--- title: "How to Perform a VMware Backup & Best Practices" description: "Learn a plethora of ways to perform a VMware backup for your VMware VMs and host configuration in this step-by-step tutorial!" canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/vmware-backup/" --- # How to Perform a VMware Backup & Best Practices > Learn a plethora of ways to perform a VMware backup for your VMware VMs and host configuration in this step-by-step tutorial! Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/vmware-backup/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![How to Perform a VMware Backup & Best Practices](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/How-to-Perform-a-VMware-Backup-Best-Practices.jpg) # How to Perform a VMware Backup & Best Practices [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c14b031fe4a12b0e3f4d1e112e37261df83921ddc370cdafbad2a614e36f0cf4?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Chaitanya](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/chaitanya-g/)10 December 20216 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[Backups](/tag/backups/)[VmWare](/tag/vmware/) Table of Contents * [Prerequisites](#prerequisites) * [Backing up vCenter Server Manually](#backing-up-vcenter-server-manually) * [Automating a VMware Backup Job for vCenter Servers](#automating-a-vmware-backup-job-for-vcenter-servers) * [Copying the VM Folder from VMware](#copying-the-vm-folder-from-vmware) * [Exporting a Virtual Machine from vSphere](#exporting-a-virtual-machine-from-vsphere) * [Exporting Virtual Machines via the PowerCLI Module](#exporting-virtual-machines-via-the-powercli-module) * [Backing up a VMware Host Configuration](#backing-up-a-vmware-host-configuration) * [Conclusion](#conclusion) If you’re a VMware admin, losing your whole VMware environment can be fatal. So how do you backup your whole VMware environment? Don’t worry, this tutorial got you covered, and you’ll get to perform a VMware backup in no time! In this tutorial, you will learn about how to never lose your VMware environment, including your vCenter server, virtual machines, and ESXi configuration. ## Prerequisites This tutorial will be a hands-on demonstration. If you’d like to follow along, be sure you have the following: * A machine running VMware ESXi Hypervisor – This tutorial uses VMware ESXi 6.7 version. * Any of the following protocols for performing vCenter server appliance backup: FTP, FTPS, HTTP, HTTPS, or SCP with enough disk space and access to the appliance. ## Backing up vCenter Server Manually First on this tutorial’s list of performing VMware backup is, backing up your vCenter server manually. You’ll access your Appliance Manager to fill up a form of your backup job’s configuration for backing up your vCenter server. > _Application servers or database servers, continuously write data all the time. When creating a backup of such servers, you have to [quiesce the VM](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/blog/posts/vmware-quiesce-or-not-quiesce/) so that the file and application data are brought to a steady-state._ 1\. Open your favorite browser, then navigate to the vCenter server’s IP address, as the one below, and log in. Doing so opens the management console for your VMware vCenter server. Be sure to replace `appliance-IP-address-or-FQDN` with your vCenter server’s IP address. But for this example, the vCenter server’s IP address is 192.168.1.122. ```powershell https://appliance-IP-address-or-FQDN:5480 ``` ![Navigating to vCenter Server Appliance Login](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-80.png) Navigating to vCenter Server Appliance Login 2\. Once you log in, click on **Backup** at the left panel and click on **BACKUP NOW** in the **Activity** section, as shown below. ![Initiating vCenter Server Backup](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-81.png) Initiating vCenter Server Backup 3\. Configure the backup settings with the following: * Enter the backup protocol (**ftp**) followed by location details and credentials to connect. In this example, the FTP server’s IP address is set to **192.168.1.34**. * Do not enter an encryption password to keep the backup as plain as possible. The password is needed while restoring an encrypted backup. * Check the **Stats, Events, and Tasks** option to save the historical stats, events, and tasks data from the database to your backup location. * Click the **Start** button to start the backup process. > _Always remember that the hardware devices used for backup should have enough resources. Without enough resources, your backup operations, such as [data deduplication](https://www.acronis.com/en-sg/articles/deduplication/#:~:text=what%20is%20backup%20deduplication%3F), can not be completed quickly as expected._ ![Configuring the vCenter Server Backup Settings](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-82.png) Configuring the vCenter Server Backup Settings 4\. Once the backup is complete, you’ll see an item in the backup history on the **Activity** section like the one below. ![Viewing the Backup History](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-83.png) Viewing the Backup History ## Automating a VMware Backup Job for vCenter Servers Instead of manually backing up your vCenter server, why not automate the process? How? By configuring a schedule to backup your vCenter server. Configuring a backup schedule is similar to backing up your vCenter server manually. The only difference is that you set a schedule for when to run the backup process. On Appliance Management’s home page, click on **Backup**, then click on **CONFIGURE** at the top-right of the **Backup Schedule** section. Doing so opens a page to configure the backup schedule. ![Accessing the Create Backup Schedule Page](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-84.png) Accessing the Create Backup Schedule Page Now, configure the backup schedule details with the following: * Fill in all the details on the **Backup Schedule** page as you did in the “Backing up vCenter Server Manually” section (step three). * Click on the drop-down field to choose a repetition (**Daily**, **Weekly**, or **Custom**), and set the time when to run the backup job. * Click **Create** to save the backup schedule, and your browser redirects back to the **Backup** page. > _Never ignore the automated backup job you created. On your scheduled auto backups, try a [file-level recovery](https://core.vmware.com/resource/vcenter-server-backup-and-restore#section4) for a VM and see if the automated backup job did its work correctly._ ![Creating the Backup Schedule](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-85.png) Creating the Backup Schedule You can now see the **Backup Schedule** section with all the options you selected while creating the backup schedule, as shown below. You also have the option to **Edit**, **Disable** or **Delete** the backup schedule completely. > _When you use a backup file to restore your vCenter server, all the configurations from the backup will be restored to a new appliance._ ![Viewing Backup Schedule Details](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-86.png) Viewing Backup Schedule Details > _Scheduled backup jobs on your VM constantly consume memory, which degrades your VM’s performance. Alternatively, you can schedule your backup on off-hours, where there are no or fewer users using your servers._ > > _But the better option is to use [image-level backups](https://www.channelasia.tech/article/681203/item-level-vs-image-level-backup-why-it-best-use-combo) from the virtualization layer, so the OS resource utilization will not be involved in the backup process._ ## Copying the VM Folder from VMware You’ve previously learned how to backup your vCenter manually and by scheduling a backup job. Now, it’s time to look at different ways to backup VMs via the VMware Hypervisor. For a start, back up your virtual machine by copying your VM’s folder from VMware to a destination. Power off your VM, then open VMware ESXi Datastore browser and navigate to your VM’s folder. Now select your VM’s folder (vmdk), then click **Download** to select a destination folder outside your VMware hypervisor. ![Copying VMs via the Datastore Browser](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-87.png) Copying VMs via the Datastore Browser ## Exporting a Virtual Machine from vSphere Similar to copying a VM folder, exporting from vSphere is another way to back up your VM. But exporting VMs is a bit different as the VM gets converted to an [OVF file](https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/7.0/com.vmware.vsphere.vm_admin.doc/GUID-AE61948B-C2EE-436E-BAFB-3C7209088552.html) to support the exchange of virtual appliances across products and platforms. Related:[How to Import and Export an OVF file in VMware with PowerShell](https://adamtheautomator.com/ovf-file/) Log in to your vSphere URL and navigate to your VM. Now, right-click on your VM and click **Export** to export your VM’s vmdk file to your preferred location and converts it to an OVF file. ![Exporting VM from vSphere](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-88.png) Exporting VM from vSphere > _Using a backup solution like [VMware vSphere Storage APIs – Data Protection](https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1021175) which doesn’t require any backup software to be installed on the VM or on the ESXi host is good practice._ > > _Using vStorage APIs reduces the resource utilization for backup on both the VMs and the ESXi host. vStorage APIs for Data protection uses VMware vSphere’s snapshot capabilities to create a backup on the Storage Area Network (SAN) without requiring downtime on the VMs._ ## Exporting Virtual Machines via the PowerCLI Module If running commands is your expertise, another way to create a backup is to export the VMs using the [PowerCLI module](https://developer.vmware.com/powercli/installation-guide) in PowerShell. But first, you’ll install the module before you can backup any VMs. 1\. Open [PowerShell as administrator](https://adamtheautomator.com/powershell-run-as-administrator/), then run the [`Install-Module`](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/powershellget/install-module?view=powershell-7.2) command below to install the PowerCLI module (`VMware.PowerCLI`) on your machine. Enter ‘A’ when you get the confirmation prompt to continue running the command. ```powershell Install-Module -Name VMware.PowerCLI ``` ![Installing the PowerCLI module](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-89.png) Installing the PowerCLI module 2\. Next, run the command below to connect [`Connect-VIServer`](https://developer.vmware.com/home) to your ESXi host. Change the `192.168.1.119` IP address to your ESXi host IP address. Enter your credentials when prompted. `Connect-VIServer 192.168.1.119` ```powershell Connect-VIServer 192.168.1.119 ``` ![Connecting to ESXi host ](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-90.png) Connecting to ESXi host > _If you encounter an invalid server certificate error, run the below command to ignore certificate errors when connecting to your VMware host. `Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore`_ Run the [`Export-vApp`](https://vdc-repo.vmware.com/vmwb-repository/dcr-public/6fb85470-f6ca-4341-858d-12ffd94d975e/4bee17f3-579b-474e-b51c-898e38cc0abb/doc/Export-VApp.html) command below to export your VM (vmdk file) as OVF format to a destination folder you specify (`-Destination "C:\\VMBackup\\"`). Replace `WinVM` with your VM’s name in the hypervisor. ```powershell Get-VM -Name WinVM | Export-VApp -Destination "C:\VMBackup\" ``` ![Exporting VM via PowerCLI Module](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-91.png) Exporting VM via PowerCLI Module ## Backing up a VMware Host Configuration You’ve seen how to back up VMs using third-party software and back up vCenter servers so far. But how about backing up a VMware host configuration? 1\. Log in to your VMware host through SSH. 2\. Run the below [`vim-cmd`](https://www.enterprisedaddy.com/2016/09/vim-cmd-with-virtual-machines/) command on the shell to save the current configuration from the last autosave (`hostsvc/firmware/sync_config`). ESXi’s configuration is saved every hour automatically. ```powershell vim-cmd hostsvc/firmware/sync_config ``` ![Saving Current ESXi Host Configuration](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-92.png) Saving Current ESXi Host Configuration Finally, run the below command to back up the configuration (`hostsvc/firmware/backup_config`) you saved in step two. Note the URL from the output as you’ll need it to download the backup file in the next step. ```bash vim-cmd hostsvc/firmware/backup_config ``` ![Backing up ESXi Host Configuration](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-93.png) Backing up ESXi Host Configuration 4\. Open your browser and enter the URL you noted in step three. Replace \* with the IP address of your ESXi host and the browser automatically downloads the backup folder. > _You can also view the same backup file from the /scratch/downloads folder and download it using software like [WinSCP](https://winscp.net/eng/download.php), as shown below._ ![Viewing backup file in WinSCP ](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-94.png) Viewing backup file in WinSCP As you see below, the backup folder is deleted automatically in a few minutes, so you have to download it quickly. ![Showing Backup Folder is Automatically Removed ](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-95.png) Showing Backup Folder is Automatically Removed > _When testing a quick software update, you can create a snapshot on the server, test, and remove the snapshot as soon as possible. Why? After a snapshot is created, all the disk writes for that VM are redirected to a new [delta disk file](https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/5.5/com.vmware.vsphere.vm_admin.doc/GUID-38F4D574-ADE7-4B80-AEAB-7EC502A379F4.html)._ > > _Data written to the disk file in increments creates a lock on the storage [Local Unit Number (LUN)](https://stonefly.com/resources/what-is-a-logical-unit-number-lun), which can cause performance issues._ ## Conclusion This tutorial is aimed at providing you with knowledge on how to perform VMware environment backup. You’ve learned not just one, but many ways to secure a copy of your VMware environment and to up your ESXi host configuration. Backing up your VMs is crucial, especially for business continuity purposes. There are tons of [other backup software](https://www.serverwatch.com/backup/virtual-machine-backup-tools/) with [data protection](https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2016565) like [Veeam Backup and Replication](https://www.veeam.com/vm-backup-recovery-replication-software.html), [Comvault](https://www.commvault.com/), [Dell EMC Networker](https://www.delltechnologies.com/en-ph/data-protection/data-protection-suite/networker-data-protection-software.htm), [Cohesity Backup and Recovery](https://www.cohesity.com/solutions/backup-and-recovery/), [Veritas NetBackup](https://www.veritas.com/protection/netbackup), [Altaro VM Backup](https://www.altaro.com/vm-backup/), [Na](https://www.nakivo.com/)[kivo Backup and Replication](https://www.nakivo.com/), and more. Related:[Getting Started with Veeam Backup & Replication and VMware vSphere](https://adamtheautomator.com/veeam-backup/) With this newfound knowledge, which software would you use to backup your VMs? 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