server) and alternate client must run the same
Windows operating system, volume manager, and file system. For each of these
I/O system components, the alternate client must be at the same version as the
primary client, or at a higher version.
■ The primary client and alternate client must run the same version of NetBackup.
For example, the use of a later version of NetBackup on the primary client and
an earlier version on the alternate client is not supported.

Configure an alternate client backup of virtual

machines
This topic describes the details unique to create a policy for alternate client backup.
This topic is a supplement to a larger procedure. For further instructions on creating
a policy, see the following:
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy” on page 31.
To configure an alternate client backup of a virtual machine
1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 Click Protection > Policies.
3 Click Add.
4 On the Attributes tab, select Hyper-V as the policy type.
5 Create a schedule for the backup.
6 On the Clients tab, enter the Server name.
7 Select Select manually.
8 Select the Add button.
See “Browse for Hyper-V virtual machines” on page 45.

Note: The Backup selections tab is set to ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES.

 Configure NetBackup policies for Hyper-V 48
Requirements for a NetBackup client inside the virtual machine

9 Select the Hyper-V tab and select Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
10 Select Perform off-host backup and select Alternate client from the Use
list. Enter the name of the alternate client in the Machine field.
11 On the Hyper-V tab, review the other options.
See “Backup options on the Hyper-V tab” on page 35.
12 Select Create to validate and save the policy.

Requirements for a NetBackup client inside the

virtual machine
Although a NetBackup client is required on the Hyper-V server, it is not required in
the virtual machine except in the following cases:
■ To back up the individual virtual drives that are inside the virtual machine. For
example, the virtual drives that are on vhd (or vhdx) files as if they were on a
physical host.
■ To back up the physical disks that the virtual machine accesses in a pass through
configuration.
To back up disks in a pass through configuration by means of a VSS hardware
snapshot provider, an alternate client configuration is required.
See “About Hyper-V pass-through disks with NetBackup” on page 157.
■ To back up databases or applications using NetBackup agents.
 Chapter 5
Configure Hyper-V
Intelligent Policies
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ About Hyper-V Intelligent Policy (automatic selection of virtual machines for

backup)

■ The basics of a NetBackup query rule

■ Important notes on Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

■ NetBackup requirements for Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

■ Setting up Hyper-V Intelligent Policy: Task overview

■ Options for selecting Hyper-V virtual machines

■ Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection

■ Edit or remove a query in Basic mode

■ Using the Query Builder in Advanced mode

■ AND vs. OR in queries

■ Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder

■ The IsSet operator in queries

■ About selecting virtual machines by means of multiple policies

■ Order of operations in queries (precedence rules)

■ Parentheses in compound queries

■ Query rules for virtual machine Notes that contain a newline character
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 50
About Hyper-V Intelligent Policy (automatic selection of virtual machines for backup)

■ Query Builder field reference

■ Test Query screen for Hyper-V

■ Test Query: Failed virtual machines

■ Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query

results

■ Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM Name column in Test query

results

■ Restoring a VM that was backed up with a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy and that
has a pass-through disk

About Hyper-V Intelligent Policy (automatic

selection of virtual machines for backup)
A Hyper-V Intelligent Policy lets you configure NetBackup to automatically select
virtual machines based on a range of criteria. NetBackup creates a list of the virtual
machines that currently meet the rules and adds those virtual machines to the
backup.
For a list of requirements for this policy type, see the appropriate version of the
NetBackup Software Compatibility List available from the following location:
NetBackup Compatibility List for all Versions
Automatic selection of virtual machines has the following advantages:
■ Simplifies the policy configuration for sites with large virtual environments.
You do not need to manually select virtual machines from a long list of hosts:
NetBackup selects all the virtual machines that meet the selection rules in the
policy's Query Builder.
■ Allows the backup list to stay up-to-date with changes in the virtual environment.
Eliminates the need to revise the backup list whenever a virtual machine is
added or removed.
■ Virtual machine selection takes place dynamically at the time of the backup.

The basics of a NetBackup query rule

For automatic virtual machine selection, NetBackup uses query rules to determine
which Hyper-V virtual machines to select for backup. You create the rules in the
Query Builder, on the Clients tab of the policy.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 51
Important notes on Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

A query rule consists of the following:

■ A keyword, such as Displayname (many keywords are available).
For example: For automatic selection of the virtual machines with the display
names that contain certain characters, you need the Displayname keyword in
the rule.
■ An operator, such as Contains, StartsWith, or Equal.
The operator describes how NetBackup analyzes the keyword. For example:
Displayname StartsWith tells NetBackup to look for the display names that
start with particular characters.
■ Values for the keyword.
For the Displayname keyword, a value might be "prod". In that case, NetBackup
looks for the virtual machines that have the display names that include the
characters prod.
■ An optional joining element (AND, AND NOT, OR, OR NOT) to refine or expand
the query.
The policy uses these elements to discover and select virtual machines for backup.
Table 5-1 contains the examples of rules.

Table 5-1 Examples of rules

Rule Description

Displayname Contains "vm" NetBackup selects the virtual machines that have the
characters vm anywhere in their display names.

Displayname EndsWith "vm" NetBackup selects the virtual machines that have the
characters vm at the end of their display names.

HypervServer AnyOf NetBackup selects the virtual machines that reside on

"hv1","hv2" Hyper-V servers hv1 or hv2.

Powerstate Equal poweredOn NetBackup selects only the virtual machines that are
currently turned on.

Important notes on Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

The Hyper-V Intelligent Policy in NetBackup is a different approach to Hyper-V
virtual machine selection in the policy. The effective use of this feature requires
forethought, preparation, and care.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 52
Important notes on Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

Table 5-2 Important notes on automatic virtual machine selection!

Note! Explanation

Create rules carefully. Instead of manually selecting virtual machines for backup, you create guidelines for
automatic selection of virtual machines. The guidelines are called rules; you enter the
rules in the policy's Query Builder.

You make the rules, and NetBackup follows them.

If the rules state: Back up all virtual machines with a host name that contains "prod",
NetBackup does that. Any virtual machine that is added to the environment with a host
name containing "prod" is automatically selected and backed up when the policy runs.
Virtual machines with the names that do not contain "prod" are not backed up. To have
other virtual machines automatically backed up, you must change the query rules (or
create additional policies).

Changes to the virtual If many virtual machines are temporarily added to your environment and happen to fall
environment can affect within the scope of the query rules, they are backed up. The backups can therefore
backup times. run much longer than expected.

Test the query rules. Test the query rules ahead of time. The policy includes a Test Query function for that
purpose. It's important to verify that your query operates as expected. Otherwise, the
query may select too many or too few virtual machines.

Note also: The policy's Primary VM identifier parameter can affect the automatic
selection process.

See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query

results” on page 76.

See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM Name column in Test query

results” on page 77.

A query test does not create The automatic selection process is dynamic. Changes in the virtual environment may
the backup list. NetBackup affect which virtual machines the query rules choose when the backup runs.
creates the backup list when
Note: If virtual machine changes occur, the virtual machines that are selected for
the backup runs.
backup may not be identical to those listed in your query test results.

The policy does not display a If you select virtual machines manually (with the Browse for Virtual machines screen),
list of the virtual machines the selected virtual machines are listed on the policy Clients tab. But when you use
that are to be backed up. the Query Builder for automatic selection, the selected virtual machines are not listed
on the Clients tab.
Use the Activity monitor.
For a list of the backed up virtual machines, use the NetBackup Activity monitor.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 53
NetBackup requirements for Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

Table 5-2 Important notes on automatic virtual machine selection!

(continued)

Note! Explanation

When you save the policy, the When you save a policy, policy validation does not consult the query rules and select
query rules are not validated. virtual machines for backup. Because of the potential for changes in the virtual
environment, virtual machine selection must wait until the backup runs. As a result,
when you save the policy, NetBackup does not check the policy attributes against a
backup list. If the query rules select the virtual machines that are incompatible with a
policy attribute, policy validation cannot flag that fact. The incompatibility becomes
apparent when NetBackup determines the backup list at the time of the backup.

NetBackup requirements for Hyper-V Intelligent

Policy
Note the following requirements for automatic selection of Hyper-V virtual machines:
■ The system where NetBackup runs must have access to the Hyper-V server.
■ For the policies that back up VMs that reside in a Hyper-V cluster: The NetBackup
primary server should not be installed on any Hyper-V nodes of the cluster. If
the primary server resides on one of the nodes, you cannot log on to NetBackup
web UI.
■ If the policy's Primary VM identifier option is set to VM display name, certain
special characters are not supported in the name.
The following characters are supported: ASCII letters a through z (uppercase
and lowercase), numbers 0 through 9, hyphen (-), period (.), underscore (_),
plus sign (+), left and right parentheses (), spaces.
If the display name contains unsupported characters, set the Primary VM
identifier to VM GUID, or to VM hostname if a host name is available.
■ Refer to the following document for support information and additional
requirements for Hyper-V Intelligent Policy:
Support for NetBackup in virtual environments

Setting up Hyper-V Intelligent Policy: Task

overview
This topic is a high-level overview of how to set up a NetBackup policy for automatic
selection of Hyper-V virtual machines. Follow the links in the table for more details.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 54
Options for selecting Hyper-V virtual machines

Table 5-3 Automatic selection of virtual machines: overview of the tasks

Steps to configure automatic Description and notes

selection

Configure a Hyper-V policy Use the policy Attributes tab.

See “Creating a Hyper-V policy” on page 31.

Set rules for virtual machine selection On the policy Clients tab, click Select automatically through Hyper-V
in the policy Query Builder Intelligent Policy query.

Choose a host for virtual machine selection (the default is the Hyper-V server).

To add the rules, use the Query Builder drop-down fields.

See “Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection”

on page 56.

See “Options for selecting Hyper-V virtual machines” on page 54.

Test the rules Click Test Query in the Query Builder on the Clients tab. Virtual machines
are labeled as included or excluded, based on the rules.
Note: The list of virtual machines is not saved in the Clients tab.

Note: The query rules are also displayed in the Backup selections tab. The
backup selections are pre-set to All_LOCAL_DRIVES (not displayed).

Run a backup When the policy runs, NetBackup consults the rules in the Query Builder,
creates a list of virtual machines, and backs them up.

Check the backup To see which virtual machines were backed up, use the Activity Monitor.

Options for selecting Hyper-V virtual machines

This topic describes the options on the policy Clients tab for Hyper-V policies. In
the NetBackup web UI, click Protection > Policies and then open the Hyper-V
policy.
You can use these options to manually select virtual machines or to configure
NetBackup to select virtual machines automatically. For automatic selection, you
specify the selection criteria (rules) in the policy's Query Builder. When the backup
job runs, NetBackup discovers the virtual machines that currently meet the criteria
and backs up those virtual machines.
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection” on page 56.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 55
Options for selecting Hyper-V virtual machines

Table 5-4 Virtual machine selection options

Option Description

Server type Select the type of environment in which NetBackup searches for the VMs to back up.

Server name Enter the name of the Hyper-V server or SCVMM server.
For a clustered environment, note:

■ Enter the name of the cluster (or one of the Hyper-V cluster nodes).
■ Set the NetBackup Legacy Network Service logon to the cluster user.
See “Changing the NetBackup Legacy Network Service logon (vnetd.exe) to the domain
user account” on page 23.
■ The NetBackup primary server should not be installed on any Hyper-V nodes in the cluster.
If the primary server resides on one of the nodes, you cannot log on to the NetBackup
web UI.

Select manually Click this option and click Add to manually enter virtual machines names, or to browse and
select them from a list.

See “Browse for Hyper-V virtual machines” on page 45.

Note: The rest of the fields and options are for automatic selection of virtual machines.

Select automatically Click this option to allow NetBackup to automatically select virtual machines for backup based
through Hyper-V on the rules that you enter in the Query Builder.
Intelligent Policy
query

Table 5-5 Query Builder

Option Description

Query Builder (Join, Use these fields to define rules for automatic selection of virtual machines. From left to right,
Field, Operator, each field refines the rule.
Value)
Select Add to add the rule to the Query pane.

Select the Reset option to clear the query selections.

See “Query Builder field reference” on page 67.

See “Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder” on page 61.

Advanced mode Places the Query builder in Advanced mode for manual entry of rules.

See “Using the Query Builder in Advanced mode” on page 59.

See “Query Builder field reference” on page 67.

See “Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder” on page 61.

 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 56
Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection

Table 5-5 Query Builder (continued)

Option Description

Basic mode Places the Query builder in Basic mode.

See “Query Builder field reference” on page 67.

Actions > Edit Use this option to change an existing query rule when in Basic mode, as follows:

■ Locate the rule and then click Edit.

■ Make new selections in the Query Builder fields.
■ Click the Save.

Actions > Remove Deletes a query rule when in Basic mode.

Test query Click this option to test which virtual machines NetBackup selects based on the rules in the
Query builder.
Note: This test option does not create the backup list for the policy. When the next backup
runs from this policy, NetBackup rediscovers virtual machines and consults the query rules.
At that time, NetBackup backs up the virtual machines that match the rules.

Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual

machine selection
NetBackup can automatically select Hyper-V virtual machines for backup based on
the criteria that you enter. You specify the criteria (rules) in the Query builder on
the NetBackup policy Clients tab. You can set up rules to include certain virtual
machines for backup, or to exclude virtual machines. The Query builder can operate
in Basic node or in Advanced mode.
When the backup job runs, NetBackup creates a list of the virtual machines that
currently meet the query rules and backs them up.
To configure automatic virtual machine selection in Basic mode
1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 On the left, select Protection > Policies.
3 Select the Add button.
4 On the Attributes tab, select Hyper-V for the policy type.
5 Make other policy selections as needed (for example, create a Schedule).
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 57
Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection

6 Select the Clients tab, and select the option Select automatically through
Hyper-V Intelligent Policy query.
If you had used the Select manually option to select virtual machines, those
virtual machines are removed from the policy.
7 Select the Server type.
This option designates the type of environment in which NetBackup searches
for the VMs to back up.

Hyper-V Standalone/Cluster A standalone Hyper-V server or cluster.

System Center Virtual An SCVMM server that manages Hyper-V servers or

Machine Manager clusters.

8 For Server name, enter the name of the Hyper-V server, cluster, or SCVMM
server.
Important: IPv6 addresses are not supported for Server Name. Use fully
qualified domain names (FQDN) or host names instead.
Another topic describes the requirements for SCVMM:
See “About backup of virtual machines in an SCVMM environment” on page 81.
For a clustered environment, note the following:
■ Enter the name of the cluster (or one of the Hyper-V cluster nodes) in the
Server Name field.
■ Set the NetBackup Legacy Network Service logon to the domain user
account:
See “Changing the NetBackup Legacy Network Service logon (vnetd.exe)
to the domain user account” on page 23.
■ The NetBackup primary server should not be installed on any Hyper-V
nodes in the cluster. If the primary server resides on one of the nodes, you
cannot log on to the NetBackup web UI.

9 Select the Basic mode tab. To create a rule, make selections from the Query
Builder fields.
■ For the first rule, you can start with the Field list, depending on the type of
rule. For the first rule, the only selections available for the Join field are
blank (none), or NOT.
Select a keyword for Field.
■ Select an Operator.
■ Indicate a Value.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 58
Edit or remove a query in Basic mode

You can enter the value manually (enclose the value in single quotes or
double quotes).
As an alternative, you can click the folder icon to browse for values.
Depending on the Field keyword, you can use the Value list to select the
value.
Note that browsing with the folder icon may take some time in large
environments.
See “Query Builder field reference” on page 67.
The arrow icon resets the Join, Field, Operator, and Value fields to blank.

10 Select the Add button to add the rule to the Query pane.
11 Create more rules as needed.
See “Query Builder field reference” on page 67.
See “Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder” on page 61.
12 To see which virtual machines NetBackup currently selects based on your
query, click Test query.
The virtual machines in your current environment that match the rules for
selection in the policy are labeled Included. Note however that the Test query
option does not create the backup list for the policy. When the next backup
runs from this policy, NetBackup rediscovers virtual machines and consults
the query rules. At that time, NetBackup backs up the virtual machines that
match the query rules.
The list of virtual machines is saved but the virtual machines are not displayed
in the policy's Clients tab.

Edit or remove a query in Basic mode

Edit a query rule in Basic mode
To edit a query rule
1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 On the left, click Protection > Policies.
3 Click on the policy that you want to edit.
4 Click the Clients tab.
5 With the Query Builder in Basic mode, locate the query rule and click Actions
> Edit.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 59
Using the Query Builder in Advanced mode

6 Make the query selections using the query fields.

7 Click Save.

Remove a query rule

To remove a query rule
1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 On the left, click Protection > Policies.
3 Click on the policy that you want to edit.
4 Click the Clients tab.
5 With the Query Builder in Basic mode, locate the query rule.
6 Click Actions > Remove.

Using the Query Builder in Advanced mode

The Query builder's Advanced mode provides more flexibility in crafting rules for
virtual machine selection, including the use of parentheses for grouping.
To use the Query builder in Advanced mode
1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 On the left, select Protection > Policies.
3 Create a Hyper-V policy and specify a Hyper-V server.
For assistance, you can refer to the first few steps of the following procedure:
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection”
on page 56.
4 Select the Clients tab.
5 Select the option Select automatically through Hyper-V Intelligent Policy
query.
6 Locate Query builder and select the Advanced mode tab.
7 You can use the Query Builder fields to add query rules. You can also type in
rules manually.
For example:
Displayname Contains "vm"
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 60
AND vs. OR in queries

8 To insert a rule between existing rules, place the cursor where you want the
new rule to start and type it in.
When you create a rule with the fields, it appears at the end of the query. You
can cut and paste it to a different position.
9 To establish the proper order of evaluation in compound queries, use
parentheses to group rules as needed. Compound queries contain two or more
rules, joined by AND, AND NOT, OR, or OR NOT.
More information is available on the use of parentheses and on the order of
precedence.
See “AND vs. OR in queries” on page 60.
See “Order of operations in queries (precedence rules)” on page 65.
See “Parentheses in compound queries” on page 66.

AND vs. OR in queries

The Join field in the Query Builder provides connectors for joining rules (AND, AND
NOT, OR, OR NOT). The effect of AND versus OR in the Query Builder may not
be obvious at first glance.
In essence, AND and OR work in this way:
■ AND limits or restricts the scope of the query.
■ OR opens up the query to an additional possibility, expanding the scope of the
query.
Note: Do not use AND to join the rules that are intended to include additional virtual
machines in the backup list. For instance, AND cannot be used to mean "include
virtual machine X AND virtual machine Y."
For example: To include the virtual machines that have either "vm1" or "vm2" in
their names, use OR to join the rules:

Displayname Contains "vm1"

OR Displayname Contains "vm2"

If you use AND to join these rules:

Displayname Contains "vm1"

AND Displayname Contains "vm2"

the result is different: the backup list includes only the virtual machines that have
both vm1 and vm2 in their names (such as "acmevm1vm2"). A virtual machine with
the name "acmevm1" is not included in the backup.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 61
Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder

Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder

The following table provides example query rules.
To use the Query Builder, you must click Select automatically through Hyper-V
Intelligent Policy query on the Client tab.
Another topic is available on the difference between AND and OR in a query.
See “AND vs. OR in queries” on page 60.
Since the available Query Builder keywords depend on the Server Type that is
selected on the policy Clients tab, the following examples are in two groups:
■ Table 5-6 provides examples for server type Hyper-V Standalone/Cluster.
■ Table 5-7 provides examples for server type System Center Virtual Machine
Manager.

Table 5-6 Query Builder examples for server type Hyper-V

Standalone/Cluster

Example query Query result when backup job runs

No query rules specified (Query pane is All virtual machines are added to the backup list. Exceptions are those that
empty) do not have a host name, or that have invalid characters in the display name.

See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test

Query results” on page 76.

Displayname Contains "prod" All virtual machines with the display names that contain the string "prod" are
added to the backup list.

See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test

Query results” on page 76.

Displayname AnyOf The virtual machines named "grayfox7”and "grayfox9" are added to the
"grayfox7”,"grayfox9" backup list. Note that each value must be enclosed in its own quotes, with
a comma in between.

powerstate Equal "poweredOn" Any virtual machine that is turned on is added to the backup list.

powerstate Equal "poweredOn" Any virtual machine that is turned on and resides on Hyper-V server
HV_serv1 is added to the backup list.
AND HypervServer Equal "HV_serv1"

IsClustered Equal TRUE Any virtual machine that is in a clustered Hyper-V server is added to the
backup list.

Displayname Contains "pre-prod" Any virtual machine with a display name containing "pre-prod" and that is
not in a clustered Hyper-V server is added to the backup list.
AND IsClustered Equal FALSE
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 62
Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder

Table 5-6 Query Builder examples for server type Hyper-V

Standalone/Cluster (continued)

Example query Query result when backup job runs

IsClustered Equal TRUE Adds to the backup list any virtual machine in a clustered Hyper-V server if
the virtual machine has "pre-prod" in its Notes field.
AND Notes Contains "pre-prod"

Displayname StartsWith "prod" Adds to the backup list any virtual machine with a display name starting with
"prod" or with Notes that contain "prod."
OR Notes Contains "prod"

ConfigurationVersion Greater "5" Adds to the backup list any virtual machine that has a VM configuration
version greater than 5.

Table 5-7 Query Builder examples for server type System Center Virtual
Machine Manager

Example query Query result when backup job runs

Name StartsWith "prod" Adds to the backup list any VMs that have a display name that starts with
"prod".
Note: For VMs that reside under SCVMM, a Hyper-V Intelligent policy can
back up VMs by their host name even if they are powered off. In this example:
even if the policy's Primary VM identifier is set to VM hostname, VMs are
added to the backup list whether they are powered on or powered off.

ComputerName Contains "VM" Adds to the backup list any VMs that have a network host name that contains
"VM".

See the note in this table for the example Name StartsWith "prod".

VMHost AnyOf "hv1","hv2" Adds to the backup list any VMs that reside on Hyper-V servers "hv1" or
"hv2" if the VM has "pre-prod" in its Description field.
AND Description Contains "pre-prod"
The SCVMM Description field is similar to the VM's Notes field in Hyper-V.

Generation Equal "2" Adds to the backup list any VMs of Generation 2.

IsUndergoingLiveMigration Equal Adds to the backup list any VM that is not in live migration.
FALSE

VirtualMachineState Equal "Running" Adds to the backup list any VM that is running.

Cloud Contains "cloud9" Adds to the backup list any VM that meets the following: the VM is part of
an SCVMM cloud that contains cloud9 in its name, if the VM is in a cluster
AND HasSharedStorage Equal TRUE
that has shared storage.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 63
The IsSet operator in queries

Table 5-7 Query Builder examples for server type System Center Virtual
Machine Manager (continued)

Example query Query result when backup job runs

IsHighlyAvailable Equal TRUE Adds to the backup list any VM that resides in a CSV cluster if the VM is not
marked for fault tolerance.
AND IsFaultTolerant Equal FALSE

VMConfigurationVersion Greater "5" Adds to the backup list any virtual machine that has a VM configuration
version greater than 5.

Click Advanced to see the query rule in Advanced Mode. Only Advanced Mode
supports the use of parentheses for grouping sets of rules.

The IsSet operator in queries

In a query, you can use the IsSet operator to ensure that certain virtual machines
are included or excluded from the backup.
For example: You can use IsSet to exclude virtual machines from the backup list
that do not have any Notes associated with them.

Table 5-8 Examples of queries with the IsSet operator

Query rules with IsSet operator Effect of the query on virtual machine selection

Displayname Contains "prod" INCLUDED: Any virtual machine with a display name that contains the string
"prod" if the virtual machine also has Notes.
AND Notes IsSet
EXCLUDED: Any virtual machines that do not have Notes.

Without Notes IsSet in this query, virtual machines without Notes cannot be
excluded.

Cluster Contains "dev" INCLUDED: Any virtual machine in a cluster that has a name that contains
the string "dev" if the virtual machine also has Notes.
AND Notes IsSet
EXCLUDED: Any virtual machines that do not have Notes, and any virtual
machines that have Notes but that are not in a cluster that has a name that
contains “dev”.

Without Notes in this query, virtual machines without Notes cannot be

excluded.

The policy's Primary VM identifier parameter has an important effect on which

virtual machines NetBackup can back up. This parameter affects the test query
results.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 64
About selecting virtual machines by means of multiple policies

See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query

results” on page 76.

About selecting virtual machines by means of

multiple policies
If your virtual environment has many virtual machines with inconsistent naming
conventions, you may need multiple policies working in tandem. It may be difficult
to create a single policy that automatically selects all the virtual machines that you
want to back up.
For this situation, configure several policies so that each policy backs up a portion
of the environment. One policy backs up a particular set or group of virtual machines,
such as those that have host names. A second policy backs up a different group
of virtual machines that were not backed up by the first policy, and so forth. When
all the policies have run, all the virtual machines are backed up.
The following table describes the policies that are designed to back up the virtual
environment in three phases. Note that each policy relies on a different setting for
the Primary VM identifier parameter.

Table 5-9 Three policies that back up the virtual machines in phases

Policy Query Builder rules Backup result

First policy Notes IsSet This policy backs up all virtual machines that have a
host name and any Notes. Any virtual machines that
Primary VM identifier
do not have a host name and do not have Notes are
parameter: VM hostname
either excluded from the backup or listed as FAILED.

Second policy NOT Notes IsSet This policy backs up all virtual machines that have a
display name, that are clustered, and that do not have
Primary VM identifier AND IsClustered Equal
any Notes. Any virtual machines that have Notes but
parameter: VM display name ‘TRUE’
are not clustered are excluded from the backup.

Third policy NOT Notes IsSet This policy backs up the virtual machines that were not
backed up by the first two policies. This policy selects
Primary VM identifier AND IsClustered NotEqual
the virtual machines that do not have any Notes and
parameter: VM GUID ‘TRUE’
are not clustered, but that do have a GUID.

More information is available on the Primary VM identifier parameter and its effect
on virtual machine selection.
See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query
results” on page 76.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 65
Order of operations in queries (precedence rules)

Order of operations in queries (precedence rules)

The information in this topic is for advanced users who understand precedence in
programming languages. In the Query Builder, the order in which operations occur
can determine which virtual machines are selected and backed up.
The following table lists the order of operations, or precedence, from highest to
lowest (7 is the highest). For example, an operation with a precedence of 6 (such
as Contains) is evaluated before an operation with a precedence of 5 (such as
Greater).

Table 5-10 Order of operations

Operation Description Precedence

!x Produces the value 0 if x is true (nonzero) and 7

the value 1 if x is false (0).

x Contains y Does y exist somewhere in x 6

x StartsWith y Does x start with y 6

x EndsWith y Does x end with y 6

x AnyOf list Does x appear in list 6

x Greater y Is x greater than y 5

x GreaterEqual y Is x greater than or equal to y 5

x Less y Is x less than y 5

x LessEqual y Is x less than or equal to y 5

x Equal y Is x equal to y 4

x NotEqual y Is x not equal to y 4

Not x operator produces the value 0 if x is true 3

(nonzero) and the value 1 if x is false (0).

x And y True if both x and y are true 2

x OR y True if either x or y are true 1

Note the following:

■ AND has a higher precedence than OR.
In the Query Builder's Advanced Mode, you can use parentheses to change the
order of evaluation in the rules that use AND or OR.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 66
Parentheses in compound queries

See “Parentheses in compound queries” on page 66.

■ In the Query Builder's Advanced Mode, you can combine two or more operations
in a single rule without AND or OR to join them. Precedence determines the
order in which the operations are evaluated within the rule.
Example of a rule that includes three operations:

Displayname StartsWith “L” NotEqual Displayname contains “x”

This rule selects the following virtual machines:

Virtual machines with the names that start with L.
Virtual machines with the names that do not start with L but that do contain x.
Explanation: The StartsWith and Contains operations have a precedence of 6,
whereas NotEqual has a lower precedence of 3. Starting on the left, the
StartsWith operation is evaluated first and the Contains operation is evaluated
next. The last operation to be evaluated is Not Equal.
See “Using the Query Builder in Advanced mode” on page 59.

Parentheses in compound queries

You can use the Query Builder to make precise queries containing as many rules
as necessary to identify the appropriate virtual machines. In a query such as
powerstate Equal "poweredOn", the result of the query is easy to predict: only
the virtual machines that are turned on are included in the backup. But if several
rules are combined with AND and OR, the result may not be obvious. This kind of
query is called a compound query. Compound queries contain two or more rules,
joined by AND, AND NOT, OR, or OR NOT.
The order in which the Query Builder evaluates compound rules affects the outcome
of the query. Grouping the rules with parentheses can change the order of evaluation
and thus the outcome of the query.
The examples in the following table demonstrate how the Query Builder evaluates
compound queries with and without parentheses.

Note: Only the Query Builder's Advanced Mode supports the use of parentheses.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 67
Query rules for virtual machine Notes that contain a newline character

Table 5-11 Examples of compound queries with and without parentheses

Example query The following virtual machines are selected

HypervServer Equal "HV-serv1" OR All virtual machines in HV-serv1 (regardless of their power state), and any
IsClustered Equal TRUE AND virtual machines that are turned on in a clustered environment.
powerstate Equal ON
To select only the virtual machines that are turned on both in the Hyper-V
server and in clustered environments, use parentheses (see next example).

(HypervServer Equal "HV-serv1" OR All the virtual machines that are turned on in HV-serv1 and in clustered
IsClustered Equal TRUE) AND environments.
powerstate Equal ON

Query rules for virtual machine Notes that contain

a newline character
If the virtual machine's Notes contain a newline character, the Query Builder's folder
icon for browsing may not return the correct values. As a result, the query rule may
not select the VM for backup.
For example: If the VM's Notes contain the following words with a newline in between
them:

Server Location
Building A

Then the browsing icon returns “Server Location Building A”. The resulting query
rule is:

Notes Contains "Server Location Building A"

Since the newline character is not included in the query, the VM may not be backed
up. To include the VM in the backup, create the query manually without using the
browsing icon.
For this example, create the query: Notes Contains “Server Location” AND
Notes Contains “Building A”:

Query Builder field reference

You can use the Query Builder to enter rules for the automatic selection of virtual
machines for backup.
Table 5-12 describes the drop-down fields and options for creating rules in the
Query Builder.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 68
Query Builder field reference

Table 5-12 Query Builder drop-down options: Join, Field, Operator, Value

Query Builder Description

drop-down
fields

Join Selects a connector to join rules.

For the first rule, choices are blank (none) or NOT. After you add a rule,
the available connectors are AND, AND NOT, OR, OR NOT.

Field Selects a parameter on which to build the rule.

See Table 5-13 on page 69.

Operator Selects an operator.

See Table 5-15 on page 73.

Value(s) Specifies value(s) for the Field parameter.

The value(s) you enter must be enclosed in single quotes or double

quotes. You can specify multiple comma-separated values.

See Table 5-16 on page 74.

Browse Allows browsing for values, depending on the selections that are made
in the other drop-down fields.

Add Adds the current drop-down selections to the Query pane as a new
rule.

Resets the query fields to the default values.

Field (keywords)
The following tables describe the keywords available in the Field drop-down. The
tables also indicate whether the values for each keyword (in the Values field) are
case-sensitive.
Note that the Field keyword does not determine by itself the inclusion or exclusion
of virtual machines. Selection of virtual machines depends on the rule you construct:
the combination of Join, Field, Operator, and Value(s).
The available keywords depend on the Server Type that is selected:
■ For a description of the Hyper-V Standalone/Cluster keywords, see Table 5-13.
■ For a description of the System Center Virtual Machine Manager keywords,
see Table 5-14.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 69
Query Builder field reference

Table 5-13 For server type Hyper-V Standalone/Cluster: Keywords in the

Field drop-down

Field keyword Data type Description

ConfigurationVersion Numeric The configuration version of the virtual machine.

Displayname Alphanumeric The virtual machine's display name.

string
Values are case-sensitive.

HypervServer Alphanumeric The name of the Hyper-V server.

string
Values are not case-sensitive.

IsClustered Boolean TRUE if the virtual machine resides in a Hyper-V server that is in a cluster.

Notes Alphanumeric A note that was recorded about the virtual machine, in the virtual machine's
string Summary tab in Hyper-V Manager.

Values are case-sensitive.

Powerstate Alphabetic The state of the virtual machine.

Values are poweredOff, poweredOn, suspended, starting,

offCritical.

Table 5-14 For server type System Center Virtual Machine Manager:
Keywords in the Field drop-down

Field keyword Data type Description

BackupEnabled Boolean TRUE if the BackupEnabled property is enabled in Integration

Services.

Cloud Alphanumeric The name of the SCVMM cloud that the VM is a part of.
string
Values are not case-sensitive.

CloudVMRoleName Alphanumeric The name of the VM role for the SCVMM cloud.
string
Values are not case-sensitive.

ComputerName Alphanumeric The network host name of the VM.

string
Values are not case-sensitive.

CostCenter Alphanumeric The name of the VM's cost center.

string
Values are not case-sensitive.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 70
Query Builder field reference

Table 5-14 For server type System Center Virtual Machine Manager:
Keywords in the Field drop-down (continued)

Field keyword Data type Description

Description Alphanumeric The VM's description in SCVMM. This field is similar to the VM's
string Notes field in Hyper-V.

Values are case-sensitive.

Note: If the VM's description field contains a newline character,
the Query Builder's folder icon for browsing may not return the
correct values.

See “Query rules for virtual machine Notes that contain a newline
character” on page 67.

DRState Alphanumeric The disaster recovery state of the VM.

string
Values are Disabled, Enabled.

Generation Numeric string The numeric Generation (or type) of the VM that the SCVMM
server manages.

HasPassThroughDisk Boolean TRUE if the VM has a pass-through disk configured.

HasSharedStorage Boolean TRUE if the VM is in a cluster that has shared storage

configured.

HasVirtualFibreChannelAdapters Boolean TRUE if the VM has virtual Fibre Channel adapters. These
adapters enable Hyper-V VMs to have direct access to Fibre
Channel SAN array resources.

HostGroupPath Alphanumeric The complete host group path to the VM.

string
Values are not case-sensitive.

IsDREnabled Boolean TRUE if Microsoft Azure Site Recovery Provider (formerly

Hyper-V Recovery Manager) manages the VM's disaster
recovery.

IsFaultTolerant Boolean TRUE if the VM is marked for fault tolerance (if it can run without
interruption in the case of a host failure).

IsHighlyAvailable Boolean TRUE if the virtual machine resides in a Hyper-V server that is
in a CSV cluster.

IsPrimaryVM Boolean TRUE if the VM is a primary VM that is configured to be

replicated to a secondary VMM site.

IsRecoveryVM Boolean TRUE if the VM is a replicated copy (of the primary VM) at a
secondary Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) site.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 71
Query Builder field reference

Table 5-14 For server type System Center Virtual Machine Manager:
Keywords in the Field drop-down (continued)

Field keyword Data type Description

IsTestReplicaVM Boolean TRUE if the VM is a replicated copy that is designated in the

Microsoft Azure Site Recovery Provider (formerly Hyper-V
Recovery Manager) for failover test. Test failover is initiated on
a replica VM to test the virtualized workload without interrupting
the production site or ongoing replication.

You can exclude such VMs from the backup by creating queries
such as: IsTestReplicaVM Equal ‘FALSE’

IsUndergoingLiveMigration Boolean TRUE if the VM is in migration from one Hyper-V server to

another by means of the Hyper-V live migration feature.

Name Alphanumeric The VM's display name in SCVMM.

string
Values are case-sensitive.

OperatingSystem Alphanumeric The VM's guest operating system.

string
Values are not case-sensitive.

Owner Alphanumeric The VM owner’s name.

string
Values are not case-sensitive.

RecoveryPointObjective Numeric The recovery point objective (RPO) value for this VM.

RPO is the maximum acceptable data loss as measured in time.

In backup storage, RPO is the maximum age of the data that is
required to resume normal operations if a failure occurs. For
example, if the RPO is set to 30 minutes, then a backup of the
system is required every 30 minutes.

Tag Alphanumeric The name of the tag. A tag is a string for logical grouping of VMs
string in NetBackup.

Values are not case-sensitive.

TotalSize Numeric The total size on disk (in bytes) of all the VM's VHDs.

UserRole Alphanumeric The user role the VM is a part of, such as Administrator, Fabric
string Administrator, or Tenant Administrator.

Values are not case-sensitive.

 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 72
Query Builder field reference

Table 5-14 For server type System Center Virtual Machine Manager:
Keywords in the Field drop-down (continued)

Field keyword Data type Description

VirtualMachineState Alphanumeric The power state of the virtual machine.

string
Values are not case-sensitive.

Hyper-V has many possible values for the VM state, such as

PowerOff and Running.

VMConfigurationVersion Numeric The configuration version of the virtual machine.

Note the following:

■ This option works only with SCVMM 2016 and later. In

SCVMM 2012, the VM's configuration version is not available,
so NetBackup is unable to retrieve the configuration version.
If the NetBackup primary server protects SCVMM 2016 as
well as SCVMM 2012, you can use
VMConfigurationVersion with the IsSet operator. For
example:
Name Contains "Production" AND
VMConfigurationVersion IsSet AND
VMConfigurationVersion Greater "5.0"
In this example, no VMs in SCVMM 2012 are selected,
because the VMConfigurationVersion IsSet rule
returns "false." On SCVMM 2016,
VMConfigurationVersion IsSet returns "true": The
query can select any VM that contains “Production” in its
name and is at a configuration version later than 5.0.

VMHost Alphanumeric The name of the Hyper-V host for this VM.
string
Values are not case-sensitive.

VMResource Alphanumeric The resource for a highly available VM.

string
Values are not case-sensitive.

VMResourceGroup Alphanumeric The resource group for a highly available VM.

string
Values are not case-sensitive.

Operators
Table 5-15 describes the operators available in the Operator drop-down.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 73
Query Builder field reference

Table 5-15 Operators in the Operator drop-down

Operator Description

AnyOf Matches any of the specified values in the Value(s) field.

For example: If the display names in the Value(s) field are "vm01","vm02","vm03", AnyOf matches
any VM that has one of those names. If the names of your VMs are not identical to any of the
specified values, no match occurs. A VM that is named "vm01A" is not a match.

Contains Matches the value in the Value(s) field wherever that value occurs in the string.

For example: If the Value(s) entry is "dev", Contains matches strings such as "01dev",
"01dev99", "devOP", and "Development_machine".

EndsWith Matches the value in the Value(s) field when it occurs at the end of a string.

For example: If the Value(s) entry is "dev", EndsWith matches the string "01dev" but not
"01dev99", "devOP", or "Development_machine".

Equal Matches only the value that is specified in the Value(s) field.

For example: If the display name to search for is "VMtest27", Equal matches virtual machine
names such as "VMTest27" or "vmtest27" or "vmTEST27", and so forth. The name "VMtest28"
is not matched.

Greater Matches any value that is greater than the specified Value(s), according to the ASCII collating
sequence.

GreaterEqual Matches any value that is greater than or equal to the specified Value(s), according to the ASCII
collating sequence.

IsSet Determines whether a value is returned for the Field keyword. Use IsSet with another rule as a
condition, to ensure that the query selects the appropriate virtual machines.

Note that you do not make an entry under Value(s) for a rule that uses IsSet.

See “The IsSet operator in queries” on page 63.

See “Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query results”
on page 76.

See “Test Query: Failed virtual machines” on page 76.

Less Matches any value that is less than the specified Value(s), according to the ASCII collating
sequence.

LessEqual Matches any value that is less than or equal to the specified Value(s), according to the ASCII
collating sequence.

NotEqual Matches any value that is not equal to the value in the Value(s) field.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 74
Query Builder field reference

Table 5-15 Operators in the Operator drop-down (continued)

Operator Description

StartsWith Matches the value in the Value(s) field when it occurs at the start of a string.

For example: If the Value(s) entry is "box", StartsWith matches the string "box_car" but not
"flat_box".

Value
Table 5-16 describes the characters that can be entered in the Value field. The
Field keyword determines case sensitivity.

Note: The character string you enter in the Value field must be enclosed in single
quotes or double quotes.

Table 5-16 Characters you can enter for Value

Character types String characters allowed

Alphanumerics A to Z, a to z, 0 to 9 (decimal), and the following special characters:

, ~ ! @ $ % ^ & * ( ) ` - _ = + [ ] { } | \ : ; , . < > / ?

Note: If the policy's Primary VM identifier option is set to VM display name, only the
following characters are supported in the virtual machine's display name: A to Z, a to z, 0 to
9, hyphen (-), period (.), underscore (_), plus sign (+), left and right parentheses (), spaces.

Wildcards * (asterisk) matches everything.

For example: "*prod*" matches the string "prod" preceded or followed by any characters.

? (question mark) matches any single character.

For example: "prod??" matches the string "prod" followed by any two characters.

Escape character \ (backslash) escapes the wildcard or meta-character that follows it.

For example: To search for a string that contains an asterisk (such as test*), enter "test\*"

Quotation marks Note: The characters you enter in Value(s) must be enclosed in single or double quotes.

To search for a string that contains quotation marks, either escape each quote (\") or enclose
the entire string in the opposite type of quotes.

For example: To search for a string that includes double quotes (such as "name"), enter
'"name"' (enclosing it in single quotes) or "\"name\"".
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 75
Test Query screen for Hyper-V

Test Query screen for Hyper-V

This screen lists the virtual machines that NetBackup discovered in your virtual
environment when you clicked Test Query. Later changes in the virtual environment
may affect which virtual machines match the query rules. For example: if virtual
machines are added, the test results may not be identical to the virtual machines
that are selected for backup when the backup runs.
When the next backup runs from this policy, the following events occur: NetBackup
re-discovers virtual machines, consults the query rules, and backs up the virtual
machines that match the rules.
The list of backed up virtual machines is saved but the virtual machines are not
displayed in the policy's Clients tab. You can use the Activity Monitor to view the
virtual machine jobs.
The Test Query function runs in the background. You can continue to configure
the policy while the test runs. Any changes you make in the Query Builder however
are not included in the currently running test. You must re-initiate the test to see
the results of your Query Builder changes.

Table 5-17 Test Query screen fields

Field Description

Test query for Lists the rules in the Query Builder that were used in this test. The rules
policy are specified in the Query Builder on the policy Clients tab.

Test Query VM Name: Shows the display name of all discovered virtual machines.
Results Selection: Lists the virtual machines that were discovered, as follows:

■ INCLUDED: The virtual machine matches the rules in the query.

■ EXCLUDED: The virtual machine does not match the rules in the query.
■ FAILED: The virtual machine cannot be selected for backup because
of a host name problem or other error. Also, the query cannot exclude
the virtual machine. An explanation appears at the bottom of the Test
Query screen. For example:

VM does not have a host name to use as a

client name, display name =

See “Test Query: Failed virtual machines” on page 76.

The operator IsSet can be used to filter out such virtual machines. More
information is available on IsSet.
See “The IsSet operator in queries” on page 63.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 76
Test Query: Failed virtual machines

Table 5-17 Test Query screen fields (continued)

Field Description

Included: The bottom of the screen gives a tally of how many virtual machines were
included, excluded, or failed in the test.
Excluded:

Failed:

Test Query: Failed virtual machines

If the query rules cannot exclude a virtual machine, and that virtual machine cannot
be selected for backup, it is marked as FAILED. The virtual machine is listed as
not run in the job details log.
For example: the virtual machine does not have the type of name specified by the
Primary VM identifier parameter (such as host name or display name). Or the
virtual machine name contains invalid characters. In any case, a virtual machine
that is listed as FAILED should be investigated: it may be one that you want to back
up.
To see the reason for the failure, click on the virtual machine in the Test Query
Results. An explanation appears at the bottom of the screen.
Explanation: The virtual machine Win%1 in the example does not have a host name.
In the NetBackup policy, on the Hyper-V tab, the Primary VM identifier parameter
may be set to VM hostname. In that case, NetBackup cannot refer to the virtual
machine by its host name and thus cannot back it up.
To fix this problem, use the Hyper-V Manager to configure a host name for the
virtual machine.
See “The IsSet operator in queries” on page 63.

Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on

Selection column in Test Query results
The NetBackup policy's Primary VM identifier parameter tells NetBackup how to
identify virtual machines. For example, if the parameter is set to VM hostname,
NetBackup identifies virtual machines by their host names. If they do not have a
host name, the policy cannot back them up.
The Primary VM identifier parameter has a direct effect on the query test results.
Note that for each virtual machine, the query test result is one of three possibilities:
INCLUDED, EXCLUDED, or FAILED.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 77
Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM Name column in Test query results

If NetBackup cannot identify a virtual machine according to the Primary VM

identifier parameter, one of two test results can occur:
■ If the virtual machine is filtered out by the query rules, it is listed as EXCLUDED.
■ If the virtual machine is not filtered out by the query rules, it is listed as FAILED.
The following table gives the test query results from example combinations of
the Primary VM identifier parameter and a query rule.

Table 5-18 Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter and query rules on test
query results

Primary VM Query rule in Query Test query result

identifier setting on Builder
Hyper-V policy tab

VM hostname Displayname Contains INCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a host name and
"VM" that have a display name that contains "VM".

EXCLUDED: Any virtual machines that do not have a display

name that contains "VM".

FAILED: Any virtual machines that have a display name that

contains "VM" but that do not have a host name. Since the
Primary VM identifier parameter is set to VM hostname,
NetBackup cannot select the virtual machine for backup.

VM display name Displayname Contains INCLUDED: Any virtual machines with the display names that
"VM" contain "VM". Since the Primary VM identifier parameter tells
NetBackup to select the virtual machine by display name, it
can back up the virtual machines.

EXCLUDED: All other virtual machines.

Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM

Name column in Test query results
The policy's Primary VM identifier parameter affects the type of virtual machine
name that appears in the VM Name column of the Test Query screen, as follows:
■ If a virtual machine is EXCLUDED or FAILED, it is listed according to its virtual
machine display name. The Primary VM identifier parameter does not matter.
■ If a virtual machine is listed as INCLUDED, note: The name that appears under
VM Name is the type of name that is specified on the Primary VM identifier
parameter.
For example: If the Primary VM identifier parameter is VM hostname, the
included virtual machine is listed according to its host name. Even if the query
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 78
Restoring a VM that was backed up with a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy and that has a pass-through disk

rule specified Display name (such as Displayname Equal "vm1"), the virtual
machine appears on the Test Query screen by its host name.

Restoring a VM that was backed up with a Hyper-V

Intelligent Policy and that has a pass-through disk
If a Hyper-V VM with a pass-through disk was backed up with a Hyper-V intelligent
policy (Query Builder), the restored VM may not start. The following message
appears:
An error occurred while attempting to start the selected virtual
machine(s).

The message includes the name of the VM, its virtual machine ID, and related
details.

Note: Although the VM does not start, the VM data (including the pass-through
disk) is successfully restored.

To start a VM that is in a Hyper-V cluster:

1 In the Failover Cluster Manager, under Actions click Configure Role….
2 In the Select Role screen, select Virtual Machine as the role.
3 In the Select Virtual Machine screen, select the VM to configure for high
availability.

Note: The VM was restored to a state of non high-availability.

When the restored virtual machine is set to high availability, it should start
normally.
4 Right-click on the VM and click Start.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 79
Restoring a VM that was backed up with a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy and that has a pass-through disk

To start a VM that is not in a Hyper-V cluster:

1 In the Hyper-V Manager, right-click the VM and click Settings.
2 Select the pass-through drive's IDE Controller (for Generation 1 VM) or the
SCSI Controller (for Generation 2 VM).
The pass-through disk appears under the controller, as Hard Drive Physical
drive Disk x.
For example:

3 In the right panel under Physical hard disk, click Remove.

4 Click Apply to commit the change.
5 Reselect the pass-through drive's IDE Controller or SCSI Controller.
6 Select Hard Drive and click Add.
Beneath the IDE Controller or SCSI Controller appears Hard Drive <file>. The
default selection in the Media panel on the right is Virtual hard disk.
 Configure Hyper-V Intelligent Policies 80
Restoring a VM that was backed up with a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy and that has a pass-through disk

7 To add the pass-through disk, click Physical hard disk.

8 Click Apply and then click OK.

9 Right-click on the virtual machine and click Start.
The virtual machine should start normally.
 Chapter 6
NetBackup Hyper-V for
SCVMM
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ About backup of virtual machines in an SCVMM environment

■ Notes on NetBackup for Hyper-V with SCVMM

■ Creating a query to back up VMs in a localized SCVMM environment

About backup of virtual machines in an SCVMM

environment
A NetBackup Hyper-V Intelligent policy can protect VMs that Microsoft’s System
Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) manages. By means of queries in the
policy’s Query Builder, a policy can discover and back up the VMs on all the Hyper-V
servers that SCVMM manages.

Note: To restore the VMs, you can use the NetBackup Backup, Archive, and Restore
interface, or the NetBackup Add-in for SCVMM.

Figure 6-1 shows NetBackup in an SCVMM environment. SCVMM manages multiple

Hyper-V servers. A NetBackup policy can discover and back up the VMs on all the
Hyper-V servers.
 NetBackup Hyper-V for SCVMM 82
About backup of virtual machines in an SCVMM environment

Figure 6-1 NetBackup for Hyper-V under SCVMM

NetBackup primary
server
UNIX, Linux, or Windows
LAN / WAN

SCVMM
server

NetBackup media server

UNIX, Linux, or Windows

Hyper-V
servers

One NetBackup client installed

on the SCVMM server and
on each Hyper-V server.

Virtual machines
VM VM VM

VM VM VM

Note: This SCVMM feature requires NetBackup’s Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

(automatic selection of VMs through a predefined query).

Note: This SCVMM feature adds a new capability: For VMs that reside under
SCVMM, NetBackup can identify and back up VMs by their host name even if they
are shut down.

Note: In an SCVMM managed environment, dynamic optimization can trigger more

frequent migration. If there are frequent retries happening, configure VM optimization
actions correctly to manage VM migrations.

The following topics contain further information on NetBackup for Hyper-V with
SCVMM:
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection” on page 56.
See “Examples for the NetBackup Query Builder” on page 61.
See “Query Builder field reference” on page 67.
See “Notes on NetBackup for Hyper-V with SCVMM” on page 83.
 NetBackup Hyper-V for SCVMM 83
Notes on NetBackup for Hyper-V with SCVMM

Notes on NetBackup for Hyper-V with SCVMM

Note the following about NetBackup for Hyper-V with SCVMM:
■ Requires SCVMM 2012 R2 or later.
For a list of supported versions of SCVMM, see the appropriate version of the
NetBackup Software Compatibility List available from the following location:
NetBackup Compatibility List for all Versions
■ NetBackup client software must be installed on the SCVMM server and on each
Hyper-V server.
■ Certain kinds of VMs are excluded from the backup list when the NetBackup
Hyper-V policy runs:
■ Hyper-V VMs that are marked for deletion.
■ Hyper-V VM templates.
■ Hyper-V VMs that are stored on an SCVMM library server.

■ Any VMs that do not reside on a Hyper-V server, such as VMware VMs.

Note: SCVMM can manage non-Hyper-V VMs. NetBackup for Hyper-V does
not back up these VMs. To back up VMware VMs for example, use
NetBackup for VMware.

The Test Query dialog lists these types of VMs as Excluded, with a message
that explains the reason for the exclusion. (The Test Query option is available
on the policy Clients tab.)
■ Changes that are made through Hyper-V Manager on individual Hyper-V hosts
or clusters can take up to 24 hours to be reflected in SCVMM. This delay is due
to the Microsoft SCVMM refresh cycle. In an SCVMM environment, Microsoft
recommends making VM configuration changes through SCVMM (not through
the Hyper-V Manager on individual hosts or clusters). Changes that are made
through the SCVMM Console are reflected immediately in SCVMM.
■ In an SCVMM environment, the VM GUID is referred to as the VM ID.
 NetBackup Hyper-V for SCVMM 84
Creating a query to back up VMs in a localized SCVMM environment

Caution: If the SCVMM environment includes multiple VMs that have the same
VM ID, each SCVMM refresh cycle reports only one of the VMs. Any other VM
with the same VM ID is not visible. The NetBackup policy can back up only the
VM that is currently reported or visible. Any other VM that has the same VM ID
is not visible and is not backed up.
To make sure that NetBackup can discover and back up all VMs, avoid duplicate
VM IDs in the SCVMM environment.

■ To back up VMs in an SCVMM environment, the NetBackup policy must use

queries to select the VMs automatically (Hyper-V Intelligent Policy). If the query
includes localized (non-English) values, the policy may not be able to select and
back up the VMs.
See “Creating a query to back up VMs in a localized SCVMM environment”
on page 84.

Creating a query to back up VMs in a localized

SCVMM environment
This topic describes how to create a query in a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy to back
up VMs in a localized (non-English) SCVMM environment.
To create a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy for a non-localized (English) SCVMM
environment, see the following topic:
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection” on page 56.
To create a query to back up VMs in a localized SCVMM environment
1 In the policy's Query Builder, select from the Join, Field, and Operator fields
to begin building the query.
2 Use the browse button to retrieve the possible values for the Field keyword.
3 Click the value to use in the query.
4 Click Save to add a query with that value.
 Chapter 7
Windows Server failover
cluster support
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ About virtual machines on Windows failover clusters

■ Notes on CSV backup and restore

■ Creating a policy for virtual machines in a cluster

■ Location of the restored virtual machine in a cluster

■ Virtual machine maintenance after a restore

About virtual machines on Windows failover

clusters
NetBackup support for failover clusters includes the following:
■ NetBackup can use a single policy to back up high availability (HA) and non-HA
virtual machines in the cluster.
■ NetBackup can back up a virtual machine even if it migrates to a different node
in the cluster.
■ NetBackup can restore the entire virtual machine to a cluster or to any Hyper-V
host.

Note: A NetBackup client must be installed on each node of the cluster.

When restoring a clustered virtual machine to its original location, note the following:
 Windows Server failover cluster support 86
Notes on CSV backup and restore

■ The restore destination depends on the following: The virtual machine's HA

status at the time of its backup and at the time of restore (if it still exists).
See “Location of the restored virtual machine in a cluster” on page 88.
■ Virtual machines are always restored to a state of non-high-availability. They
can be manually reset for high availability.
■ If the existing virtual machine has a status of highly available at restore time,
also note the following:
■ Its cluster resources are deleted during the restore.
■ Its cluster group is not deleted during restore. Removal of the cluster group
must be done manually.
See “Virtual machine maintenance after a restore” on page 89.

Notes on CSV backup and restore

NetBackup can back up the virtual machines that are configured in cluster-shared
volumes (CVS).
Note the following:
■ During the backup, the cluster-shared volume (CSV) enters the online state
(“Backup in progress, Redirected access"). The cluster node that performs the
backup becomes the owner of the CSV.
■ Cluster nodes can back up the same CSV simultaneously.
See “Cluster shared volumes timeout (Hyper-V with VSS)” on page 39.
■ A single node containing two virtual machines can back up both virtual machines
simultaneously, even if they use the same CSV. As long as both virtual machines
reside on the same node, simultaneous backups are allowed.
■ For a successful backup of a virtual machine on a CSV, the virtual machine
must use CSV volumes only. If a local disk on the Hyper-V server (not a CSV
volume) is added to the virtual machine, the backup fails with status 156.
Reconfigure the virtual machine to use CSV volumes only, and retry the backup.

Creating a policy for virtual machines in a cluster

This procedure focuses on the configuration items that are unique to the virtual
machines that use a CSV. Broader details on creating a policy are available:
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy” on page 31.
 Windows Server failover cluster support 87
Creating a policy for virtual machines in a cluster

To create a policy for the virtual machines that are in a CSV cluster
1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 On the left, click Protection > Policies.
3 Select Hyper-V as the policy type.
4 Click the Hyper-V tab and select the backup method (VSS or WMI).
5 For the VSS backup method only: Note the following options on the Hyper-V
tab:

Enable offline backup Determines whether or not NetBackup is allowed to perform

for non-VSS VMs an offline backup of a virtual machine.

See “Enable offline backup of non-VSS VMs (Hyper-V with

VSS)” on page 38.

Cluster shared Determines how many minutes the backup job waits, in case
volumes timeout another node backs up the same shared volume(s) that this
backup requires.
Note: This option is not used if the cluster is on Windows
2012.

See “Cluster shared volumes timeout (Hyper-V with VSS)”

on page 39.

6 On the Clients tab, enter the name of the cluster in the Hyper-V server field.
7 On the Clients tab, click Add.
Note: This procedure describes how to select virtual machines manually. For
automatic selection of virtual machines with a Hyper-V Intelligent policy, see
the following topics:
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy for automatic virtual machine selection”
on page 56.
See “Changing the NetBackup Legacy Network Service logon (vnetd.exe) to
the domain user account” on page 23.
8 You can enter the host name, display name, or GUID of the virtual machine to
back up, or click Browse virtual machines.
The cluster name and its nodes (Hyper-V servers) appear in the left pane,
under Hyper-V Manager. The virtual machines appear in the larger pane to
the right.
The Highly available column indicates whether the virtual machine is
configured as highly available in the cluster.
 Windows Server failover cluster support 88
Location of the restored virtual machine in a cluster

Note the following:

■ The host name or display name must appear in the list according to the
Primary VM identifier option on the Hyper-V tab. If you selected VM
hostname for the Primary VM identifier option, and a host name for the
virtual machine does not appear: The virtual machine cannot be added to
the Clients list.
The host name of a virtual machine is available only when the virtual
machine is in the running state. The display name and GUID are always
available. If the host name does not appear, make sure that the virtual
machine is turned on.
■ If the right pane reads "Unable to connect," the highlighted node in the left
pane is down or the NetBackup client service is not running.

9 When you have selected virtual machines, click Add or Select.

The selected virtual machines display on the Clients tab.

Location of the restored virtual machine in a

cluster
When you restore a virtual machine to a cluster, you can restore to the original
location or to a different location. But for a virtual machine that failed over to another
node after the backup occurred, what is the original location? Is it the node (Hyper-V
server) where the virtual machine resided when it was backed up, or the node where
it now resides?
The following table is a decision chart for restore to original location in a cluster. It
indicates where the virtual machine is restored. The location depends on the virtual
machine's high availability (HA) state when it was backed up and when it was
restored.

Table 7-1 Decision chart for restore to original location in a cluster

Is the virtual Is the virtual Virtual machine is restored to this node (to non-HA
machine status HA machine status HA state):
at time of backup? at time of restore?

Yes Yes For both WMI and VSS:

Restored to the node that owns the virtual machine at the time of
restore.
 Windows Server failover cluster support 89
Virtual machine maintenance after a restore

Table 7-1 Decision chart for restore to original location in a cluster

(continued)

Is the virtual Is the virtual Virtual machine is restored to this node (to non-HA
machine status HA machine status HA state):
at time of backup? at time of restore?

Yes No For both WMI and VSS:

Restored to the node where the virtual machine resided at the time
of backup.

Yes Virtual machine does For both WMI and VSS:

not exist.
Restored to the node where the virtual machine resided at the time
of backup.

No Yes For both WMI and VSS:

Restored to the node where the virtual machine resided at the time
of backup.

At the time of restore, if the virtual machine resides on a different

node than where it resided when backed up, the restore fails.

No No For both WMI and VSS:

Restored to the node where the virtual machine resided at the time
of backup.

No Virtual machine does For both WMI and VSS:

not exist.
Restored to the node where the virtual machine resided at the time
of backup.

Note: In all cases, the virtual machine is restored to the non-HA state.

Virtual machine maintenance after a restore

Note the following about restoring a virtual machine in a cluster:
■ Virtual machines are always restored to a state of non-high availability. To return
the virtual machine to high availability, use the Microsoft Failover Cluster
Manager and the High Availability Wizard. For instructions, refer to the
following Microsoft document:
Hyper-V: Using Hyper-V and Failover Clustering
■ If the existing virtual machine has a status of high availability and the restore
overwrites the virtual machine, note the following:
 Windows Server failover cluster support 90
Virtual machine maintenance after a restore

■ The existing virtual machine's cluster resources are removed during the
restore.
See “Removal of cluster resources during restore” on page 90.
■ The virtual machine's cluster group is not removed during restore. When two
or more virtual machines are created on the same cluster disks, the cluster
software places their resources in the same virtual machine group. Since
another virtual machine may share that group, NetBackup does not delete
the group.
Removal of the cluster group must be done manually. Refer to Microsoft
documentation for instructions.

Removal of cluster resources during restore

When a virtual machine is configured as highly available, the Windows Server
Failover Cluster (WSFC) software creates a group for that virtual machine. The
group contains various resources, such as VM resource, VM configuration resource,
and disk resource. These resources are under the control of the group.
When a highly available (HA) virtual machine is restored to its original location, the
existing virtual machine at that location must be removed. As part of the restore,
the WSFC software automatically removes the virtual machine's group resources
as well, as described in the following table.

Table 7-2 Removal of cluster resources during restore: CSV-based vs.

non-CSV-based

Is the HA virtual machine These group resources are removed along with
based on a CSV volume? the existing virtual machine:

Yes VM resource, VM configuration resource, and disk

resource are removed.

No VM resource and VM configuration resource are

removed. The existing disk resource is retained as part
of the cluster group.
 Chapter 8
Back up and restore
Hyper-V
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ Backing up Hyper-V virtual machines

■ WMI backup method: State of the virtual machine before and after restore

■ Notes on individual file restore

■ Notes on full virtual machine restore

■ About restoring individual files

■ Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a host that has a NetBackup client

■ Restore options for restore of Hyper-V individual files (NetBackup web UI)

■ Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a shared location on the virtual machine

■ Restoring the full Hyper-V virtual machine

■ Restore Options

■ About restoring common files

■ The BAR interface may list Hyper-V snapshot files when you browse to restore
Hyper-V VM files

Backing up Hyper-V virtual machines

Virtual machine backups can be initiated from a NetBackup policy. You can start
the backup manually from a policy, or have it run automatically according to a
schedule that is defined in the policy.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 92
WMI backup method: State of the virtual machine before and after restore

To create the policy, you can use the NetBackup web UI.
See “Creating a Hyper-V policy” on page 31.
To back up a virtual machine manually from an existing policy
1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 On the left, click Protection > Policies.
3 Select the policy.
4 Click Manual backup.
5 Select the type of schedule for the backup.
6 Select the clients (virtual machines) to back up.
7 Click Backup to start the backup.
8 To watch the backup progress, click Activity monitor.

WMI backup method: State of the virtual machine

before and after restore
Unlike the VSS backup method, the WMI method (for Windows Server 2016 and
later) does not employ online vs offline backups.

Table 8-1 WMI backup method: State of the virtual machine before and
after restore

State at the time of backup State after restore

Running Off

Saved Saved

Paused Off

Off Off

Notes on individual file restore

Note the following:
■ If you are running antivirus protection on Hyper-V virtual machines, it is
recommended Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0 Maintenance Release 4
(build 11.0.4000) or later. Restores of virtual machine files complete faster if the
virtual machine is running this version as opposed to an earlier version of
Endpoint Protection.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 93
Notes on individual file restore

■ Cross-platform restore of individual files is not supported. You can restore

Windows files to Windows guest operating systems only, not to Linux. You can
restore Linux files to Linux guest operating systems only, not to Windows.
■ To restore files to a shared location on the virtual machine, note: Virtual machines
must be in the same domain as the NetBackup client and primary and media
server.
■ To restore an individual file that is larger than approximately 2 GB, restore the
file to a host that has a NetBackup client. NetBackup for Hyper-V does not
currently support restores of large files by means of a shared location on the
virtual machine. This file size restriction does not apply to restore of an entire
virtual machine.
See “Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a host that has a NetBackup client”
on page 97.
■ From a backup image that was made with the Enable file recovery from VM
backup option: If you select individual files to restore, the selected files must
have originally resided on the same virtual machine volume. If some files resided
on one volume and other files resided on a different volume, the restore fails.
■ To restore Windows encrypted files, the NetBackup Client Service must be
logged on as Administrator on the target host for the restore. Under services on
the control panel, change the logon for the NetBackup Client Services from
Local System Account to Administrator.
■ Files that use NTFS-file system features cannot retain those features if you
attempt to restore the files to a FAT or FAT32 file system.
Note the following:
■ Files that were compressed under NTFS are restored as uncompressed files
in a FAT or FAT32 file system.
■ Files that were encrypted under NTFS cannot be restored to a FAT or FAT32
file system.
■ Files that had NTFS-based security attributes are restored without those
attributes in a FAT or FAT32 file system.
■ The restore fails with NetBackup status 2817 when the files that have
alternate data streams are restored to a FAT or FAT32 file system.
■ On a restore, NetBackup recreates the linking between a hard link and its original
file only if the link file and its target file are restored in the same job. If each file
is restored individually in separate restore jobs, they are restored as separate
files and the link is not re-established.
■ On a Linux virtual machine, a backup that was made with the Enable file
recovery from VM backup option may have file-mapping issues if the virtual
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 94
Notes on individual file restore

machine experiences heavy I/O. (Windows Hyper-V provides no mechanism

for quiescing file system activity on Linux virtual machines.)
See “Problems with restore of individual files” on page 146.
■ For Linux virtual machines, only the ext2, ext3, and ext4 file systems are
supported for individual file restore. If a partition uses some other file system,
the backup succeeds but files in that partition cannot be individually restored.
Note: The "/" (root) partition must be formatted with ext2, ext3, or ext4 so that
NetBackup can present mount points in the Backup, Archive, and Restore
interface.
■ The Linux ext4 file system includes a persistent pre-allocation feature, to
guarantee disk space for files without padding the allocated space with zeros.
When NetBackup restores a pre-allocated file (to any supported ext file system),
the file loses its preallocation and is restored as a sparse file.
■ To migrate an ext2 or ext3 file system to ext4: See the instructions under
Converting an ext3 file system to ext4 on the following page of the Ext4 wiki:
https://ext4.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Ext4_Howto#Converting_an_ext3_filesystem_to_ext4
If you do not follow these instructions, data in a newly created ext4 file is not
promptly flushed from memory to disk. As a result, NetBackup cannot back up
the data of recently created files in the ext4 file system. (The NetBackup snapshot
captures the file as zero length.) As a workaround for the file systems that were
not correctly migrated, note: Run the Linux sync command on the ext4 file system
before starting each backup.
■ NetBackup supports backup of Linux FIFO files and socket files. Note however
that NetBackup does not support restoring FIFO files and socket files individually.
FIFO files and socket files can be restored along with the rest of the virtual
machine data when you recover the entire virtual machine.
■ For Linux virtual machines, NetBackup cannot restore individual files from
software RAID volumes. The files are restored when you restore the entire virtual
machine
■ NetBackup supports backup and restore of Linux LVM2 volumes, including
individual file restore from an LVM2 volume. Note however that NetBackup does
not support individual file restore from a snapshot that was created by means
of the snapshot feature in LVM2. If an LVM2 snapshot exists at the time of the
backup, the data in the snapshot is captured in the backup. The data can be
restored along with the rest of the virtual machine data when you recover the
entire virtual machine.
■ For VMs on a Windows 2012 R2 Hyper-V server, the BAR interface may list
Hyper-V snapshot files when you browse to restore VM files. In some cases,
the snapshot file data is not application consistent and the file should not be
restored.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 95
Notes on full virtual machine restore

To identify the snapshot file and to decide whether to restore it:

See “The BAR interface may list Hyper-V snapshot files when you browse to
restore Hyper-V VM files” on page 111.
■ For Linux, additional notes apply.
See “Notes on Linux virtual machines” on page 21.
■ NetBackup for Hyper-V does not support individual file restore by means of
ClientDirect Restore.

Notes on full virtual machine restore

Note the following:
■ A backup of the full virtual machine can be restored only to Windows Server
with the Hyper-V role enabled.
■ By default, the NetBackup client on the Hyper-V server does not have Windows
Administrator privileges. You can restore a full virtual machine from the
NetBackup server. You cannot restore a full virtual machine from a NetBackup
client that does not have Administrator privileges.
■ For the virtual machines that are configured in a volume GUID with a differencing
disk in another volume GUID, redirected restores are not supported.
See “Restored virtual machine fails to start” on page 144.
■ When you restore the virtual machine to its original location with the Overwrite
virtual machine option, note: The same virtual machine on the Hyper-V server
is automatically turned off and deleted before the restore. The vhd or vhdx files
of the virtual machine on the Hyper-V server are overwritten by the vhd or vhdx
files from the backup image. If any new vhd or vhdx files were created after the
backup, those files are not removed.
■ When you restore the virtual machine to a different location on the original
Hyper-V server or to a different server, note: The same virtual machine (if it
exists) on the Hyper-V server is automatically turned off and deleted before the
restore if you choose the Overwrite virtual machine option. The .vhd or .vhdx
files of the deleted virtual machine, however, are not deleted. You must delete
those files.
■ When you restore the virtual machine to a Hyper-V server that has a virtual
machine of the same GUID, you must select the Overwrite virtual machine
option. Otherwise, the restore fails.
■ If you restore a virtual machine without the Overwrite virtual machine option,
note: You must remove the current virtual machine and its vhd or vhdx files from
the destination server before you start the restore. If you remove the virtual
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 96
About restoring individual files

machine but leave one or more of its virtual disk files on the destination server,
the virtual disk files from the backup are not restored.
■ (This item is a limitation in VSS, not in NetBackup.) Immediately after a full virtual
machine is restored, the virtual machine volume may be larger than it was when
the virtual machine was backed up. The increase is normal: After the restore,
snapshot-related cache files remain on the volume. After about 20 minutes, the
cache files are automatically removed and the volume returns to its original size
Note: A new backup of the restored virtual machine could fail if the virtual
machine volume contains insufficient space to create a snapshot for the backup.
According to Microsoft, this situation should not occur as long as the virtual
machine volume has at least 10 to 15% free space.
■ In the following case a race condition may result:
■ You attempt to do a full restore of two virtual machines at the same time.
■ The two virtual machines also share a virtual hard disk (vhd or vhdx file) that
both restore jobs have selected to restore.
The two jobs may simultaneously attempt to access the same vhd or vhdx file,
but only one job gains access to the file. The other job is denied access, and
that job may fail with error code 185.
See “NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V” on page 136.
■ If you restore a virtual machine to a different Hyper-V server, the original Hyper-V
server and the target server must have the same number of network adapters
(NICs). You must configure the network adapter(s) for the restored virtual
machine on the target server.
See “Restored virtual machine fails to start” on page 144.
■ A restore of a virtual machine to an alternate location fails if any of its virtual
disks has an ampersand (&) in its path. As a workaround, restore the virtual
machine to its original location, or restore to a staging location and register the
virtual machine manually.

About restoring individual files

If the Enable file recovery from VM backup option was enabled, you can restore
the files and folders that existed on that virtual machine at the time of the backup.
If the Enable file recovery from VM backup option was not enabled, you can
restore the full virtual machine only.
See “Restoring the full Hyper-V virtual machine” on page 102.
More information is available on the Hyper-V backup options.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 97
Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a host that has a NetBackup client

See “Creating a Hyper-V policy” on page 31.

You can set up a configuration to restore individual files in any of the following ways:
■ Install a NetBackup client on another computer. Create a share on the virtual
machine to allow that computer to access the virtual machine. (The virtual
machine does not require a NetBackup client.) Specify the UNC path as the
destination for the restore. More information is available on this option:
See “Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a shared location on the virtual
machine” on page 100.
See “Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to a shared location on
the virtual machine” on page 102.
■ Install a NetBackup client on the virtual machine where you want to restore the
files. Restore the files to the virtual machine in the same manner as restoring
to any NetBackup client.
See “Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a host that has a NetBackup client”
on page 97.
■ Install a NetBackup client on another computer. Restore the files to that computer
and then copy the files to the virtual machine.
To restore encrypted files, you must install a NetBackup client on the virtual
machine and restore the files directly to the virtual machine.
See “Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a host that has a NetBackup client”
on page 97.
You can use the NetBackup Backup, Archive, and Restore interface to restore files
and folders from NetBackup for Hyper-V backups. NetBackup administrators can
use the NetBackup web UI to perform server-directed restores of Hyper-V policy
backups.
Important notes on Hyper-V restore are also available.
See “Notes on full virtual machine restore” on page 95.
See “Notes on individual file restore” on page 92.

Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a host that

has a NetBackup client
Note: Only a user with the RBAC Administrator or a user with similar permissions
has the ability to perform a server-directed restore from the web UI from the
Recovery node.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 98
Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a host that has a NetBackup client

Use the following procedure to restore individual files to a host that has a NetBackup
client.
To restore individual Hyper-V files to a host that has a NetBackup client
1 Open the NetBackup web UI.
2 On the left, click Recovery > Regular recovery. Then click Start recovery.
3 Select the following.

Server to use for backups and restores Enter the NetBackup primary server that
performed the Hyper-V backup.

Source client for restores Enter the Hyper-V virtual machine that was
backed up.

Destination client for restores Enter a physical host or a virtual machine.

The host or virtual machine must contain
a NetBackup client.

You must use a different procedure to

restore the files to a virtual machine that
does not have a NetBackup client.

See “Restoring individual Hyper-V files to

a shared location on the virtual machine”
on page 100.

Policy type for restores Enter Hyper-V.

4 On the Basic properties tab, select the following.

Policy type Enter Hyper-V.

Restore type Select Normal backups.

Source client Enter the Hyper-V virtual machine that was backed up.

Destination client Enter a physical host or a virtual machine. The host or

virtual machine must contain a NetBackup client.

You must use a different procedure to restore the files to

a virtual machine that does not have a NetBackup client.

See “Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a shared location

on the virtual machine” on page 100.

5 Click Next.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 99
Restore options for restore of Hyper-V individual files (NetBackup web UI)

6 NetBackup automatically displays the most recent backups available. Or, you
can select a date range or Use backup history.
7 Select the files to restore.
8 Click Next.
9 Select the recovery options.
Note the following:
■ Restore everything to its original location
Select this option to restore the files to their original paths or folders on the
destination client. If the original volume at the time of backup (such as E:\)
does not exist on the destination client for this restore, the restore fails.
■ Restore everything to a different location
Select this option to restore the files to a different path or folder on the
destination client. Specify the folder in the Destination field.
If the original volume at the time of backup (such as E:\) does not exist on
the destination client for this restore, the restore fails.
Use a different procedure to restore the files to a virtual machine that does
not have a NetBackup client:
See “Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a shared location on the virtual
machine” on page 100.
■ Restore individual directories and files to different locations
Select this option to restore files to particular locations. Each item you
selected to restore appears in the Source column. Double-click on an item
to enter or browse for a restore destination.

10 Click Next.
11 Review the recovery details. Then click Start recovery.

Restore options for restore of Hyper-V individual

files (NetBackup web UI)
Select from the following restore options.

Table 8-2 Options for individual file restore

Option Description

Restore everything to Restores the folders and files to the location where they resided
its original location when the backup occurred.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 100
Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a shared location on the virtual machine

Table 8-2 Options for individual file restore (continued)

Option Description

Restore everything to Restores the folders and files with their original hierarchy, but to a
a different location different location.

Use the Destination field to enter the restore location.

If the original volume at the time of backup (such as E:\) does not
exist on the destination client for this restore, the restore fails.

Restore individual Restores the folders and files to individually designated locations.
directories and files
to different locations

Allow overwrite of If any of the files that you want to restore already exist at the restore
existing files destination, the restore overwrites the existing files.

Media server Defines the media server that has access to the storage unit that
contains the backup image. An example of such an environment
is a Media Server Deduplication Pool (MSDP) with multiple media
servers.
Note: If the storage unit that contains the backup image is not
shared with multiple media servers, this option is grayed out.

Job priority Determines the restore job's priority for restore resources. A higher
priority means that NetBackup assigns the first available drive to
the first restore job with the highest priority. Enter a number
(maximum 99999). The default for all restore jobs is 0, the lowest
priority possible. Any restore job with a priority greater than zero
has priority over the default setting.

Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a shared

location on the virtual machine
You can restore virtual machine files to a Hyper-V virtual machine that does not
have a NetBackup client installed on it.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 101
Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a shared location on the virtual machine

To restore individual files to a virtual machine that is not a NetBackup client

1 Install a NetBackup client on a physical host.
The host must be in the same domain as the virtual machine that you want to
restore the files to. This host can be a Hyper-V server or another computer.
2 Create a share to allow the host that contains the NetBackup client to access
the virtual machine. The share must allow write access.
For example: \\virtual_machine1\share_folder
In this example, virtual_machine1 is the ultimate destination for the restored
files. The host with the NetBackup client acts as a conduit for the restore.
3 In the NetBackup web UI, click Recovery > Regular recovery > Start
recovery.
4 On the Basic properties tab, enter the following details:.

Restorestype Specify the restore type as normal backup.

Source client Specify the Hyper-V virtual machine that was backed up.

Destination client Select the host that has the NetBackup client. The virtual
machine to which you want to restore must have a share
for this host.

Do not specify the virtual machine in this field.

Policy type Specify Hyper-V.

5 Click Next.
6 NetBackup automatically displays the most recent backups available. Or, you
can select a date range or Use backup history.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 102
Restoring the full Hyper-V virtual machine

7 In the Restore target section, select Restore everything to a different

location.
In the Destination: field, enter the UNC path name that refers to the shared
drive or folder on the destination virtual machine.
For example, to restore files to E:\folder1 on virtual_machine1, enter the
following:
\\virtual_machine1\share_folder\

NetBackup restores the files to the shared location on the virtual machine.
8 You may have to change the logon for the NetBackup Client Service.
See “Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to a shared location on
the virtual machine” on page 102.

Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to a shared location

on the virtual machine
To restore individual files to a Windows virtual machine that has a shared drive,
note: the NetBackup Client Service must be logged on as the domain administrator
account. It must not be logged on as the Local System account. The Administrator
account allows NetBackup to write to the directories on the virtual machine to which
the data is restored.
If you try to restore files while the NetBackup Client Service is logged on as the
Local System account, the restore fails.
To log on the NetBackup Client Service as Administrator
1 In Windows Services on the host that has a share to the virtual machine,
double-click the NetBackup Client Service.
2 Check the Log On tab: if the service is not logged on as Administrator, stop
the service.
3 Change the logon to the Administrator account, in the domain in which both
the virtual machine and the host that has a share reside.
4 Restart the service.
5 Retry the restore.

Restoring the full Hyper-V virtual machine

This topic pertains to NetBackup for Hyper-V.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 103
Restoring the full Hyper-V virtual machine

You can restore the entire virtual machine to the original Hyper-V server or to a
different Hyper-V server.
For important notes on restoring the full virtual machine, see the following:
See “Notes on full virtual machine restore” on page 95.
To restore the entire Hyper-V virtual machine
1 Start the NetBackup web UI.
2 On the left, click Recovery > Regular recovery and click Start recovery.
3 On the Basic properties tab, select the following.

Policy type Enter Hyper-V.

Restore type Select Virtual machine backups.

Source client Enter the Hyper-V virtual machine that was backed up.

Destination client Enter a physical host or a virtual machine. The host or

virtual machine must contain a NetBackup client.

You must use a different procedure to restore the files to

a virtual machine that does not have a NetBackup client.

See “Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a shared location

on the virtual machine” on page 100.

4 Click Next.
5 NetBackup automatically displays the most recent backups available. Or, you
can select a date range or Use backup history.
6 Select the backup of the virtual machine that you want to restore.
Click Next.
7 Select the recovery options. See the table below for different options:
8 Hyper-V virtual machine Shows the Hyper-V hostname and GUID (Globally Unique
GUID Identifier) of the virtual machine that was backed up. Use
this value to verify that this backup represents the virtual
machine that you want to restore. The GUID is a unique
string for a virtual machine in addition to the hostname.

Restore Options

Restore to Hyper-V Restores the virtual machine to its original location on the
server original Hyper-V server.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 104
Restoring the full Hyper-V virtual machine

Restore to different Restores the virtual machine to a different location on the

locations on same / original Hyper-V server, or restores it to a different Hyper-V
different Hyper-V server server.

Restore to staging Restores the virtual machine files to the staging location on
location the server that you specify under Hyper-V server and
Restore everything to different directory. Use this option
if:

■ You do not want to restore an entire virtual machine

■ You do not want NetBackup to start the virtual machine
after the restore

For instance, you can use this option to add restored files
as a .vhd volume to a virtual machine other than the one
from which they were backed up.

Overwrite virtual If you selected Restore to Hyper-V server or Restore to

machine different locations on same / different Hyper-V server,
note the following:
(If you selected Restore
to staging location, this ■ If a virtual machine with the same GUID exits on the
option is Overwrite destination server, that virtual machine is removed along
existing files) with its configuration and snapshot files. Any existing
.vhd files for the virtual machine on the destination server
are overwritten. The virtual machine that you selected
to restore is restored from the backup.
■ If the Overwrite virtual machine option is not selected
and a virtual machine with the same GUID exists on the
destination server: the restore fails with NetBackup status
code 5.
■ If the Overwrite virtual machine option is not selected
and .vhd file(s) for the virtual machine still exist on the
destination: the .vhd file(s) from the backup are not
restored.
See “Problems with restore of the full virtual machine”
on page 147.
If you selected Restore to staging location, note the
following:

■ If the .vhd file you want to restore already exists on the

destination server in the location specified for the restore,
that file on the destination server is overwritten.
■ If the Overwrite existing files option is not selected and
any file you want to restore already exists in the location
specified for the restore, the file is not overwritten. Any
other files that are selected for restore are restored. The
restore is reported as a partial success.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 105
Restoring the full Hyper-V virtual machine

Restore Destinations

Hyper-V server If you selected Restore to Hyper-V server (to restore to

the original location), note: the restore destination is the
name of the Hyper-V server from which the virtual machine
was backed up. In this case, the destination cannot be
changed.

For the other restore options (restore to a different location,

or restore to staging location), specify the destination
Hyper-V server for the restore.

List of backed up files Lists the Hyper-V virtual machine files as they existed when
(Source) the virtual machine was backed up. By default, all listed files
are selected for restore.

If you do not want the restore to replace certain files on the

current virtual machine on the destination server, uncheck
those files. Leave a check mark next to the files that you
want to restore. The files that are not checked are not
restored. Note that virtual machine configuration files (.xml,
.vsv, and .bin files) and .avhd files are not de-selectable in
restores other than staging restores.
Note: Replacing common files with earlier versions can be
problematic for the virtual machines that rely on the common
files. If you do not want to overwrite the common files on
the Hyper-V server, uncheck the common files that you do
not want to restore.

Note the following about the listed files:

■ If you do not select any .vhd files, NetBackup tries to find

them in their original location. If they are missing at the
original location, the restore fails. If a parent .vhd file was
in E:\myVhds\ on the original machine and is not selected
during restore, NetBackup looks for the parent .vhd file
in E:\myVhds\ on the target machine. If the file does not
exist, the restore fails.
■ For Restore to Hyper-V server or Restore to different
locations on same / different Hyper-V server, you can
uncheck any .vhd files in this list. All other files are
pre-checked and cannot be unchecked.
■ For Restore to staging location, you can uncheck any
files in the list.
■ Configuration files (such as xml, bin, vsv, and snapshot
files) are always restored when you restore the full virtual
machine.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 106
Restore Options

Restore everything to This field is disabled if you selected Restore to Hyper-V

different directory server.

For restore to a different location or to staging location, enter

the path on the server or other machine that you specified
under Hyper-V server or Staging machine name.
NetBackup creates the appropriate subdirectories.

View Paths Displays the directories on the destination server in which

the Hyper-V files are to be restored. You must specify a
destination path in the Restore everything to different
directory field.

Override default job Determines the restore job's priority for restore resources.
priority A higher priority means that NetBackup assigns the first
available drive to the first restore job with the highest priority.
Enter a number (maximum 99999). The default for all restore
jobs is 0, the lowest priority possible. Any restore job with
a priority greater than zero has priority over the default
setting.

9 Click Next dialog.

10 Review the details.
11 Click Start Restore.
When the restore is complete, the restored virtual machine is placed in the
Saved or Off state. The state after restore depends on its state at the time of
the backup and the type of Hyper-V backup that occurred.
See “About Hyper-V online and offline backups for VSS” on page 153.
See “About restoring individual files ” on page 96.
See “NetBackup administrator tasks for Hyper-V” on page 14.
See “Problems with restore of the full virtual machine” on page 147.

Restore Options
Select from the following restore options.

Note: The available options depend on the backup method that was used to make
the backup: WMI or VSS.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 107
Restore Options

Table 8-3 Restore Options

Option Description

Hyper-V virtual Shows the Hyper-V GUID (globally unique identifier) of the virtual machine that was backed up.
machine GUID Use this value to verify that this backup represents the virtual machine that you want to restore.
The GUID is a unique string for a virtual machine in addition to the host name.

In an SCVMM environment, the VM GUID is referred to as the VM ID.

Restore Options See the following fields.

Restore to original Restores the virtual machine to its original location on the original Hyper-V server.
Hyper-V server

Restore to different Restores the virtual machine to a different location on the original Hyper-V server, or restores
location on the it to a different Hyper-V server.
original or different
Hyper-V server

Restore to staging Restores the virtual machine files to the staging location on the server that you specify under
location Hyper-V server and Restore everything to different directory. Use this option if:

■ You do not want to restore an entire virtual machine

■ You do not want NetBackup to start the virtual machine after the restore

For instance, you can use this option to add restored files as a vhd volume or vhdx volume to
a virtual machine. The virtual machine must not be the one from which they were backed up.

Overwrite virtual If you selected Restore to Hyper-V server or Restore to different locations on same /
machine different Hyper-V server, note the following:

(If you selected ■ If a virtual machine with the same GUID exists at the destination server, that virtual machine
Restore to staging is removed with its configuration files and snapshot files. Any existing vhd or vhdx files for
location, this option the virtual machine on the destination server are overwritten. The virtual machine that you
is Overwrite selected to restore is restored from the backup.
existing files) ■ If the Overwrite virtual machine option is not selected and a virtual machine with the same
GUID exists on the destination server, the restore fails.
■ If the Overwrite virtual machine option is not selected and vhd or vhdx file(s) for the virtual
machine still exist on the destination: The vhd file(s) or vhdx file(s) from the backup are not
restored.
See “Problems with restore of the full virtual machine” on page 147.
If you selected Restore to staging location, note the following:

■ If the vhd file or vhdx file already exists on the destination server in the restore location, that
file on the destination server is overwritten.
■ If the Overwrite existing files option is not selected and any file you want to restore already
exists in the restore location, the file is not overwritten. Any other files that are selected for
restore are restored. The restore is reported as a partial success.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 108
Restore Options

Table 8-3 Restore Options (continued)

Option Description

Retain original Keeps the original GUID for the restored virtual machine.
GUID
To generate a new GUID for the restored virtual machine, clear this option.
Note: This option applies only to the virtual machines on Hyper-V Server 2016 (and later) that
were backed up with the WMI method.

Note: For restore to the original location (Restore to original Hyper-V server), the Retain
Original GUID option is selected and cannot be deselected.

Note: NetBackup does not generate a new GUID if you select Restore to staging location.

Hyper-V virtual Shows the virtual machine's original GUID.

machine original
Note: This option applies only to virtual machines on Hyper-V Server 2016 and later.
GUID

Hyper-V virtual You can enter a new display name for the restored virtual machine.
machine display
Note: This option applies only to virtual machines on Hyper-V Server 2016 and later.
name
Note: This option is not available if you select Restore to staging location.

Restore See the following fields.

Destinations

Hyper-V server If you selected Restore to Hyper-V server (to restore to the original location), note: the restore
destination is the name of the Hyper-V server from which the virtual machine was backed up.
In this case, the destination cannot be changed.

For the other restore options (restore to a different location, or restore to a staging location),
enter the destination Hyper-V server for the restore.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 109
Restore Options

Table 8-3 Restore Options (continued)

Option Description

List of backed up Lists the Hyper-V virtual machine files as they existed when the virtual machine was backed
files (Source) up. By default, all listed files are selected for restore.

If you do not want the restore to replace certain files on the current virtual machine on the
destination server, deselect those files. Leave a check mark next to the files that you want to
restore. The files that are not selected are not restored. Note that the following virtual machine
configuration files are not de-selectable in restores other than staging restores:

The xml, vsv, and bin files, and avhd or avhdx files.

Caution: Replacing common files with earlier versions can be problematic for the virtual machines
that rely on the common files. If you do not want to overwrite the common files on the Hyper-V
server, deselect the common files that you do not want to restore.
Note the following about the listed files:

■ If you do not select any vhd files or vhdx files, NetBackup tries to find them in their original
location. If they are absent from the original location, the restore fails. If a parent vhd or vhdx
file was in E:\myVhds\ on the original virtual machine and is not selected during restore,
NetBackup looks for the parent file in E:\myVhds\ on the target virtual machine. If the file
does not exist, the restore fails.
■ For Restore to Hyper-V server or Restore to different locations on same / different
Hyper-V server, you can deselect any vhd files or vhdx files in this list. All other files are
pre-selected and cannot be deselected.
■ For Restore to staging location, you can deselect any files in the list.
■ Configuration files (such as xml, bin, vsv, and snapshot files) are always restored when you
restore the full virtual machine.

Restore everything This field is disabled if you selected Restore to Hyper-V server.
to different
For restore to a different location or to a staging location: Enter the path on the server or other
directory
computer that you specified under Hyper-V server or Staging machine name. NetBackup
creates the appropriate subdirectories.

View Paths Displays the directories on the destination server in which the Hyper-V files are to be restored.
You must specify a destination path in the Restore everything to different directory field.

Override default Determines the restore job's priority for restore resources. A higher priority means that NetBackup
job priority assigns the first available drive to the first restore job with the highest priority. Enter a number
(maximum 99999). The default for all restore jobs is 0, the lowest priority possible. Any restore
job with a priority greater than zero has priority over the default setting.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 110
About restoring common files

Table 8-3 Restore Options (continued)

Option Description

Media Server You can use this option to select a media server that has access to the storage unit that contains
the backup image. An example of such an environment is a Media Server Deduplication Pool
(MSDP) with multiple media servers.
Note: If the storage unit that contains the backup image is not shared with multiple media
servers, this option is grayed out.

About restoring common files

You can save disk space by creating a Hyper-V virtual hard disk that contains the
files that a number of virtual machines require. Instead of copies of the same vhd
or vhdx file existing in several places, multiple virtual machines can share a single
file. Two or more virtual machines (each called a child) can access that virtual disk.
The parent vhd or vhdx file is called a common file, because more than one virtual
machine uses it.
The files unique to each virtual machine are maintained on differencing virtual disks.
These virtual disks are in a child relationship to the parent disk. The parent and
child virtual disks may be on the same physical drive or on different physical drives.
Applications that are unique to a virtual machine are not included in the common
files. Instead they are on the vhd or the vhdx files that are specific to the virtual
machine.

Caution: Use care when restoring common files. If you restore an earlier version
of the common files (overwriting the current version), the virtual machines that rely
on those files may experience problems.

When restoring common files, note the following:

■ Before you restore common files, make sure the virtual machines that use the
common files are in the Off or Saved state. Otherwise, a virtual machine may
have a lock on the common files and the restore fails.
■ To keep the common files that are currently on the server, deselect the common
vhd files or vhdx files under List of backed up files. The restore does not
replace the files on the destination Hyper-V server that are not selected.
■ To overwrite the existing common files, select all the vhd files or vhdx files from
the List of backed up files. However, if the common files are in use on the
destination server, the restore fails. For the restore to succeed, the virtual
machines that use the common files must be in the Off or Saved state.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 111
The BAR interface may list Hyper-V snapshot files when you browse to restore Hyper-V VM files

■ To restore common files without overwriting any common files that exist on the
destination server: Specify a different location under Restore everything to
different directory.

The BAR interface may list Hyper-V snapshot files

when you browse to restore Hyper-V VM files
The NetBackup Backup, Archive, and Restore interface may list Hyper-V snapshot
files when you browse to restore VM files.
For example:

In this example, apvm-AutoRecovery.avhd is a Hyper-V snapshot file (apvm.vhd

is the parent vhd file).
NetBackup automatically uses or ignores the snapshot data as appropriate when
you restore the VM to its original location or to a different location.
However, in the following case you must decide whether to restore the Hyper-V
snapshot file or to exclude it from the restore:
■ In the BAR interface you select Restore from Virtual Machine Backup.
■ And on the Restore Marked Files dialog, you select Restore to staging
location.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 112
The BAR interface may list Hyper-V snapshot files when you browse to restore Hyper-V VM files

In this case, use the following criteria (based on Hyper-V server version) to identify
the snapshot file and to decide whether to restore it:

On a Windows 2012 R2 Hyper-V server

For VMs with a Linux guest OS: The Hyper-V snapshot file is ChildVhd.avhd or
ChildVhd.avhdx. The data in this snapshot is not application consistent. In most
instances it is best not to restore this file.

Note: If you select Restore to Hyper-V server or Restore to different locations

on same / different Hyper-V server, NetBackup automatically excludes the
snapshot file.

Note: In the snapshot’s parent file (apvm.vhd in the example) and in the other VM
files, the data is complete. To restore the VM data, you should restore those files.

On a Windows 2012 R2 Hyper-V server with the 2012 R2

update of April 2014
For VMs with a Linux guest OS: The Hyper-V snapshot file is named
vmname_guid.avhd or vmname_guid.avhdx. The data in this snapshot is not
application consistent. In most instances it is best not to restore this file.
 Back up and restore Hyper-V 113
The BAR interface may list Hyper-V snapshot files when you browse to restore Hyper-V VM files

Note: If you select Restore to Hyper-V server or Restore to different locations

on same / different Hyper-V server, NetBackup automatically excludes the
snapshot file.

Note: In the snapshot’s parent file (apvm.vhd in the example) and in the other VM
files, the data is complete. To restore the VM data, you should restore those files.

On a Windows 2012 R2 Hyper-V server with or without the

2012 R2 update of April 2014
For VMs with a Windows 2012/2012 R2 guest OS: The Hyper-V snapshot file is
AutoRecovery.avhd or AutoRecovery.avhdx. The data in this snapshot is
application consistent. To restore the VM data, you should restore this file along
with the parent vhd(x) file.

Note: If you select Restore to Hyper-V server or Restore to different locations

on same / different Hyper-V server, NetBackup automatically incorporates the
snapshot data in the restore.
 Chapter 9
Use Accelerator to back
up Hyper-V
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ About the NetBackup Accelerator for virtual machines

■ Accelerator: full vs. incremental schedules

■ How the NetBackup Accelerator works with virtual machines

■ Accelerator notes and requirements for virtual machines

■ Accelerator forced rescan for virtual machines (schedule attribute)

■ Accelerator requires the OptimizedImage attribute

■ Accelerator backups and the NetBackup catalog

■ Accelerator messages in the backup job details log

■ NetBackup logs for Accelerator with virtual machines

■ About reporting the amount of Accelerator backup data that was transferred
over the network

■ Replacing the Accelerator image size with the network-transferred data in

NetBackup command output

About the NetBackup Accelerator for virtual

machines
NetBackup Accelerator reduces the backup time for Hyper-V backups. NetBackup
uses Hyper-V resilient change tracking (RCT) to identify the changes that were
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 115
Accelerator: full vs. incremental schedules

made within a virtual machine. Only the changed data blocks are sent to the
NetBackup media server, to significantly reduce the I/O and backup time. The media
server combines the new data with previous backup data and produces a traditional
full NetBackup image that includes the complete virtual machine files.

Note: Accelerator is most appropriate for virtual machine data that does not
experience a high rate of change.

Accelerator has the following benefits:

■ Performs the full backups faster than traditional backup. Creates a compact
backup stream that uses less network bandwidth between the backup host and
the server.
Accelerator sends only changed data blocks for the backup. NetBackup then
creates a full traditional NetBackup image that includes the changed block data.
■ If the Enable file recovery from VM backup option on the policy Hyper-V tab
is enabled, you can restore individual files from the backup (full or incremental).
■ Reduces the I/O on the backup host.
■ Reduces the CPU load on the backup host.

Accelerator: full vs. incremental schedules

NetBackup Accelerator supports full and incremental backups.
Note: After an initial full backup, Accelerator backups with a full schedule have
about the same effect on I/O and performance as traditional incremental backups.
The NetBackup catalog however includes all catalog references that would be made
if the backup was a traditional (non-Accelerator) full.

Note: After upgrade from any of the previous release, If the customer has configured
accelerator enabled Hyper-v policy, then optimization will be lost only for first backup.

How the NetBackup Accelerator works with virtual

machines
To enable acceleration of virtual machine backups from Hyper-V policies, open the
NetBackup web UI. In the policy, select the Hyper-V tab and then select Windows
Management Instrumentation (WMI). Then select Enable block-level incremental
backup and Use Accelerator.
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 116
Accelerator notes and requirements for virtual machines

See “Creating a Hyper-V policy” on page 31.

The NetBackup Accelerator creates the backup stream and backup image for each
virtual machine as follows:
■ If the virtual machine has no previous backup, NetBackup performs a full backup.
Hyper-V resilient change tracking (RCT) is enabled to track the data in use for
each virtual disk.
■ At the next backup, NetBackup identifies data that has changed since the
previous backup. Only changed blocks and the header information are included
in the backup, to create a full virtual disk backup.
■ The backup host sends to the media server a tar backup stream that consists
of the following: The virtual machine's changed blocks, and the previous backup
ID and data extents (block offset and size) of the unchanged blocks.
■ The media server reads the virtual machine's changed blocks, the backup ID,
and information about the data extents of the unchanged blocks. From the
backup ID and data extents, the media server locates the rest of the virtual
machine's data in existing backups.
■ The media server directs the storage server to create a new full image that
consists of the following: The newly changed blocks, and the existing unchanged
blocks that reside on the storage server. The storage server may not write the
existing blocks but rather link them to the image.

Accelerator notes and requirements for virtual

machines
Note the following about Accelerator for virtual machines:
■ Accelerator for Hyper-V is available for virtual machines on Hyper-V Server
2016 and later. In the web UI open the Hyper-V policy. Click the policy's Hyper-V
tab and select Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). Then select
Enable block-level incremental backup and Use Accelerator.
■ Accelerator for virtual machines uses Hyper-V resilient change tracking (RCT)
to identify the changes that were made within a virtual machine.
■ After the first Accelerator backup: If you create a checkpoint on the VM (or delete
a checkpoint), the next backup from that policy is a full backup. That is, the
backup processing for the second backup is not limited to changed blocks:
Under Accelerator Optimization in the NetBackup Activity Monitor, the
optimization rate is 0%.
If you create another checkpoint and run a third Accelerator backup: The
optimization rate may increase, depending on the amount of data that is captured
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 117
Accelerator notes and requirements for virtual machines

in the checkpoint (the size of the checkpoint file). The smaller the checkpoint
file, the higher the rate of optimization in the third backup.
Similarly, if a checkpoint is deleted after the second backup, the optimization
rate in the next backup depends on the size of the virtual disk that was affected
by the checkpoint deletion.
■ Supports the disk storage units that have the following storage destinations:
■ Cloud storage. Storage that a supported cloud storage vendor provides.
■ NetBackup Media Server Deduplication Pool. In addition to NetBackup media
servers, NetBackup 5200 series appliances support Media Server
Deduplication Pool storage.
■ Qualified third-party OpenStorage devices.
To verify that your storage unit supports Accelerator, refer to the NetBackup
hardware compatibility list for the currently supported OST vendors:
NetBackup Compatibility List for all Versions
■ It is recommended that you do not enable Expire after copy retention for any
storage units that are used with storage lifecycle policies (SLP) in combination
with Accelerator. The Expire after copy retention can cause images to expire
while the backup runs. To synthesize a new full backup, the SLP backup needs
the previous backup image. If the previous image expires during the backup,
the backup fails.
■ Update the NetBackup device mapping files if needed.
The NetBackup device mapping files contain all storage device types that
NetBackup can use. To add support for the new devices or upgraded devices
that support Accelerator, download the current device mapping files from the
Veritas Technical Support website.
See the NetBackup Administrator's Guide Volume I for information on the device
mapping files and how to download them.
■ Storage unit groups are supported only if the storage unit selection in the group
is Failover.
■ Supports the full backups and incremental backups. Every Accelerator backup
(from a full schedule or incremental schedule) results in a complete image of
the virtual machine.
■ You can use incremental backups (cumulative or differential) as follows: To
reduce the file-mapping overhead and to reduce the number of files that are
recorded in the NetBackup catalog. Cumulative backups may involve more
file-mapping because they do not use the random indexing method to determine
which files have changed. In some cases, differential backups may be faster
than cumulative backups.
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 118
Accelerator forced rescan for virtual machines (schedule attribute)

■ If a backup of the virtual machine does not exist, NetBackup performs a full
backup. This initial backup occurs at the speed of a normal (non-accelerated)
full backup. Subsequent Accelerator backups of the virtual machine use resilient
change tracking (RCT) to accelerate the backup.
■ If the storage unit that is associated with the policy cannot be validated when
you create the policy, note: The storage unit is validated later when the backup
job begins. If Accelerator does not support the storage unit, the backup fails. In
the bpbrm log, a message appears that is similar to one of the following:

Storage server %s, type %s, doesn't support image include.

Storage server type %s, doesn't support accelerator backup.

■ Accelerator requires the storage to have the OptimizedImage attribute enabled.

See “Accelerator requires the OptimizedImage attribute” on page 119.

Accelerator forced rescan for virtual machines

(schedule attribute)
Accelerator for virtual machines uses Hyper-V resilient change tracking (RCT) to
identify changed blocks. NetBackup requires the changed blocks when it creates
a full virtual machine (synthesized) image. NetBackup is therefore dependent on
RCT for correctly identifying changed blocks. To protect against any potential
omissions by underlying Hyper-V resilient change tracking (RCT) using timestamps,
the Accelerator forced rescan option conducts the backup by reading all allocated
blocks from the virtual hard disk.
This option provides a safety net by establishing a new baseline for the next
Accelerator backup.
When Accelerator forced rescan is used, all the data on the virtual machine is
backed up. This backup is similar to the first Accelerator backup for a policy. For
the forced rescan job, the optimization percentage for Accelerator is 0. The duration
of the backup is similar to a non-Accelerator full backup.
As an example: You can set up a weekly full-backup schedule with the Use
Accelerator option. You can supplement that policy with a second schedule that
enables the Accelerator forced rescan option, to run every 6 months.

Note: Accelerator forced rescan is unavailable if the Use Accelerator option on

the Hyper-V tab is not selected. (This option is available when you select Enable
block-level incremental backup.)
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 119
Accelerator requires the OptimizedImage attribute

Accelerator requires the OptimizedImage attribute

Accelerator requires that the storage has the OptimizedImage attribute enabled.
To ensure that your storage is configured properly, see the documentation for your
storage option:
■ NetBackup Media Server Deduplication Pool.
The OptimizedImage attribute is enabled by default. If you created the storage
servers and pools in an earlier release, you must configure them for
OptimizedImage.
See the NetBackup Deduplication Guide.
■ Backups to a third-party disk appliance.
The storage device must support the OptimizedImage attribute.
See the NetBackup OpenStorage Solutions Guide for Disk.
■ Cloud storage that NetBackup supports.
See the NetBackup Cloud Administrator's Guide.

Accelerator backups and the NetBackup catalog

Use of Accelerator does not affect the size of the NetBackup catalog. A full backup
with Accelerator generates the same catalog size as a full backup of the same data
without Accelerator. The same is true of incremental backups: use of Accelerator
does not require more catalog space than the same backup without Accelerator.
However, if you enable Calculate file hash option on the web UI, the NetBackup
catalog is expected to increase by 20% or more. This option is used to save the
file hash information to the NetBackup catalog. See the NetBackup Web UI
Administrator's Guide for more information.
A potential catalog effect does exist, depending on how often you use Accelerator
with full backups. A full backup with Accelerator completes faster than a normal
full. It may therefore be tempting to replace your incremental backups with
Accelerator full backups. Note: Since a full backup requires more catalog space
than an incremental, replacing incrementals with fulls increases the catalog size.
When changing your incrementals to fulls, you must weigh the advantage of
Accelerator fulls against the greater catalog space that fulls require compared to
incrementals.
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 120
Accelerator messages in the backup job details log

Accelerator messages in the backup job details

log
When a virtual machine is first backed up, Accelerator is not used for that backup.
The following messages appear in the job details log:

7/25/2012 4:45:35 PM - Info bpbrm(pid=6192) There is no complete

backup image match with track journal, a regular full backup will
be performed

...

7/25/2012 4:53:22 PM - Info bpbkar32(pid=5624) accelerator sent

5844728320 bytes out of 5844726784 bytes to server, optimization 0.0%

When subsequent backups of the virtual machine use Accelerator, the following
messages appear in the job details log:

7/27/2012 4:40:01 AM - Info bpbrm(pid=412) accelerator enabled

...

7/27/2012 4:43:07 AM - Info bpbkar32(pid=4636) accelerator sent

74764288 bytes out of 5953504256 bytes to server, optimization 98.7%

This message is a key trace for Accelerator. In this example Accelerator was
successful at reducing the backup data by 98.7%.

NetBackup logs for Accelerator with virtual

machines
Accelerator does not require its own log directory. For log messages about
Accelerator, see the following standard NetBackup log directories.

Table 9-1 NetBackup logs that may contain Accelerator information

Log directory Resides on

UNIX: /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpbrm NetBackup primary or media

server
Windows: install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpbrm

UNIX: /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bptm NetBackup media server

Windows: install_path\NetBackup\logs\bptm
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 121
About reporting the amount of Accelerator backup data that was transferred over the network

Table 9-1 NetBackup logs that may contain Accelerator information

(continued)

Log directory Resides on

/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpbkar Backup host

Windows: install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpbkar

/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpfis Backup host

Windows: install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpfis

VxMS logs See “NetBackup logs for

Hyper-V and how to create
them” on page 131.

To create the log directories, run the following command on the NetBackup servers
and backup host:
On Windows:
install_path\NetBackup\logs\mklogdir.bat

On UNIX/Linux:
/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/mklogdir

About reporting the amount of Accelerator backup

data that was transferred over the network
For Accelerator backup reporting, several NetBackup commands can report the
amount of data that is transferred over the network for each Accelerator backup.
The amount of transferred data is often much less than the size of the Accelerator
backup image.
For each Accelerator backup, NetBackup combines the client's (or VM's) changed
blocks with the unchanged data from previous backups to synthesize a backup
image. However, NetBackup sends only the changed data over the network when
the backup occurs. The resulting backup image may be much larger than the amount
of backup data that travels the network. For backup reporting, it may be important
to distinguish between the backup image size and the amount of data that was
transferred over the network.
For Accelerator backups, the network-transferred data can appear in the output of
the following NetBackup commands: bpdbjobs, bpimagelist, and bpclimagelist.
Table 9-2 lists the default location of these commands.
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 122
About reporting the amount of Accelerator backup data that was transferred over the network

Table 9-2 Default location of bpdbjobs, bpimagelist, and bpclimagelist

Command Default location

bpdbjobs, Windows:
bpimagelist
install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd\

UNIX, Linux

/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/

bpclimagelist Windows:

install_path\NetBackup\bin\

UNIX, Linux

/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/

The following example uses the bpimagelist command to show the results of a
backup of acmevm2:
bpimagelist -backupid acmevm2

Example output:

Note: This example output is for a VMware backup, but the output formatting is the
same for Hyper-V.

In this example, the backup image size in kilobytes is 7799632, and the amount of
data that was transferred over the network is 225792.
You can use the following commands to show the amount of data that was
transferred over the network for an Accelerator backup.
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 123
About reporting the amount of Accelerator backup data that was transferred over the network

bpimagelist
bpimagelist -backupid backup_id [-l | -L | -json | -json_compact]

Brackets [ ] indicate optional elements, and the vertical bars | indicate that you can
choose only one of the options within the brackets.
Table 9-3 describes how the network-transferred data field appears in the
bpimagelist output.

Table 9-3 The bpimagelist options that show the amount of

network-transferred data for Accelerator backups

bpimagelist How the network-transferred data field appears

option

No option The field is unlabeled. For example: 225792

See the bpimagelist example output earlier in this topic.

-l The field is unlabeled (same as no option). For example: 225792

-L The field is labeled. For example:

Kilobytes Data Transferred: 225792

-json The field is labeled. For example:

"kilobytes_data_transferred": 225792,

-json_compact The field is labeled. For example:

"kilobytes_data_transferred":225792,

bpdbjobs
bpdbjobs –jobid job_id -report –most_columns

or
bpdbjobs –jobid job_id -report –all_columns

The network-transferred data field appears at the end of the output.

bpclimagelist
bpclimagelist -client client_name

This command can only show the network-transferred data in the field that normally
shows the Accelerator backup image size. To show the network-transferred data
with this command, you must configure a NetBackup setting:
See “Replacing the Accelerator image size with the network-transferred data in
NetBackup command output” on page 124.
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 124
Replacing the Accelerator image size with the network-transferred data in NetBackup command output

Additional details on these commands are available in the NetBackup Commands

Reference Guide.

Replacing the Accelerator image size with the

network-transferred data in NetBackup command
output
You can configure the output of bpimagelist, bpdbjobs, and bpclimagelist to
show the amount of Accelerator backup data that was transferred over the network
instead of the backup image size.
The following is the default bpimagelist output that shows the Accelerator image
size (see the circled value 7799632). The amount of network-transferred data
appears farther down in the output (225792):

Note: This example output is for a VMware backup, but the output formatting is the
same for Hyper-V.

You can configure NetBackup command output to show the network-transferred

data in the image size field. In the output, the image size value is replaced with the
network-transferred data value (see the following example). A script that reads the
image size from the command output now reads the amount of network-transferred
data.
In the following bpimagelist output, the image size field shows the
network-transferred data (225792):
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 125
Replacing the Accelerator image size with the network-transferred data in NetBackup command output

Note: The same change occurs in the labeled output of the commands (such as
with the -L option of bpimagelist). For example, the Kilobytes field shows the
transferred data value (225792 in the example) rather than the Accelerator backup
image size.

To enable the reporting of network-transferred data in the Accelerator image

size field of bpimagelist, bpdbjobs, and bpclimagelist
◆ Use the bpsetconfig command to enable the output change.
To enable this change for the bpclimagelist command, enter the bpsetconfig
command on the primary server. To enable this change for bpimagelist or
bpdbjobs, enter the bpsetconfig command on the server where you intend
to run bpimagelist or bpdbjobs.
Refer to Table 9-4 for the bpsetconfig command to use based on the type of
Accelerator backup that you want to report on.
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 126
Replacing the Accelerator image size with the network-transferred data in NetBackup command output

Table 9-4 To enable the reporting of network-transferred data in the

Accelerator image size field of bpimagelist, bpclimagelist, or
bpdbjobs output

Type of backup Enter this command

to report on

Incremental Windows
Hyper-V
Accelerator echo REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_
backups FOR_ACCL_INC_HYPERV | install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd\bpsetconfig

UNIX, Linux

echo "REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_

FOR_ACCL_INC_HYPERV" | /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpsetconfig

All Hyper-V Windows

Accelerator
backups (full and echo REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_
incremental) FOR_ACCL_ALL_HYPERV | install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd\bpsetconfig

UNIX, Linux

echo "REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_

FOR_ACCL_ALL_HYPERV" | /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpsetconfig

Incremental Windows
Accelerator virtual
machine backups echo REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_
(VMware and FOR_ACCL_INC_VIRTUAL | install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd\bpsetconfig
Hyper-V)
UNIX, Linux

echo "REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_

FOR_ACCL_INC_VIRTUAL" | /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpsetconfig

All Accelerator Windows

virtual machine
backups (VMware echo REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_
and Hyper-V, full FOR_ACCL_ALL_VIRTUAL | install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd\bpsetconfig
and incremental)
UNIX, Linux

echo "REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_

FOR_ACCL_ALL_VIRTUAL" | /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpsetconfig
 Use Accelerator to back up Hyper-V 127
Replacing the Accelerator image size with the network-transferred data in NetBackup command output

Table 9-4 To enable the reporting of network-transferred data in the

Accelerator image size field of bpimagelist, bpclimagelist, or
bpdbjobs output (continued)

Type of backup Enter this command

to report on

All incremental Windows

Accelerator
backups (physical echo REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_
clients and virtual FOR_ACCL_INC_ALL | install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd\bpsetconfig
machines)
UNIX, Linux

echo "REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_

FOR_ACCL_INC_ALL" | /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpsetconfig

All Accelerator Windows

backups (full and
incremental, echo REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_
physical clients FOR_ACCL_ALL_ALL | install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd\bpsetconfig
and virtual
UNIX, Linux
machines)
echo "REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED = REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_
FOR_ACCL_ALL_ALL" | /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpsetconfig

To reset the command output to the default setting

◆ To disable the reporting of network-transferred data in the Accelerator image
size field (return to default), enter the following:
Windows
echo REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED =
REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_DISABLED |
install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd\bpsetconfig

UNIX, Linux
echo "REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_WITH_DATA_TRANSFERRED =
REPLACE_IMAGE_SIZE_DISABLED" |
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpsetconfig
 Chapter 10
Best practices and more
information
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ Best practices

Best practices
It is recommended the following for NetBackup for Hyper-V:
■ When creating virtual machines, use the same name for the VM's host name
and display name. If the NetBackup policy's Primary VM identifier option is
changed, the existing entries on the NetBackup policy Clients tab still work.
See “Primary VM identifier option (Hyper-V)” on page 37.
■ In a virtual desktop infrastructure where VMs share a common parent disk, do
the following when restoring a VM to its original location: Restore the VM's
differencing disk but not its parent disk. Make sure that the parent disk already
exists on the same restore path.
On the Restore Marked Files dialog, under List of backed up files, clear the
check mark from the parent disk. In the following example, the parent disk
vm1.vhdx is unselected:
 Best practices and more information 129
Best practices

Note: If you restore the parent disk to the original location, the other linked VMs
that share the parent disk cannot be used. Their connection to the parent disk
is lost. Instead, restore the differencing disk without the parent disk and make
sure that the parent disk already exists on the same restore path. Otherwise,
the restore fails because the parent disk does not exist.

Note: This issue does not apply when you restore the VM to an alternate location.
As long as no other VMs at the restore location share the parent disk, you can
restore the parent disk along with the differencing disk.

Caution: For restore to the original location: If you restore the parent disk and
edit the linked VMs by reconnecting their differencing disks to the restored parent
disk, VM data may be lost.

More information is available on NetBackup and Hyper-V.

■ For a list of supported Hyper-V servers, see the appropriate version of the
NetBackup Software Compatibility List available from the following location:
NetBackup Compatibility List for all Versions
■ For additional details on NetBackup support for Hyper-V, see the following:
Support for NetBackup in virtual environments
■ A wide variety of information is available at Microsoft TechNet.
For example, refer to the Hyper-V Getting Started Guide:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732470.aspx
 Chapter 11
Troubleshooting
This chapter includes the following topics:

■ NetBackup logs for Hyper-V and how to create them

■ Errors during policy creation

■ NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V

■ Backup job hangs for multiple virtual machines

■ Viewing or resizing Windows NTFS shadow storage

■ The Hyper-V integration component is not installed

■ LDM volumes and status code 1

■ Hyper-V snapshots (avhd or avhdx files) and status code 1

■ When backing up the virtual machines that reside on the same CSV, Windows
warning 1584 can be ignored

■ Problems with alternate client backup

■ Restored virtual machine fails to start

■ Problem with a restart of a restored virtual machine: Why did the computer shut
down unexpectedly?

■ Problems with restore of individual files

■ Problems with restore of the full virtual machine

■ Unable to change virtual disk settings for a VM after restore if the VM had user
checkpoints during a backup that used the WMI method

■ Increasing the WMI create disk time-out value

 Troubleshooting 131
NetBackup logs for Hyper-V and how to create them

■ Linux VMs and persistent device naming

NetBackup logs for Hyper-V and how to create

them
For log messages about NetBackup for Hyper-V backup or restore, see the following
NetBackup log folders.

Table 11-1 NetBackup logs that pertain to Hyper-V backup and restore

Log folder Contains the messages on Resides on

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpbrm Backup and restore NetBackup primary or media

server

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bptm Backup and restore NetBackup media server

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpcd Snapshot creation, backup, and NetBackup client on the

restore Hyper-V server

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpfis Snapshot creation and backup NetBackup client on the

Hyper-V server

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpbkar Backup NetBackup client on the

Hyper-V server

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bprd Restore NetBackup primary server

install_path\NetBackup\logs\tar Restore NetBackup client on the

Hyper-V server

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpVMreq Restore NetBackup primary or media

server, and NetBackup client on
the Hyper-V server

install_path\NetBackup\logs\bpVMutil Policy configuration and on NetBackup client on the

restore Hyper-V server

install_path\NetBackup\logs\nbproxy Policy configuration NetBackup primary or media

server
 Troubleshooting 132
NetBackup logs for Hyper-V and how to create them

Table 11-1 NetBackup logs that pertain to Hyper-V backup and restore
(continued)

Log folder Contains the messages on Resides on

install_path\NetBackup\logs\vxms File mapping during backup and NetBackup client on the

VxMS APIs. Hyper-V server

This folder also contains the

vhd log, which describes the
format of the virtual machine's
vhd files. NetBackup support
can use the vhd log to
reproduce a customer's virtual
machine environment for
troubleshooting purposes.

\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Snapshot creation and VSS NetBackup client on the
Shared\VxFI\4\logs\ APIs. Hyper-V server

See “Enabling VxFI logging”

on page 132.

Note: These log folders must already exist in order for logging to occur. If these
folders do not exist, you must create them.

To create most of these log folders, run the following command on the NetBackup
servers and on the Hyper-V server:
Windows:
install_path\NetBackup\logs\mklogdir.bat

UNIX (on primary or media servers):

/opt/openv/netbackup/logs/mklogdir

For more detail on snapshot-related logs, logging levels, and the required folders,
see the NetBackup Snapshot Manager for Data Center Administrator's Guide.
A broader discussion of NetBackup logging is available in the NetBackup
Troubleshooting Guide.

Enabling VxFI logging

By default, VxFI logging occurs at the error level. You can increase the logging
verbosity by changing the log configuration file for the appropriate provider.
 Troubleshooting 133
NetBackup logs for Hyper-V and how to create them

To increase the VxFI logging level

1 On the Windows desktop of the Hyper-V server where the NetBackup client is
installed, go to the following location:
\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\VxFI\4\ConfigFiles\
This folder contains a configuration file for each provider, such as vss.conf
and emcclariionfi.conf. These files are generated after a successful load
of VxFI providers, usually during NetBackup policy validation.
2 Edit the .conf file for the appropriate provider, as follows:
Change the TRACELEVEL entry to the following:
"TRACELEVEL"=dword:00000006

The default TRACELEVEL value is 00000001.

Note that VSS and WMI provider logs are relevant to Hyper-V.

Configuring VxMS and vhd logging

The following procedure describes how to configure VxMS logging for NetBackup.

Note: VxMS logging may require significant resources on the Hyper-V server.

VxMS and vhd logging on the Hyper-V server

To configure VxMS and vhd logging on the Hyper-V server
1 Create the VxMS log directory:
install_path\NetBackup\logs\vxms

Note:For logging to occur, the VxMS folder must exist.

Note:If you have run the NetBackup mklogdir.bat command, the VxMS log
directory already exists.
See “NetBackup logs for Hyper-V and how to create them” on page 131.
2 In the Windows registry, create the DWORD registry entry VXMS_VERBOSE in
the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Veritas > NetBackup >
CurrentVersion > Config
 Troubleshooting 134
NetBackup logs for Hyper-V and how to create them

3 To configure the logging level, set the numeric value of VXMS_VERBOSE to 0 or

greater. Larger numbers result in more verbose logs.
See Table 11-2 for the available logging levels.
4 To change the log location:
■ Open regedit and go to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Veritas > NetBackup >
CurrentVersion
■ Create the registry entry vxmslogdir with a string value (REG_SZ). For the
string value, specify the full path to an existing folder.
Note:You can use NTFS compression on VxMS log folders to compress the
log size. The new logs are written in compressed form only.
Note:If the VxMS log location is changed, the Logging Assistant does not
collect the logs.

VxMS logging levels

Table 11-2 lists the VxMS logging levels.

Note: Logging levels higher than 5 cannot be set in the Logging Assistant.

Note: Logging levels higher than 5 should be used in very unusual cases only. At
that level, the log files and metadata dumps may place significant demands on disk
space and host performance.

Table 11-2 VxMS logging levels

Level Description

0 No logging.

1 Error logging.

2 Level 1 + warning messages.

3 Level 2 + informative messages.

4 Same as level 3.

5 Highly verbose (includes level 1) + auxiliary evidence files (.mmf, .dump, VDDK
logs, .xml, .rvpmem).

You can set the logging level for the VDDK messages.
 Troubleshooting 135
Errors during policy creation

Table 11-2 VxMS logging levels (continued)

Level Description

6 VIX (VMware virtual machine metadata) dumps only.

7 VHD (Hyper-V virtual machine metadata) dumps only.

>7 Full verbose + level 5 + level 6 + level 7.

Format of the VxMS core.log and provider.log file names

For the log files core.log and provider.log created by default during VxMS
logging, the NetBackup administrator's user name is inserted into the log file name.
Table 11-3 describes the format of the log file names.

Table 11-3 Format of VxMS core.log and provider.log file names

Platform VxMS log-file-name format

Windows VxMS-thread_id-user_name.mmddyy_tag.log

For example:

VxMS-7456-ALL_ADMINS.070214_core.log

VxMS-7456-ALL_ADMINS.070214_provider.log

UNIX, Linux VxMS-thread_id-user_name.log.mmddyy_tag

For example:

VxMS-27658-root.log.081314_core

VxMS-27658-root.log.081314_provider

See “Configuring VxMS and vhd logging” on page 133.

Errors during policy creation

The following errors may occur when you attempt to create a policy:
■ cannot connect on socket (25)

■ Error Validating Hyper-V machine name

Connect to Hyper-v server <name> failed (25)
 Troubleshooting 136
NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V

In either case, the NetBackup client service is not running on the current owner
(node) of the cluster. Start the NetBackup client service on the cluster node and
create the policy again.

NetBackup policy validation failed

NetBackup policy validation may fail in the following cases:
■ No host name entry for the virtual machine exists in the DNS server or in the
Windows hosts file on the Hyper-V server:
Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
Create a virtual machine name entry in either the DNS server or in the hosts
file of the Hyper-V server.
■ A firewall is enabled and no port entry exists for the primary server.
Add a port entry for the NetBackup primary server.
See the NetBackup Administrator's Guide.

NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V

Table 11-4 describes the NetBackup status codes that are related to Hyper-V.
For additional details on all NetBackup status codes, refer to the NetBackup Status
Codes Reference Guide, available here:
http://www.veritas.com/docs/000003214

Table 11-4 NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V

NetBackup status Explanation and recommended action

code

1, the requested The problem may be one of the following:

operation was
■ The problem may involve a virtual disk that is configured for Logical Disk Manager (LDM)
partially successful
volumes.
See “LDM volumes and status code 1” on page 142.
■ A snapshot of the virtual machine (*.avhd or *.avhdx file) was created while the backup
was in progress.
See “Hyper-V snapshots (avhd or avhdx files) and status code 1” on page 143.
■ The virtual machine is configured with pass-through disks. NetBackup for Hyper-V does
not back up pass-through disks. If all of the virtual machine's disks are pass-through,
note: Only the configuration files (such as XML, bin, vsv) that represent the virtual machine
are backed up.
To back up pass-through disks, see the following:
See “About Hyper-V pass-through disks with NetBackup” on page 157.
 Troubleshooting 137
NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V

Table 11-4 NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V (continued)

NetBackup status Explanation and recommended action

code

42, network read The Windows shadow storage for the volume may have insufficient space to hold all required
failed snapshots. A larger shadow storage area may be required.

See “ Viewing or resizing Windows NTFS shadow storage ” on page 141.

48, client hostname The problem may be one of the following:

could not be found
■ The NetBackup primary server cannot communicate with the virtual machine.
■ The host name of the virtual machine is not available.
The NetBackup job details log contains the following message:

Error bpbrm(pid=8072) Nameuse [0], VM [<vm name>]

not found on any node. Is either powered off or does
not exist.

The virtual machine is either not running, or it is starting up. Make sure that the virtual
machine is running and then rerun the backup.

84, media write error Incremental backups of the VM may fail if the NTFS file system in the guest OS is corrupted
and the backup uses MSDP storage. This error may occur in the following case:

■ The VMware or Hyper-V backup policy specifies Media Server Deduplication Pool (MSDP)
storage.
■ The backup schedule includes incrementals (differential or cumulative).
■ The NTFS file system in the VM’s guest OS is corrupted. For example, the file system
contains orphaned file record segments. The bptm debug log contains messages similar
to the following:

16:24:04.604 [5720.7068] <16> 6:bptm:5720:win2012-2.hrous.sen.com:

[ERROR] PDSTS: fbu_fill_bitmap: (1945) stream_offset(610848768)
+ length(8192) > (1946) stream_offset(610848768)
16:24:04.604 [5720.7068] <16> 6:bptm:5720:win2012-2.hrous.sen.com:
[ERROR] PDSTS: fbu_scan_buf: fbu_fill_bitmap() failed
(2060022:software error)

Use the chkdsk command to examine the file system in the guest OS and repair it as
needed. Then restart the VM and rerun the backup.

156, snapshot error See “Snapshot error encountered (status code 156)” on page 139.
encountered
 Troubleshooting 138
NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V

Table 11-4 NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V (continued)

NetBackup status Explanation and recommended action

code

185, tar did not find If you attempt to do a full restore of two VMs at the same time, note: If the two VMs share a
all the files to be virtual hard disk that contains a file that both restore jobs must restore, a race condition may
restored result. The two jobs may simultaneously attempt to access the same file, but only one job
gains access to the file. The other job is denied access, and that job may fail with status code
185.

After the first restore job successfully completes, retry the second job.

2821 Hyper-V policy The problem may be one of the following:

restore error
■ In a full virtual machine restore, the Overwrite virtual machine option was not selected:
A virtual machine with the same GUID exists on the destination server. If a virtual machine
with the same GUID exists on the destination server, you must select Overwrite virtual
machine.
Note: In an SCVMM environment, the VM GUID is referred to as the VM ID.
■ For individual file restore through a shared location on the destination virtual machine,
one or more of the files is larger than 2 GB. Restore such files to a virtual machine that
has a NetBackup client. (This issue does not apply to recovery of the full virtual machine.)
■ In a restore of common files, the virtual machines that use the common files were in the
Running or Paused state. The virtual machines that use the common files must be in the
Off or Saved state. Otherwise, a virtual machine may have a lock on the common files.
■ The virtual machine is highly available (HA). But the node that owns the virtual machine
is not the restore server (the node that performs the restore).
See “Problems with restore of the full virtual machine” on page 147.
■ The virtual machine restore job fails but the virtual machine is nonetheless registered in
the Hyper-V server.
See “Problems with restore of the full virtual machine” on page 147.
■ A redirected restore failed because the virtual machine is configured in a volume GUID
and its differencing disk is configured in another volume GUID.
See “Restored virtual machine fails to start” on page 144.
■ From a backup that was made with the WMI method, the restore failed because it took
too long to write the virtual disk. This error may occur if the VM has a large fixed virtual
disk.
See “Increasing the WMI create disk time-out value” on page 150.

4207, Could not fetch For details on this status code, refer to the NetBackup Status Codes Reference Guide:
snapshot metadata or
http://www.veritas.com/docs/000003214
state files
 Troubleshooting 139
NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V

Table 11-4 NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V (continued)

NetBackup status Explanation and recommended action

code

4287, A NetBackup See “Existing snapshot handling parameter (WMI)” on page 42.
snapshot of the
For additional details on this status code, refer to the NetBackup Status Codes Reference
virtual machine exists
Guide:
and the policy option
specifies aborting the http://www.veritas.com/docs/000003214
backup

Snapshot error encountered (status code 156)

The following table describes the Hyper-V issues that relate to NetBackup status
code 156.

Table 11-5 Possible causes of status code 156

Causes of Description and recommended action

status code 156

The virtual A mismatch may exist between the virtual machine names that are specified on the policy Clients
machine name is tab and the actual names on the Hyper-V server. Check the actual names as listed in the Hyper-V
incorrectly Manager on the Hyper-V server.
specified in the The following are the recommended actions:
NetBackup policy.
■ In the NetBackup policy, the virtual machines must be specified as fully qualified names.
■ In the NetBackup policy, the virtual machine name may have been entered incorrectly.

Volumes on the Volumes on the virtual machine do not have enough free space for the snapshot. Microsoft
virtual machine are recommends that at least 10% of the virtual machine volume is available for the snapshot.
almost full.
Recommended action: create more space on the volume.

The Hyper-V The Hyper-V integration component is not properly installed in the virtual machine.
integration
Recommended action:
component is
absent. See “The Hyper-V integration component is not installed” on page 142.
 Troubleshooting 140
NetBackup status codes related to Hyper-V

Table 11-5 Possible causes of status code 156 (continued)

Causes of Description and recommended action

status code 156

The VSS The following application error event may be written to the virtual machine during backup:
framework in the
virtual machine Event Type: Error
does not work Event Source: VSS
properly Event Category: None
Event ID: 12302
Date: 1/8/2009
Time: 1:36:21 AM
User: N/A
Computer: ARTICTALEVM8

Description:

Volume Shadow Copy Service error: An internal inconsistency was

detected in trying to contact shadow copy service writers.
Please check to see that the Event Service and Volume Shadow
Copy Service are operating properly.
For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Recommended action: Run the vssadmin list writers command.

If no writer is listed in the output and a similar error is logged, refer to the following to resolve this
issue:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940184

A CSV timeout The bpfis log contains the following:

occurred
VssNode::prepareCsvsForBackup: CSV TimeOut
expired, Not all required CSV available in required
state.

One or more or the required cluster shared volumes (CSV) cannot be prepared in the specified
timeout period. A current backup that started from another node needs one or more of the same
CSVs.

Increase the Cluster shared volumes timeout period and rerun the backup, or try the backup
at another time.

See “Cluster shared volumes timeout (Hyper-V with VSS)” on page 39.
 Troubleshooting 141
Backup job hangs for multiple virtual machines

Table 11-5 Possible causes of status code 156 (continued)

Causes of Description and recommended action

status code 156

A local disk has For a successful backup of a virtual machine on a CSV, the virtual machine must use CSV
been added to a volumes only. If a local disk on the Hyper-V server (not a CSV volume) is added to the virtual
VM that is on CSV machine, the backup fails.

Reconfigure the virtual machine to use CSV volumes only, and rerun the backup.

The Enable offline The bpfis log contains the following:

backup for
non-VSS VMs VssNode::prepare Backup type of VM [<VM GUID>]
option is disabled will be OFFLINE and configuration parameter
allowOfflineBackup] is not set. To backup
this VM, set [allowOfflineBackup] configuration
parameter.

NetBackup is not allowed to perform an offline backup of the virtual machine, because the Enable
offline backup for non-VSS VMs option is disabled.

Enable the Enable offline backup for non-VSS VMs option.

See “Enable offline backup of non-VSS VMs (Hyper-V with VSS)” on page 38.

Backup job hangs for multiple virtual machines

If the policy specifies multiple virtual machines, and the storage unit "Maximum
concurrent jobs" option is set to 2 or more, the backup may hang. If you have
Symantec Endpoint Protection on your Hyper-V server, make sure that it is at version
11.0 Maintenance Release 4 (build 11.0.4000) or later. Backups of multiple virtual
machines with multiple concurrent jobs may experience this backup problem with
earlier versions of Symantec Endpoint Protection.

Viewing or resizing Windows NTFS shadow

storage
Note: This topic applies to the VSS backup method only (not to WMI).

For the backups that are made with the System Provider Type (for a block-level
copy-on-write snapshot), note: Windows shadow storage for a volume on a Hyper-V
host must have enough space to hold all required snapshots. If too little space is
available, the backup fails with status code 42, "network read failed." In that case,
 Troubleshooting 142
The Hyper-V integration component is not installed

a larger shadow storage area is required. Refer to Microsoft documentation for

recommendations on shadow storage size.
If additional space is not available for shadow storage, reschedule backups so they
do not occur at the same time.
To view or resize Windows NTFS shadow storage
1 To list the current shadow storage settings, run the following on the virtual
machine:
vssadmin list shadowstorage

2 To resize shadow storage, run the following:

vssadmin resize shadowstorage

Refer to your Microsoft Windows documentation for more details.

The Hyper-V integration component is not

installed
Make sure the proper version of the Hyper-V virtual machine integration component
is installed on the virtual machine. Otherwise, the backup fails with status code 156.
For details on the proper versions, see "Hyper-V online backups require proper
version of Hyper-V integration services in the VM" in the following document:
Support for NetBackup 7.7.x and 8.x in virtual environments

LDM volumes and status code 1

If a virtual disk has been configured for Logical Disk Manager (LDM) volumes, and
the NetBackup policy specifies the Enable file recovery from VM backup option,
note: in certain cases a backup of the virtual machine may not complete. The
NetBackup job may issue status 1, "the requested operation was partially
successful." This error can occur if the controller type of the .vhd disk was SCSI
when the disk was formatted but the controller type was later changed to IDE (or
vice versa).
In this case, the NetBackup progress log may contain the following message:

ERR - Unable to retrieve volumes from virtual machine, error = 1

You must restore the controller type of the .vhd disk to the controller type originally
assigned before the LDM volume was created. Then retry the backup.
 Troubleshooting 143
Hyper-V snapshots (avhd or avhdx files) and status code 1

Hyper-V snapshots (avhd or avhdx files) and

status code 1
If a snapshot of the virtual machine (avhd or avhdx file) is created while a NetBackup
backup of the virtual machine is in progress, the backup may be only partially
successful. A message similar to the following appears in the bpbkar log:

5:02:54Hyper-V snapshot.570 PM: [10948.8980] <2> tar_base::V_vTarMsgW: INF - VxMS

Error message 1 = translate_to_virtual_extent: ERROR Unable to locate MAP file = \\?\
GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy89\VM1\testvm2.veritas.com\TestVM1_diffVM1k
_8275A265-BD90-4E61-94C8-C347B7228E95.avhd

Retry the backup.

When backing up the virtual machines that reside

on the same CSV, Windows warning 1584 can be
ignored
In a simultaneous backup of virtual machines that reside on the same Cluster Shared
Volume (CSV), the following Windows warning event (1584) may be issued:

A backup application initiated a VSS snapshot on Cluster Shared

Volume Volume1 (Cluster Disk 8) without properly preparing the volume for
snapshot. This snapshot may be invalid and the backup may not be usable for
restore operations. Please contact your backup application vendor to verify
compatibility with Cluster Shared Volumes.

For this case, Microsoft has acknowledged that message 1584 is a false alarm. For
NetBackup backups of the virtual machines that reside on the same CSV, this
warning can be safely ignored.

Problems with alternate client backup

Note the following potential problems:
■ If the snapshot job fails, check the detailed error messages in the bpfis logs on
the primary client and alternate client.
■ If the bpfis log shows VSS errors, check the VxFI VSS provider logs for details:
\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\VxFI\4\logs\
Note the following strings in the VxFI VSS provider logs:
 Troubleshooting 144
Restored virtual machine fails to start

■ VSS_E_PROVIDER_VETO
■ VSS_E_NO_SNAPSHOTS_IMPORTED
This string indicates that the snapshot resources are not available.
The snapshot device that the VSS hardware provider creates is not visible
to the primary client or alternate client. Check the Windows event logs and
the VSS hardware provider logs. Use the diskshadow command to rule out
any configuration issues. Refer to Microsoft documentation for assistance.

Restored virtual machine fails to start

The following issues may prevent a restored virtual machine from starting:
■ If you restore a virtual machine to a different Hyper-V server, and the original
Hyper-V server and the target server do not have the same number of network
adapters (NICs), note: You must configure the network adapter(s) for the restored
virtual machine on the target server. Otherwise, the attempt to start the restored
virtual machine fails and a message similar to the following appears:

Microsoft Synthetic Ethernet Port (Instance ID {C549AG45-5925-49C0-

ADD2-218E70A4A1EA}): Failed to power on with Error 'The system
cannot find the path specified.' (0x80070003). (Virtual machine
5412BD43-DC85-31CB-A688-1B29CE2C57C8)

■ The restored virtual machine may fail to start if the virtual machine was not in
the Off state at the time of backup.
■ For the virtual machines that are configured in a volume GUID with a differencing
disk in another volume GUID, redirected restores are not supported. Note that
redirected restores are supported if the virtual machine's vhd or vhdx file is
configured in a drive-letter volume rather than a volume GUID.
A virtual machine restore to an alternate location may fail in the following case:
■ The virtual machine's vhd or vhdx file is in a GUID-based volume, and
■ A differencing disk for the same vhd or vhdx is in another GUID-based
volume.
In this case, the attempt to restore the virtual machine to an alternate location
fails. The cause of the failure is in the Microsoft Hyper-V Writer. The vhd or vhdx
files and other configuration files are restored to the correct location, but
registration of the virtual machine fails. As a result, Hyper-V is unable to start
the restored virtual machine. A Hyper-V writer event log similar to the following
may appear:
 Troubleshooting 145
Problem with a restart of a restored virtual machine: Why did the computer shut down unexpectedly?

Failed to update the path of the parent disk for virtual

hard disk 'E:\restore123\Volume{D2CC1448-BCFD-11CE-96DD-
001EC9EEF3B2}\test1\diff.vhd' for virtual machine 'test':
The system cannot find the path specified. (0x80070003).
The disk may not work properly. If you cannot start your virtual
machine, remove the disk and try again.(Virtual machine ID <id>)

After the restore, you must configure a new virtual machine and attach the
restored vhd or vhdx files to the new virtual machine. The restored .xml file
contains information on the original configuration of the virtual machine.
■ When a virtual machine is restored to a different Hyper-V server: The location
of a virtual CD or DVD drive may prevent the virtual machine from restarting.
The problem occurs in the following case:
■ The original virtual machine had a CD ISO image that is attached to a virtual
CD or DVD drive.
■ On the Hyper-V server where the virtual machine was restored: The ISO
image is not on the same path as on the original Hyper-V host during backup.
For example: The virtual machine originally had E:\cd1.iso attached to its
virtual DVD drive. But E:\cd1.iso does not exist on the target Hyper-V host,
or it exists at a different location, such as F:\cd1.iso. In either case, the
restored virtual machine does not turn on.

To solve the attached CD/DVD problem

1 In the Hyper-V Manager, click on the restored virtual machine.
2 Click Settings.
3 Under the appropriate IDE Controller, click DVD drive.
4 In the Media pane, specify the correct location of the CD, or select None.

Problem with a restart of a restored virtual

machine: Why did the computer shut down
unexpectedly?
An unexpected shutdown message is displayed when a restored Windows virtual
machine is started.
When you start a restored virtual machine, the system may display the message
"Why did the computer shut down unexpectedly?" It may prompt you to enter a
 Troubleshooting 146
Problems with restore of individual files

problem ID. This message and prompt occur if the virtual machine was in the
Running state when the backup was initiated.
When a Windows system starts up, a bit is set indicating that the system did not
shut down gracefully. If the system is shut down gracefully, the bit is cleared.
However, when an online backup of a running virtual machine is performed, the
unexpected shutdown bit remains set in the backed-up image. When the restored
virtual machine is started, the bit is detected and the unexpected shutdown message
is displayed.

Problems with restore of individual files

When you restore individual files (not the entire virtual machine), the restore may
fail in certain cases. The following table describes the problems and recommended
actions for the restore of individual files.

Table 11-6 Problems with restore of individual files

Cause of the Description and recommended action

problem

Files are selected from For example: The original virtual machine had two drives (C:\ and D:\), and files from each
multiple drives (volumes) drive are selected in the same restore operation. Messages similar to the following appear
on the virtual machine. in the job progress log:

13:26:05 (86.001) (86.001) INF - Skipping to next file header...

13:26:05 (86.001) (86.001) INF - TAR EXITING WITH STATUS = 0
13:26:05 (86.001) (86.001) INF - TAR RESTORED 11368 OF 11463 FILES
SUCCESSFULLY
13:26:05 (86.001) (86.001) INF - TAR KEPT 0 EXISTING FILES
13:26:05 (86.001) (86.001) INF - TAR PARTIALLY RESTORED 0 FILES

13:26:15 (86.001) Status of restore from image created 7/21/2008

2:55:05 PM = the requested operation was partially successful

Select files from a single drive at a time. Selecting files from multiple drives is not supported.

You have attempted to Restore the files by means of a shared location on the virtual machine (with a UNC path)
restore the files into a rather than by means of a mapped drive.
mapped drive on the
See “Restoring individual Hyper-V files to a shared location on the virtual machine”
virtual machine. The
on page 100.
restore fails with
NetBackup status code
185.
 Troubleshooting 147
Problems with restore of the full virtual machine

Table 11-6 Problems with restore of individual files (continued)

Cause of the Description and recommended action

problem

The snapshot contains Windows Hyper-V provides no mechanism for quiescing file system activity on Linux virtual
invalid inodes. machines. As a result, invalid inodes may be present in the snapshot. A backup that was
made with the Enable file recovery from VM backup option may have file-mapping failures
if the virtual machine experiences heavy I/O. The failures are reported in the NetBackup
Administration Console in this form:

ERR - Unable to read metadata for index: 379023, VFM error = 6.

Note that the backup succeeds, but any files with metadata errors cannot be restored
individually.

For the backups that enable individual restore of all files, schedule the backup when the
I/O activity is lower. If metadata errors persist, shut down the virtual machine during the
backup.

Problems with restore of the full virtual machine

Restores of a full Hyper-V virtual machine may fail in the following cases.

The "Overwrite virtual machine" option was not selected

and vhd or vhdx file(s) for the virtual machine still exist
on the destination.
The vhd or vhdx file(s) from the backup are not restored. You must select Overwrite
virtual machine for the restore, or remove the current virtual machine and vhd or
vhdx files from the destination server before you start the restore. If you remove
the virtual machine but leave one or more vhd or vhdx files at the destination, the
vhd or vhdx files from the backup are not restored.

The virtual machine restore job fails but the virtual machine
is nonetheless registered in the Hyper-V server.
The Hyper-V-VMMS writes the following warnings in the events log:
Event ID: 10127, sample event log message:

Unable to repair the network configuration for virtual machine'Virtual Machine

Display Name'. The virtual machine may not have the same network connectivity as
it did when the backup was taken. Inspect the network settings and modify them
as necessary. (Virtual machine ID 0AD8DFCC-BDC0-4818-B6DF-7A1BA0A735BF)

Event ID: 10104, sample event log message:

 Troubleshooting 148
Problems with restore of the full virtual machine

One or more errors occurred while restoring the virtual machine from backup.
The virtual machine might not have registered or it might not start. (Virtual
machine ID "0AD8DFCC-BDC0-4718-B6DF-7A3BA2A735BF ")

The Hyper-V writer encountered a Network configuration error. The restored virtual
machine can be started after you change the Network Adaptor configuration in the
virtual machine settings.

The virtual machine is highly available (HA), but the node

that owns the virtual machine is not the restore server.
(The node that owns the virtual machine is not the node
that performs the restore.)
The tar log contains a message similar to the following:

VssNode::doRestore: Current owner of VM .[<VM name> {<VM guid>}] is

[<current owner>] not this [<restore server>], To perform this restore either move
VM to this host [<restore server>] or Delete VM from Cluster, or perform redirected
restore at current owner.

Note the following explanations:

■ For a restore to the original location: When the backup took place, the virtual
machine was not HA, but now the virtual machine is HA. However, the node
that owns the virtual machine is not the node from which the virtual machine
was backed up.
■ For a redirected restore: The virtual machine is HA but the node that owns the
virtual machine is not the restore server (the node that performs the restore).
See the recommended actions in the tar log message.

A redirected restore of a volume-GUID-based virtual

machine fails if the virtual machine was backed up from
a previous redirected restore.
Note: In a redirected restore, the virtual machine is restored to a different location
on the original Hyper-V server or to a different Hyper-V server. It is not restored to
its original location on the original server.
A virtual machine may be configured on a Windows volume GUID. The following
is an example of a Windows volume GUID:

\\?\Volume{1a2b74b1-1b2a-11df-8c23-0023acfc9192}\

If you perform a redirected restore of a volume-GUID-based virtual machine and

you back up the restored virtual machine, note: An attempt to do a redirected restore
from the backup may fail. For example, consider a virtual machine that is configured
on the following volume GUID:
 Troubleshooting 149
Problems with restore of the full virtual machine

\\?\Volume{1a2b74b1-1b2a-11df-8c23-0023acfc9192}\

The virtual machine is then restored to a different volume GUID, such as:

\\?\Volume{2a3b70a1-3b1a-11df-8c23-0023acfc9192}\

If the restored virtual machine is backed up and you do a redirected restore from
the backup, the restore may fail.
To avoid this problem in a redirected restore, restore the virtual machine to a
subdirectory of the volume GUID, such as to the following:

\\?\Volume{1a3b70a1-3b1a-11df-8c23-0023acfc9192}\REDIR_subdirectory\

Restore of a Windows 2016 Hyper-V VM to an SMB 3.0 file

share may complete with only partial success.
If sufficient permissions are not set on the destination file share, the restore
completes with status 1, "The requested operation was partially successful."
Messages similar to the following appear in the NetBackup job details log:

Unable to set VHD/VHDX metadata which includes alternate data streams

and permissions. If VM does not boot, check the permissions of the
VM's virtual disk files.

Note: The VM’s files are restored, but NetBackup was unable to restore the owner
of the vhd or vhdx file(s).

For a fully successful restore, do the following:

■ Add permissions to the share and to the underlying file system where the data
resides. The permissions must give Full Control to the Hyper-V server and to
the Hyper-V cluster.
■ On the Hyper-V server to which the VM is to be restored: Make sure that the
NetBackup Client Service is running as Domain\Administrator and not as the
LocalSystem user account.

When these changes are complete, rerun the restore. The restore job should return
status 0, "the requested operation was successfully completed."
 Troubleshooting 150
Unable to change virtual disk settings for a VM after restore if the VM had user checkpoints during a backup
that used the WMI method

Unable to change virtual disk settings for a VM

after restore if the VM had user checkpoints
during a backup that used the WMI method
If a virtual machine has any user-created checkpoints when a NetBackup WMI
backup starts, NetBackup includes the checkpoint .avhdx files in the backup image.
When the VM is restored from that backup, the .avhdx files are not automatically
merged back to the VM's parent disks. As a result, certain settings for the restored
VM cannot be changed (such as the virtual hard disk). The Hyper-V Manager states:
"Edit is not available because checkpoints exist for this virtual machine."
This problem is due to a Microsoft issue. As a workaround, manually create and
delete a user checkpoint for the restored VM. This action triggers an automatic disk
merge for all the .avhdx files. After the merge, the VM settings can be changed.

Increasing the WMI create disk time-out value

It can take a long time to create a large virtual disk of type fixed (as opposed to a
dynamic virtual disk). If a Hyper-V VM with a large fixed disk was backed up with
the WMI method and is then restored, note: The restore job may time out before
the restored virtual disk is fully written. The restore job fails with status 2821 and
the VM’s data is not restored.

Note: The default time-out period for Hyper-V disk creation is 24 hours.

Do the following to allow the restore job to complete.

To increase the WMI create disk time-out value
1 Use the NetBackup nbsetconfig command as follows:
nbsetconfig -h host

Where host is the name of the NetBackup primary server where the
configuration is to be updated.
 Troubleshooting 151
Linux VMs and persistent device naming

2 At the nbsetconfig prompt, enter the following to allow more time for creation
of the virtual disk.
This example sets the period to 48 hours:
HYPERV_WMI_CREATE_DISK_TIMEOUT = 48

The range for HYPERV_WMI_CREATE_DISK_TIMEOUT is 0 hours to 240 hours.

Note: A value of 0 means the restore job never times out during virtual disk
creation.

3 To escape the command, enter the following:

On UNIX: ctl-D
On Windows: ctl-Z
More information on the nbsetconfig command is available in the NetBackup
Commands Reference Guide.
http://www.veritas.com/docs/000003214

Linux VMs and persistent device naming

For Linux VMs without persistent device naming, multiple disk controllers (such as
IDE, SCSI, and SATA) may complicate the recovery of individual files. This issue
occurs because non-persistent device naming, such as /dev/sda and /dev/sdb,
may cause unexpected mount point changes after a restart. If the VM has a SCSI
disk and SATA disk, the Backup, Archive, and Restore interface may show incorrect
mount points for the VM's files. For example, the files originally under /vol_a might
appear under /vol_b when you browse to restore them. The restore is successful,
but the restored files may not be in their original directories.
As a workaround, search for the files on the restored VM and move them to the
proper locations.
To prevent this issue on Linux VMs with multiple disk controllers, it is recommended
a persistent device-naming method for mounting the file systems. When persistent
naming is in place, device mounting is consistent and this issue does not occur
when you restore files from future backups.
For persistent device naming, you can mount devices by UUIDs. The following is
an example of the /etc/fstab file that contains the devices that are mounted by
UUIDs:
 Troubleshooting 152
Linux VMs and persistent device naming

UUID=93a21fe4-4c55-4e5a-8124-1e2e1460fece /boot ext4 defaults 1 2

UUID=55a24fe3-4c55-4e6a-8124-1e2e1460fadf /vola ext3 defaults 0 0

Note: Limit the number of characters for each fstab entry to 90 on a VMware VM.

To find the device UUIDs, you can use either of the following commands:
blkid

ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid/

Note: NetBackup also supports the by-LABEL method for persistent device naming.
 Appendix A
VSS backup method:
Hyper-V online and offline
backups
This appendix includes the following topics:

■ About Hyper-V online and offline backups for VSS

■ Conditions that determine online vs. offline backup for VSS

■ Additional notes on offline backups with VSS

■ Hyper-V 2012 R2 virtual machines may be in the Off state when restored

About Hyper-V online and offline backups for VSS

A Hyper-V virtual machine can be in any of the following states: Running, Saved,
Paused, or Off.
In addition, Microsoft provides the following two types of Hyper-V virtual machine
backups for the VSS backup method:

Online Specifies that a virtual machine that is in the Running state is briefly quiesced
for the backup. User access during the backup continues without interruption.

Offline Specifies that a virtual machine that is in the Running or Paused state is
rendered temporarily inactive. It is returned to its original state before the
backup completes. User access during the backup is interrupted.
 VSS backup method: Hyper-V online and offline backups 154
Conditions that determine online vs. offline backup for VSS

Note: Type of backup (online or offline) is a Microsoft designation and is not

configured in NetBackup.

The following table shows the possible combinations of virtual machine state and
the type of backup (online or offline) when you use the VSS backup method.

Table A-1 VSS backup: State of virtual machine before and after restore

State at the time of backup Type of backup State after restore

Running Online Off

Running Offline Saved

Saved Offline Saved

Paused Offline Saved

Off Offline Off

Note: The WMI backup method (for Hyper-V Server 2016 and later) does not employ
online vs offline backups.
See “WMI backup method: State of the virtual machine before and after restore”
on page 92.

Conditions that determine online vs. offline

backup for VSS
This topic applies to the NetBackup Hyper-V VSS backup method only (not to WMI).
With the VSS backup method, a Hyper-V online backup can be performed with no
downtime on a running virtual machine when all of the following conditions are met:
■ The Hyper-V integration services are installed and the VSS integration service
is enabled.
■ All virtual machine disks are configured within the guest operating system as
NTFS-formatted basic disks. If the virtual machine uses dynamic disks or the
FAT or FAT32 file system, an online backup cannot be performed.
Note that "dynamic" disks are not a type of virtual hard disk (vhd or vhdx format).
Dynamic disks and basic disks are disk types defined by Microsoft for certain
Windows operating systems.
■ Each virtual machine volume must specify itself as the storage location for its
shadow copies. For example, the shadow copy storage for C:\ must be configured
 VSS backup method: Hyper-V online and offline backups 155
Additional notes on offline backups with VSS

on the C:\ volume. The shadow copy storage for D:\ must be on D:\, and so
forth.
If these conditions are not met, the backup is performed offline. An offline backup
results in some downtime on the virtual machine. If the virtual machine is in the
Running or Paused state, it is put in a Saved state as part of the offline backup.
After the backup is completed, the virtual machine is returned to its original state.

Additional notes on offline backups with VSS

This topic applies to the NetBackup Hyper-V VSS backup method only (not to WMI).
When an offline backup is performed on a virtual machine that is currently in the
Running state, note: the virtual machine briefly enters the Saved state during the
backup and then returns to its original state.
For a virtual machine in the Running state at the start of the backup, the type of
backup is offline in the following circumstances:
■ The VSS integration component of Hyper-V is not running in the virtual machine.
The VSS integration component is part of the Hyper-V integration services that
are installed in the virtual machine.
■ The virtual machine is running an operating system that does not support
Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
■ The storage configuration of the virtual machine is not compliant.
Any of the following can result in a non-compliant storage configuration:
■ The virtual machine has one or more disks that are configured as dynamic
disks in the operating system. Note that dynamic disks are not a type of
virtual hard disk. Dynamic disks and basic disks are disk types defined by
Microsoft for certain Windows operating systems.
■ The virtual machine has the volumes that do not support Volume Shadow
Copy Service (VSS).
If the virtual machine has a non-NTFS formatted volume (such as FAT or
FAT32), the virtual machine enters the Saved state during the backup.

Hyper-V 2012 R2 virtual machines may be in the

Off state when restored
This topic applies to the NetBackup Hyper-V VSS backup method only (not to WMI).
For Hyper-V server 2012 R2 and later, the virtual machine is restored in the Off
state (not the Saved state) in either of the following cases:
 VSS backup method: Hyper-V online and offline backups 156
Hyper-V 2012 R2 virtual machines may be in the Off state when restored

■ The virtual machine's operating system does not support Windows Volume
Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
■ The virtual machine does not have Hyper-V integration services enabled.
During the backup, the virtual machine is not placed in the Saved state (the bin file
and vsv file are not generated or backed up). The Hyper-V VSS writer instead
creates a checkpoint of the virtual machine. As a result, the virtual machine remains
in the Off state when it is restored.
The following MSDN article contains more information:
Hyper-V Backup doesn’t interrupt running virtual machines (anymore)
 Appendix B
Hyper-V pass-through
disks
This appendix includes the following topics:

■ About Hyper-V pass-through disks with NetBackup

■ Configurations for backing up pass-through disks

■ Requirements for backing up Hyper-V pass-through disks

■ Restrictions for Hyper-V pass-through disks

■ Configuring a local snapshot backup of Hyper-V pass-through disks

■ About alternate client backup of pass-through disks

■ Configuring an alternate client backup of Hyper-V pass-through disks

■ Important note on VSS and disk arrays

About Hyper-V pass-through disks with

NetBackup
This topic describes how to use NetBackup to back up Hyper-V pass-through disks.
Hyper-V pass-through configuration allows a virtual machine to directly access
physical disks. With pass-through access, a virtual machine can use large storage
devices such as disk arrays. Access to a pass-through disk is faster than to a fully
virtualized disk (vhd or vhdx file). A pass-through disk can be locally attached to
the Hyper-V server or configured on a Fibre Channel SAN.
For assistance in setting up pass-through devices, refer to your Microsoft
documentation.
 Hyper-V pass-through disks 158
Configurations for backing up pass-through disks

The devices that NetBackup supports for pass-through are the same as for a physical
(non-hypervisor) environment: the device vendor however must support the device
in a virtual environment.

Note: The NetBackup for Hyper-V feature and Hyper-V snapshot method (as
described in other chapters of this guide) do not back up pass-through disks.

Configurations for backing up pass-through disks

You can use either of the following NetBackup configurations to back up Hyper-V
pass-through disks:
■ Without Snapshot Client.
Install a NetBackup client on the virtual machine. You can configure NetBackup
to back up virtual machine data as if the client was installed on a physical host.
Note that without Snapshot Client software on the virtual machine, the features
of Snapshot Client are not available.
■ With Snapshot Client (explained in this appendix).
Install a NetBackup client on the virtual machine, as well as a license for
Snapshot Client. Configure either a local snapshot backup or an alternate client
backup.
To use a VSS hardware provider for the disk array, the off-host alternate client
method is required.

Requirements for backing up Hyper-V

pass-through disks
Note the following requirements:
■ Consult your Microsoft documentation for pass-through configuration
requirements.
■ Consult your VSS provider documentation for snapshot preconfiguration
requirements. For example, the disk array clones or mirrors must be synchronized
with the disk array source device before the backup is started.
■ NetBackup may require certain OS and array configuration, depending on the
guest OS and the array. For details, see the NetBackup Snapshot Manager for
Data Center Administrator's Guide.
■ For backups using a VSS provider type of Hardware, pass-through disks should
be added as SCSI disks.
 Hyper-V pass-through disks 159
Restrictions for Hyper-V pass-through disks

■ NetBackup client software must be installed on the virtual machine.

■ To use Snapshot Client for local snapshot or alternate client backup, Snapshot
Client must be licensed on the virtual machine.
■ For alternate client backup, the virtual machine and alternate client must be
running the same operating system, volume manager, and file system. For each
of these I/O system components, the alternate client must be at the same level
as the primary client, or higher level.

Note: The requirements for the NetBackup for Hyper-V feature do not apply to
backups of the disk arrays that are configured as pass-through disks. The NetBackup
for Hyper-V feature (using the Hyper-V snapshot method as described in other parts
of this guide) does not back up pass-through disks.

Restrictions for Hyper-V pass-through disks

Note the following:
■ For pass-through disks, Instant Recovery point-in-time rollback is not supported
for the backups that were made with a VSS hardware provider.
Note that point-in-time rollback is supported with a VSS provider type of System.
You can use VSS Provider Type of System for a local snapshot backup, but not
for alternate client backup. Note also that copy back restore from an Instant
Recovery backup is supported with both provider types of System and Hardware.
■ A pass-through disk must not be assigned by means of an IDE controller. If an
IDE controller is used to assign a pass-through disk, NetBackup cannot create
a snapshot of the disk using a hardware provider type.

Configuring a local snapshot backup of Hyper-V

pass-through disks
To create a policy for local snapshot backup of a pass-through disk
1 Open the NetBackup web UI .
2 On the left, click Protection > Policies. Then create a new policy.
3 On the policy Attributes tab, select the MS-Windows policy type or
FlashBackup-Windows policy type.
4 Click Perform snapshot backups.
5 Optional: click Retain snapshot for Instant Recovery or SLP management.
 Hyper-V pass-through disks 160
About alternate client backup of pass-through disks

6 Click Options.
7 Select the VSS snapshot method.
The Hyper-V method does not apply.
The array may require additional OS and NetBackup configuration as described
in the NetBackup Snapshot Manager for Data Center Administrator's Guide.
8 Specify snapshot options for VSS.
Select the following:
■ Provider Type: You can select 1-system or 2-software. 3-hardware is
not supported for local backup.
See “Provider type configuration parameter (VSS)” on page 40.
See “Restrictions for Hyper-V pass-through disks” on page 159.
■ Snapshot Attribute: The selection depends on your VSS hardware provider.
For the supported snapshot methods and hardware types, see the
NetBackup Software Compatibility List available from the following location:
NetBackup Compatibility List for all Versions
■ Maximum snapshots (Instant Recovery only): This option sets the
maximum number of Instant Recovery snapshots to be retained at one
time.
For more information on this option, see the NetBackup Snapshot Manager
for Data Center Administrator's Guide.

9 In the policy Clients tab, select the virtual machine that has a pass-through
disk configured.
10 In the policy’s Backup Selections tab, specify the pass-through disk that you
want to back up. Or specify the files or volumes that reside on the pass-through
disk.

About alternate client backup of pass-through

disks
Alternate client backup of pass-through disks consists of the following:
■ The disk array contains the data to be backed up. Another host containing
NetBackup client software and Snapshot Client software must have access to
the disk array. That host is the alternate client. (In this configuration, the virtual
machine is called the primary client.)
■ A snapshot of the data is created on the disk array and is mounted on the
alternate client. The alternate client creates a backup image from the snapshot,
 Hyper-V pass-through disks 161
Configuring an alternate client backup of Hyper-V pass-through disks

using original path names, and streams the image to the NetBackup media
server.
■ The alternate client handles the backup I/O processing; the backup has little or
no effect on the virtual machine. The media server reads the snapshot data from
the alternate client and writes the data to storage.

Configuring an alternate client backup of Hyper-V

pass-through disks
To create a policy for alternate client backup of a pass-through disk
1 Open the NetBackup web UI .
2 On the left, click Protection > Policies. Then create a new policy.
3 On the policy Attributes tab, select the MS-Windows policy type or the
FlashBackup-Windows policy type.
4 Click Perform snapshot backups.
5 Optional: click Retain snapshot for Instant Recovery or SLP management.
6 Click Perform off-host backup.
7 In the Use list, select Alternate client.
8 For Machine, enter the name of the host that is configured as an off-host
backup computer (the alternate client).
9 Click Snapshot options.
10 Select the VSS snapshot method.
The Hyper-V method does not apply to alternate client backup and is not
available in the list.
The array may require additional OS and NetBackup configuration as described
in the NetBackup Snapshot Manager for Data Center Administrator's Guide.
11 Specify snapshot options for VSS.
Select the following:
■ Provider Type: For disk arrays, select 3-hardware as the provider type.
Depending on your array and on the snapshot attribute you select, certain
preconfiguration of the array may be required. In the NetBackup Snapshot
Manager for Data Center Administrator's Guide guide for information on
disk arrays.
 Hyper-V pass-through disks 162
Important note on VSS and disk arrays

For pass-through disks, note: Instant Recovery point-in-time rollback is not

supported for the backups that were made with a hardware provider (VSS
provider type of 3-hardware). Copy back restore is supported.
See “Provider type configuration parameter (VSS)” on page 40.
See “Restrictions for Hyper-V pass-through disks” on page 159.
See “Important note on VSS and disk arrays” on page 162.
■ Snapshot Attribute: Select 1-differential (for a copy-on-write type of
snapshot) or 2-plex (for a clone type or mirror type of snapshot). The choice
depends on the hardware provider that is used with the disk array.
■ Maximum snapshots (Instant Recovery only): This option sets the
maximum number of Instant Recovery snapshots to be retained at one
time.
For more information on this option, refer to the NetBackup Snapshot
Manager for Data Center Administrator's Guide guide.

12 On the Clients tab, specify the virtual machine that has a pass-through disk
configured.
13 On the Backup selections tab, specify the pass-through disk that you want
to back up, or the files or volumes that reside on the pass-through disk.

Important note on VSS and disk arrays

To back up a Windows client with the VSS method, please note the following about
snapshot parameter values:
■ For Provider Type of 3-hardware and Snapshot Attribute of 2-plex, you must
configure an appropriate number of clones or mirrors in the disk array.
■ You must also synchronize the clones or mirrors with the disk array source
device before starting the backup. If the clones or mirrors are not synchronized
before the backup begins, VSS cannot select a clone or mirror on which to create
the snapshot. As a result, the backup fails.
 Appendix C
NetBackup commands to
back up and restore
Hyper-V virtual machines
This appendix includes the following topics:

■ Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V policy

■ Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

■ Notes on Hyper-V policy attributes when you use the NetBackup commands

■ The bpplinfo options for Hyper-V policies

■ Examples of nbrestorevm for restoring VMs to Hyper-V

■ The nbrestorevm -R rename file for Hyper-V

■ Notes on troubleshooting the nbrestorevm command for Hyper-V

■ Logs for troubleshooting the nbrestorevm command

Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V

policy
This topic describes how to use NetBackup commands to create a backup policy
for Hyper-V on Windows Server 2016 or later. It includes features for Hyper-V on
Windows Server 2016 or later: Block-level incremental backup and Accelerator.
Note that this topic explains how to create a policy that selects virtual machines
manually.
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 164
Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V policy

For a policy that automatically selects virtual machines through a query rule, see
the following:
See “Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy” on page 165.
The NetBackup commands for policy creation are in the following directory:

Windows: install_path\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\admincmd

UNIX or Linux: usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd

Note: To run virtual machine backups, a NetBackup client must be installed on the
Hyper-V server.

To use NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V policy

1 Sign into the NetBackup primary server.
2 Create a policy.
bppolicynew policyName

For example:
bppolicynew HVpolicy1

3 Set the policy attributes.

To accept the default attributes, enter the following:
bpplinfo policyName -set -pt Hyper-V -use_virtual_machine 2
-hyperv_server "hyper-v_server" -fi 1 -snapshot_method "HV"
-blkincr 1 -use_accelerator 1

To specify additional options, enter the following with -snapshot_method_args:

bpplinfo policyName -set -pt Hyper-V -use_virtual_machine 2

-hyperv_server "Hyper-V_server" -fi 1 -snapshot_method "HV"
-blkincr 1 -use_accelerator 1 -snapshot_method_args "nameuse=1,
Virtual_machine_backup=2,file_system_optimization=1,exclude_swap=1,
drive_selection=0,snapact=3,hv_snapshot_consistency_level=0"

See “Notes on Hyper-V policy attributes when you use the NetBackup
commands” on page 169.
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 165
Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

4 Create a policy schedule.

bpplsched policyName -add sched_label -st sched_type

For the -st option, the available schedule types are FULL (full), INCR (differential
incremental), or CINC (cumulative incremental).
For example:
bpplsched policy1 -add Full -st FULL

5 Select the virtual machines to back up.

bpplclients policyName -add VM_to_back_up

On this command, specify one virtual machine at a time. Specify the virtual
machine's display name, host name, or GUID. You can use the Hyper-V
management console to obtain the display name or GUID.
For example:
bpplclients policy1 -add prodvm1.acme.com

In this example, prodvm1.acme.com is the virtual machine to back up, including

all of its local drives. Note: The backup selection is automatically set to
ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES, which is the only option that is available for the Hyper-V
policy type.
6 Validate the policy.
bpclient -policy policyName -validate –fi

If the policy successfully validates, no output appears. Otherwise, the following

error occurs:
Error code 48 : client hostname could not be found

7 Use the bpbackup command to start the backup.

For details on bpbackup, see the NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.
The following topic contains examples of the nbrestorevm command to restore
Hyper-V virtual machines:
See “Examples of nbrestorevm for restoring VMs to Hyper-V” on page 173.

Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V

Intelligent Policy
This topic describes how to use NetBackup commands to create a policy to back
up virtual machines automatically through a query rule. It includes features for
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 166
Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

Hyper-V on Windows Server 2016 or later: Block-level incremental backup and

Accelerator.
The NetBackup commands for policy creation are in the following directory:

Windows: install_path\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\admincmd

UNIX or Linux: usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd

Note: To run virtual machine backups, a NetBackup client must be installed on the
Hyper-V server, and on the SCVMM server (if any).

To use NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V policy for auto selection

of VMs
1 Sign into the NetBackup primary server.
2 Create a policy.
bppolicynew policy_name

For example:
bppolicynew p1_auto_select_VMs

3 Set the policy attributes.

bpplinfo policy_name -set -pt Hyper-V -use_virtual_machine 2

-hyperv_server "Hyper-V_server" -fi 1 -application_discovery 1
-snapshot_method "HV" -blkincr 1 -use_accelerator 1
-snapshot_method_args "nameuse=1,Virtual_machine_backup=2,
file_system_optimization=1,exclude_swap=1,drive_selection=0,
snapact=3,hv_snapshot_consistency_level=0"

See “Notes on Hyper-V policy attributes when you use the NetBackup
commands” on page 169.
4 Create a policy schedule.
bpplsched policy_name -add sched_label -st sched_type

For the -st option, the available schedule types are FULL (full), INCR (differential
incremental), or CINC (cumulative incremental). For example:
bpplsched p1_auto_select_VMs -add Full -st FULL

5 Specify the host that is to perform virtual machine discovery.

■ To specify a Hyper-V server:
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 167
Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

bpplclients policy_name -add Hyper-V_server

Hyper-V_server_hardware_type Hyper-V_server_OS
For example:

bpplclients Accel_policy_auto_select1 -add scvmmserver3 Windows-x64

Windows

In this example, the host to perform virtual machine discovery is

scvmmserver3.

■ To specify a Hyper-V cluster:

bpplclients policy_name -add Hyper-V_cluster

Note: To allow the policy to search all nodes of the cluster, you must set
the Netbackup Legacy Network Service logon to the domain user account.
See “Changing the NetBackup Legacy Network Service logon (vnetd.exe)
to the domain user account” on page 23.

■ To specify a System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) that

manages Hyper-V servers or clusters:
bpplclients policy_name -add SCVMM_server
SCVMM_server_hardware_type SCVMM_server_OS

To specify a Hyper-V server:

bpplclients p1_auto_select_VMs -add hvserver3 Windows-x64 Windows

To find the hardware type and operating system for your server, run the
following on the NetBackup primary server:
bpplclients

For further information, see the examples under bpplclients in the NetBackup
Commands Reference Guide.
6 Create a query rule to select virtual machines automatically.
bpplinclude policy_name -add
"hyperv:/;server_type=value?filter=query_rule”

The possible values for server_type=value are the following (these values
are not case-sensitive):
■ Hyperv
NetBackup discovers the VMs by communicating with the Hyper-V server
or cluster. The Hyper-V server or Hyper-V cluster must contain the
NetBackup client software.
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 168
Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V Intelligent Policy

■ Scvmm
NetBackup discovers the VMs by communicating with the SCVMM server.
The SCVMM server (as well as each of the Hyper-V hosts) must contain
the NetBackup client software.
For example:

bpplinclude Accel_policy_auto_select1 –add

"hyperv:/;server_type=Scvmm?filter=Displayname Contains
'Production'"

This query rule selects from the virtual machines that an SCVMM server
manages. This example selects only the virtual machines with the display
names that contain the word "Production". Contains means that other
characters can also appear in the display names.
For the filter options that you can use in a Hyper-V query rule, refer to the Field
keywords in the following:
See “Query Builder field reference” on page 67.
7 Validate the policy.
bpclient -policy policy_name -validate –fi

If the policy successfully validates, no output appears. Otherwise, the following

error occurs:
Error code 48 : client hostname could not be found

8 Use the bpbackup command to start the backup.

For details on bpbackup, see the NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.
For a policy that lets you select virtual machines manually:
See “Using NetBackup commands to create a Hyper-V policy” on page 163.
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 169
Notes on Hyper-V policy attributes when you use the NetBackup commands

To test the bpplinclude query rule before you run the backup
◆ Run the following on the Hyper-V server or SCVMM server that is designated
in the policy:
install_path\NetBackup\bin nbdiscover -noxmloutput “query
filter=query_rule” -noreason

Where “query filter=query_rule” is the actual query to test. For example:

"hyperv:/;server_type=Hyperv?filter=Displayname Contains
'Production'"

A plus sign (+) appears before the virtual machines that the query rule selects
for the backup: those virtual machines are included in the backup when the
policy runs.
The virtual machines to exclude from the backup appear with a minus sign (-).
The -noreason option omits explanations as to why the query excluded a
virtual machine or why the query failed. For explanations, omit -noreason.
For more details on most of the command options, see the man page or the
NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.

Notes on Hyper-V policy attributes when you use

the NetBackup commands
Note the following for the policy attributes:
■ The -hyperv_server option specifies the Hyper-V host, Hyper-V cluster, or
SCVMM server that contains the VMs to back up.
■ The option -snapshot_method "HV" specifies the WMI snapshot method for
VMs on Hyper-V hosts that run Windows 2016 or later. (-snapshot_method
"Hyper-V_v2" specifies the VSS method, which does not support block-level
incremental backup or Accelerator.)
■ The option -blkincr: 1 enables block-level incremental backup (BLIB).
■ The option -use_accelerator: 1 enables Accelerator. (This option also enables
BLIB.)
■ The -snapshot_method_args option is a comma-delimited list of keywords that
define the Hyper-V snapshot and policy.
The available keywords and values for -snapshot_method_args are described
in a separate topic:
See “The bpplinfo options for Hyper-V policies” on page 170.
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 170
The bpplinfo options for Hyper-V policies

The bpplinfo options for Hyper-V policies

Table C-1 describes the options that are available on the NetBackup bpplinfo
command.

Table C-1 The bpplinfo options for Hyper-V

Option Backup Values Required? Policy option in NetBackup

method web UI

-use_virtual_machine WMI, VSS 2 Y

-hyperv_server WMI, VSS The name of the Y Clients tab > Server type >
Hyper-V server Hyper-V standalone/cluster

-application_discovery WMI, VSS 0 disabled, 1 enabled N (only for Clients tab > Virtual machines
automatic for backup > Select
selection of VMs automatically through Hyper-V
through a query Intelligent Policy query
rule)

-blkincr WMI For block-level N (required for Hyper-V tab

incremental backup Accelerator)

0 disabled, 1 enabled

-use_accelerator WMI 0 disabled, 1 enabled N Hyper-V tab > Enable

block-level incremental backup
> Use Accelerator

-snapshot_method WMI, VSS HV (for WMI) Y Hyper-V tab

Hyper-V_v2 (for VSS)

-offhost_backup VSS 0 No off-host backup N Attributes tab > Perform

(default) off-host backup

1 Use off-host backup

method (for alternate
client)

-use_alt_client VSS 0 No alternate client Y (with Attributes tab > Perform

-offhost_backup off-host backup > Use
1 Use an alternate
option)
client

alt_client_name VSS The name of the Y (with Attributes tab > Perform
alternate client use_alt_client) off-host backup > Machine
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 171
The bpplinfo options for Hyper-V policies

Table C-1 The bpplinfo options for Hyper-V (continued)

Option Backup Values Required? Policy option in NetBackup

method web UI

snapshot_method_args WMI, VSS keyword=value, N

keyword=value,...

Table C-2

Table C-2 describes the keywords for -snapshot_method_args.

Table C-2 Keywords and values for snapshot_method_args

Keyword Backup Values Navigation in

method policy editor of
NetBackup
Administration
Console

Virtual_machine_ WMI, VSS 1 Disable file-level recovery Hyper-V tab > Enable
backup= file recovery from VM
2 Enable file-level recovery
backup

nameuse= WMI, VSS 0 Use VM host name to identify backup image Hyper-V tab > Primary
VM identifier
1 Use VM display name to identify backup image

2 Use VM GUID to identify backup image

allow_offline_ VSS 0 Do not allow offline backup of non-VSS virtual Hyper-V tab > Enable
backup= machines offline backup of
non-VSS VMs
1 Allow offline backup of non-VSS virtual machines

csv_timeout= VSS Determines how many minutes the backup job waits, Hyper-V tab > Cluster
in case another node in the cluster backs up the same shared volumes
shared volume at the same time. timeout

If you do not want NetBackup to wait for another

backup to release the shared volume, set the value
to 0. If at the same time another node in the cluster
backs up a shared volume that this backup requires,
the backup fails with status 156.
Note: On Windows server 2012, cluster nodes can
back up the same CSV simultaneously. As a result,
NetBackup does not use this option if the cluster is
on Windows 2012.
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 172
The bpplinfo options for Hyper-V policies

Table C-2 Keywords and values for snapshot_method_args (continued)

Keyword Backup Values Navigation in

method policy editor of
NetBackup
Administration
Console

prov_type= VSS 0 Automatic selection of provider. Allows VSS to use Hyper-V tab >
the best possible provider for the snapshot. Advanced > Provider
type
1 Use system provider

2 Use software provider

3 Use hardware array provider

snap_attr= VSS 0 (default) Hyper-V tab >

Advanced > Snapshot
1 Differential. Use copy-on-write snapshot method.
attribute
2 Plex. Use clone or mirror snapshot method.

file_system_ WMI 0 Disable file system optimization File system

optimization is enabled
optimization= 1 Enable file system optimization
if either or both of the
following are selected:

Hyper-V tab > Exclude

deleted blocks

Hyper-V tab > Exclude

swap and paging files

exclude_swap= WMI Reduces the size of the backup image by excluding Hyper-V tab > Exclude
the data in the guest OS system paging file (Windows) swap and paging files
or the swap file (Linux).

0 Disable

1 Enable

snapact= WMI 3 Abort if NetBackup snapshots exist Hyper-V tab >

Advanced > Existing
snapshot handling

drive_selection= WMI 0 Include all disks Hyper-V tab >

Advanced > Virtual
1 Exclude boot disk
disk selection
2 Exclude data disks
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 173
Examples of nbrestorevm for restoring VMs to Hyper-V

Table C-2 Keywords and values for snapshot_method_args (continued)

Keyword Backup Values Navigation in

method policy editor of
NetBackup
Administration
Console

hv_snapshot_ WMI Determines whether the VM's file system data is Hyper-V tab >
consistency_level= consistent (quiesced) before the backup starts. Advanced >
Consistency level
0 Application Consistent Then Crash Consistent

1 Application Consistent

2 Crash Consistent

Examples of nbrestorevm for restoring VMs to

Hyper-V
To restore VMs, you can use the nbrestorevm command on the primary server or
on the recovery host. The command is located in the following directory:
Windows
install_path\NetBackup\bin\nbrestorevm.exe

UNIX and Linux:

/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/nbrestorevm

The following nbrestorevm options are used in the examples in this topic:
■ –vmhv
Indicates a restore to the original location.
■ -vmhvnew
Indicates a restore to a different location (instead of –vmhv).
■ -vmhvstage
Indicates a restore to a staging or temporary location.
■ -vmncf
For a VM that uses files in common with other VMs, this option restores the VM
but does not restore the common files.
■ -C virtual_machine_to_restore
Identifies the VM to restore. The VM name must match the type of name that
was selected in the Primary VM identifier option of the backup policy. For
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 174
Examples of nbrestorevm for restoring VMs to Hyper-V

example, if the VM was backed up by its VM display name, use the VM's display
name on the -C option.

Note: Spaces in the VM name must be represented as %20 on the -C option.

If the VM's name is acme vm1, enter acme%20vm1.

■ -vmid
For restore to an alternate location, retains the original GUID for the restored
VM (prevents the creation of a new GUID).
■ -R absolute_path_to_rename_file
For restore to an alternate location, describes the path to a text file (the rename
file) that contains directives for restoring the VM's files. The rename file specifies
the original paths and the new paths for the restored VM files (xml, bin, vsv,
vhd). The rename file must specify paths for all four VM file types.
See “Hyper-V examples of restore to alternate locations” on page 176.
Further notes are available on the rename file:
See “The nbrestorevm -R rename file for Hyper-V” on page 178.
■ -vmserver Hyper-V_server
Specifies a different server as the target for the restore. The default is the
Hyper-V server that backed up the VM. To restore to the Hyper-V server that
backed up the VM, omit this option.
■ –S primary_server
Specifies the primary server that made the backup (if different from the current
primary server).
■ -O
Overwrites the VM and the associated resources if they already exist. This option
is required if the VM exists in the target location.
■ -w [hh:mm:ss]
The nbrestorevm command waits for completion of the restore before it returns
to the system prompt.
Without the -w option, nbrestorevm initiates the restore and exits. You can verify
the job completion status in the Activity Monitor of the NetBackup Administration
Console.
■ -L progress_log_file [-en]
Specifies an existing file to contain debug information about the restore. If the
server where you run nbrestorevm is configured for a non-English locale, the
-en option creates an additional log file in English.
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 175
Examples of nbrestorevm for restoring VMs to Hyper-V

Following are examples for nbrestorevm.

Hyper-V examples of restore to original location

For restore to the original location, NetBackup 8.0 adds a new feature for VMs that
were backed up with the WMI method: You can specify a new display name for the
restored a VM.

A. Restore to the original location and overwrite the VM

nbrestorevm –vmhv –C VM_to_restore –O

The -O option overwrites the existing VM. This option is required if the VM already
exists.

B. From a backup that was made with the WMI method,

restore to the original location and change the virtual
machine's display name
nbrestorevm.exe -vmhv -C vm1.acme.com -O -R \C:\vmadmin\renamefile2

The file renamefile2 specifies the new display name. The following example rename
file changes the display name to vm6:

change /F/VMs/vm1/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.VMRS
to /F/VMs/vm1/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.VMRS
change /F/VMs/vm1/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.vmcx
to /F/VMs/vm1/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.vmcx
change /F/VMs/vm1/Virtual Hard Disks/vm1.vhdx
to /F/VMs/vm1/Virtual Hard Disks/vm1.vhdx
change vmname to vm6

Note: The paths in the rename file should be identical for both change and to. Only
the last directive (change vmname to vm6) specifies the new display name, where
vmname is a required literal entry, and to specifies the new name.

C. Restore to the original location, overwrite the VM, and

create a progress log
nbrestorevm –vmhv –C VM_to_restore –O -L progress_log_file

D. Restore to the original location, overwrite the VM, but

do not restore the common files
nbrestorevm -vmncf –C VM_to_restore –O
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 176
Examples of nbrestorevm for restoring VMs to Hyper-V

E. Restore to the original location from a VM backup that

a different primary server made, and overwrite the VM
nbrestorevm –vmhv –C VM_to_restore –S primary_server –O

The –S option identifies the server that made the backup.

Hyper-V examples of restore to alternate locations

For restore to an alternate location, NetBackup 8.0 adds new restore features for
VMs that were backed up with the WMI method:
■ A new VM GUID is generated by default when you restore a VM to an alternate
location.
As an option, you can choose to keep the original GUID.
■ You can specify a new display name when you restore the VM.

A. Restore to a different location on the same Hyper-V

server
nbrestorevm -vmhvnew –C VM_to_restore –R absolute_path_to_rename_file

In the -R option rename file, enter the full path to a text file that contains the following
kinds of entries:

change /original_VM_GUID.xml_path to /new_VM_GUID.xml_path

change /original_VM_GUID.bin_path to /new_VM_GUID.bin_path
change /original_VM_GUID.vsv_path to /new_VM_GUID.vsv_path
change /original_VM.vhd_path to /new_VM.vhd_path

Make sure to include all four change entries to specify locations for the VM's files
(xml, bin, vsv, vhd). If any of the VM file paths are omitted, the restore may not
succeed.

Note: From the backups that were made with the WMI method, nbrestorevm
generates a new VM GUID by default when you restore to an alternate location.
To retain the original GUID, add the -vmid option.

Note: Each change line must end with a carriage return.

Note: If the –R option is omitted, the VM is restored to its original location.

See “The nbrestorevm -R rename file for Hyper-V” on page 178.

 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 177
Examples of nbrestorevm for restoring VMs to Hyper-V

B. From a backup that a different primary server made with

the WMI method, restore to an alternate location and retain
the VM's original GUID
nbrestorevm.exe -vmhvnew -C vm1.acme.com -S primary44.acme.com
-vmserver HVserver6.acme.com -vmid -R \C:\vmadmin\renamefile1

■ The -vmserver option specifies the restore destination (HVserver6.acme.com).

■ The -S option specifies the primary server that made the WMI backup (different
from the current primary server).
■ The -vmid option retains the original GUID for the restored VM. To generate a
new GUID, omit the -vmid option.
■ The -R option identifies a text file that uses change directives to specify file paths
for restore to the alternate location.

Note: The -R option must specify the absolute path to the rename file. In this
example, renamefile1 contains the following directives to change the VM's file
paths at the alternate restore location:

change /F/VMs/vm1/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.VMRS
to /D/VMs/vm1/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.VMRS
change /F/VMs/vm1/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.vmcx
to /D/VMs/vm1/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.vmcx
change /F/VMs/vm1/Virtual Hard Disks/vm1.vhdx
to /D/VMs/vm1/Virtual Hard Disks/vm2.vhdx

C. Restore to a different Hyper-V server, and wait for

completion status from the server before returning to the
system prompt
nbrestorevm -vmhvnew –C VM_to_restore –R absolute_path_to_rename_file
-vm_server Hyper-V_server -w

The -vm_server option specifies the target server for the restore.
See example A or B for rename file examples.

D. Restore the virtual machine files to a staging location

nbrestorevm.exe -vmhvstage -S primary44.acme.com -C vm6.acme.com -O
-vmserver HVserver6.acme.com -R "C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup
\Logs\44\Admin\logs\rfile4.tmp.chg" -L "C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup
\Logs\44\Admin\logs\rfile4.tmp.log”
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 178
The nbrestorevm -R rename file for Hyper-V

■ The -vmhvstage option restores the virtual machine files to a staging location.
■ The -vmserver option specifies the host for the staging location.
■ The -L option specifies the name of an existing file in which to write progress
information.
■ For restore to a staging location, NetBackup does not generate a new GUID.
■ The file rfile4.tmp.chg specifies the new paths for the virtual machine files
at the staging location:

change /F/VMs/vm6/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.VMRS
to /E/VMs/vm6/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.VMRS
change /F/VMs/vm6/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.vmcx
to /E/VMs/vm6/2D7C007E-90FB-44EC-ABB2-6733D42A51F5.vmcx
change /F/VMs/vm6/Virtual Hard Disks/vm1.vhdx
to /E/VMs/vm6/Virtual Hard Disks/vm2.vhdx

The nbrestorevm -R rename file for Hyper-V

The -R rename file is a text file that uses change directives to specify file paths for
restore to a different location. The change directives specify the original paths of
the VM's files (xml, bin, vsv, vhd) and the paths to the files when they are restored.

Note: The -R option and rename file are not required when you restore the VM to
its original location with all its original settings.

Note the following about restoring the VM to a different location:

■ You must use the -vmhvnew option on nbrestorevm (instead of the –vmhv option).
■ The -R option must specify the absolute path to the rename file.
■ Each change directive in the -R rename file must end with a carriage return.
■ The change directives can be in any order in the rename file.
■ The change directives take the following form:
change /original_VM_file_path to /target_VM_file_path
Use forward slashes (/) in the paths. See Table C-3.
■ Unlike the Backup, Archive, and Restore interface, nbrestorevm does not validate
its command options and rename file directives before the restore job begins.
Make sure to include all required options and rename file change directives.
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 179
Notes on troubleshooting the nbrestorevm command for Hyper-V

Table C-3 Change directives for the -R rename file

-R rename file directives Description and notes

change /original_VM_GUID.xml_path to The path to the VM's original .xml file and to the restored
/new_VM_GUID.xml_path .xml file.

change /original_VM_GUID.bin_path to The path to the VM's original .bin file and to the restored
/new_VM_GUID.bin_path .bin file.

change /original_VM_GUID.vsv_path to The path to the VM's original .vsv file and to the restored
/new_VM_GUID.vsv_path .vsv file.

change /original_VM.vhd_path to The path to the VM's original vhd file and to the restored
/new_VM.vhd_path vhd file.

Notes on troubleshooting the nbrestorevm

command for Hyper-V
This topic describes NetBackup status codes relating to the nbrestorevm command
for Hyper-V.

Table C-4 NetBackup status codes on nbrestorevm and Hyper-V

NetBackup Explanation and recommended action

status code

2821, The VM already exists at the restore location.

Hyper-V
On nbrestorevm, include the -O option to overwrite the existing VM.
policy
restore
error

23, socket The time span that is specified on the –w option is earlier than the time
read failed of the restore.

You can use -w without time values. The nbrestorevm job waits for the
restore to complete and then exits.

135, client The media server or recovery host where you are running nbrestorevm
is not is not allowed to access the NetBackup primary server.
validated to
Add the media server or recovery host to the primary server's Additional
perform the Servers list. In the NetBackup Administration Console, click Host
requested Properties > Master Servers > double-click the primary server > Servers.
operation
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 180
Logs for troubleshooting the nbrestorevm command

Table C-4 NetBackup status codes on nbrestorevm and Hyper-V (continued)

NetBackup Explanation and recommended action

status code

144, invalid One or more required options were omitted on nbrestorevm.

command
For example, nbrestorevm requires either –vmhv (restore to original
usage
location) or -vmhvnew (restore to different location).

See the nbrestorevm man page or the NetBackup Commands Reference

Guide for more details.

190, found A name or value that is supplied with nbrestorevm does not match the
no images or VM's actual name or value.
media
The VM name as specified on nbrestorevm must match the type of name
matching the that was selected in the Primary VM identifier option of the backup
selection policy. For example, if the VM was backed up by its VM display name,
criteria use the VM's display name on the -C option.
Note: Spaces in the VM name must be represented as %20 on the
nbrestorevm -C option. For example, if the VM's name is acme vm1,
enter acme%20vm1 on the -C option.

Logs for troubleshooting the nbrestorevm

command
The following logs may contain helpful messages on nbrestorevm.

Table C-5 Logs with messages on nbrestorevm

Log directory Contains the messages Resides on

on

Windows The restore operation, such Primary server

as for status code 2821.
install_path\NetBackup\logs\bprd

Linux, UNIX

/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bprd

install_path\NetBackup\logs\tar The restore operation, such Recovery host

as for status code 2821. (Hyper-V server)
 NetBackup commands to back up and restore Hyper-V virtual machines 181
Logs for troubleshooting the nbrestorevm command

Table C-5 Logs with messages on nbrestorevm (continued)

Log directory Contains the messages Resides on

on

Windows Incorrect usage of the Host where

nbrestorevm command, such nbrestorevm is run
install_path\NetBackup\logs\nbrestorevm
as omission of a required
Linux, UNIX option.
/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/nbrestorevm