Configuring a VMware backup policy to protect SharePoint Server
Through a VMware backup policy, NetBackup can create full application-consistent backups of a SharePoint Server that resides on a virtual machine. Optionally, you can use NetBackup Accelerator. VMware policies let you exclude certain virtual disks from the VMware backup. If you want to exclude specific SharePoint components, use a MS-SharePoint policy.
More information on Accelerator is available:
See the NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume I.
To configure a VMware backup policy to protect SharePoint Server
- Open the NetBackup web UI.
- On the left, click Protection > Policies.
- Add a new policy or open the policy that you want to edit.
- Click the Attributes tab.
From the Policy type list, select VMware.
In the Policy storage list, select a disk storage unit.
If you want to use NetBackup Accelerator, select a supported storage unit type. The NetBackup device mapping files list all supported storage types.
If you want to use NetBackup Accelerator, click Use Accelerator.
Accelerator uses the initial full backup to establish a baseline. Any subsequent backups that are performed with Accelerator can run significantly faster. You may want to create an additional policy schedule that enables the Accelerator forced rescan option. This option establishes a new baseline for the next Accelerator backup.
Perform block-level incremental backups is automatically selected and grayed out. On the VMware tab, the Enable block-level incremental backup option is also selected and grayed out.
- On the Clients tab, do the following:
Click Select automatically through VMware intelligent policy query.
From the NetBackup host to perform automatic virtual machine selection list, select the host you want to use.
Use the Query builder to create the rules that select the virtual machines you want to back up.
- On the VMware tab:
Select the Primary VM identifier to use to catalog the backups.
Select Enable file recovery from VM backup.
Locate Application protection and click Microsoft SharePoint Server.
This option allows recovery of the databases from the virtual machine backups. If this option is disabled, you can recover the entire virtual machine from the backup, but you cannot recover the databases individually.
Alternatively, you can select Microsoft SQL Server. Do not select both recovery options.
- If you want to exclude certain disks from the VMware backup, click the Exclude disks tab.
NetBackup excludes those disks from the VMware backup that protects SharePoint Server. Be sure that any disks that you exclude do not contain database data.
- Click Save to save the policy.