Setting global limits on the use of VMware resources
You can use the NetBackup Resource Limit dialog to control the number of simultaneous backups that can be performed on a VMware resource type. The settings apply to all NetBackup policies for the currently selected primary server.
For example, to avoid overloading the ESX server, you can place a limit on the number of concurrent backup jobs per ESX server. To control I/O overhead on the datastore's array, you can limit the number of concurrent backups per datastore.
The following limitations apply to setting global limits on the use of VMware resources:
In NetBackup 10.4, you can set global limits for VMware resources only through the NetBackup Administration Console or the NetBackup Configuration API. You cannot set VMware resource limits with the NetBackup web UI. For more information about the Configuration API, see the NetBackup API Reference on SORT.
New and changed resource limits may not take effect immediately. It can take a couple of jobs before the resource limit updates are in effect.
The Resource Limit screen applies only to policies that use automatic selection of virtual machines (Query Builder). If virtual machines are selected manually on the Browse for Virtual Machines screen, the Resource Limit settings have no effect.
To limit the number of simultaneous jobs per policy, use the 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 VMware).
To set limits on the use of VMware resources
- In the NetBackup Administration Console, click Host Properties > Primary Servers and double-click the NetBackup primary server.
- In the Properties screen, scroll down in the left pane and click Resource Limit.
- Under Application, click VMware.
- Click in the Resource Limit column to set the maximum NetBackup usage for a particular resource type. The settings apply to all policies.
For each resource type, the default is 0, (No Limit). A resource limit of 4 for Datastore means that NetBackup policies can perform no more than four simultaneous backups on any particular datastore.
Table: Resource types and limits describes the limits:
Table: Resource types and limits
Resource type | Resource limit |
|---|---|
vCenter | The maximum number of simultaneous backups per vCenter server. |
snapshot | The maximum number of simultaneous snapshot operations (create or delete) per vCenter. |
Cluster | The maximum number of simultaneous backups per VMware cluster. |
ESXserver | The maximum number of simultaneous backups per ESX server. |
VMXDatastore | Controls the maximum number of simultaneous backups per Datastore. The Datastore is defined as the location of the VMX file that is associated with each VM. This resource type is useful for VMs that have VMDK files distributed across multiple Datastores. This setting is enforced globally within a NetBackup domain. |
Datastore | The maximum number of simultaneous backups per datastore. |
DatastoreFolder | The maximum number of simultaneous backups per datastore folder. |
DatastoreType | The maximum number of simultaneous backups per datastore type. |
VMXDatastoreNFSHost | Controls the maximum number of simultaneous backups per Datastore at the NFS host level where the Datastore type is NFS. The VMXDatastoreNFSHost is an NFS server that sources one or more NFS Datastores. For this resource type the Datastore is defined as the location of the VMX file that is associated with each VM. This resource type is useful for VMs that have VMDK files that are distributed across multiple Datastores. This setting is enforced globally within a NetBackup domain. |
DatastoreNFSHost | The maximum number of simultaneous backups per NFS host of the datastore. |
DatastoreCluster | The maximum number of simultaneous backups per datastore cluster. |
Other resource-related considerations may be of interest.