esx Ranger FAQ

• Recurring Image Backup Reliable 'set it and forget it' process that is highly scriptable


• Change Control Any level admin can backup their own VM Prior to a change 'for revision roll-back purposes' & put a description of the VM state


• Archival / End of life management Easy ability to backup & resurrect a server w/ 'restore as' function


• DR Multiple compression & file sending options, NAS, SAN, Linux, Windows, WAN

• agents are used "in the guest" and do not backup live images of virtual machine .DK / .DESK files!


• Often times, Jr. Admins are not allowed to run the Enterprise Backup tools.

• With esxRanger, you capture the whole virtual machine image. This can be very complementary to your existing backup plan and may be the core of your virtual infrastructure DR plan.


• esxRanger should be used in combination with backup agents on virtual machines with "fast changing data" (file servers, mail servers, database servers).


• esxRanger completes the picture by facilitating backup, change control & DR when using VMware ESX Server.

Using esxRanger CLI or GUI, there is no need for complex scripting.  esxRanger can run on a central windows server and can be scheduled to perform online hot backups via the CLI (with assistance from the GUI).

esxRanger GUI can be run from the central server or a workstation for "point in time" backups prior to a system change.  We call this "change control". Additionally, esxRanger makes it easy to archive VM's that have reached their end of life with compression and VM state descriptions.

Most administrators will run the esxRanger GUI for change control backups and generate the appropriate CLI command (from the GUI) as needed.

Scheduling the esxRanger CLI command (sometimes with minor parameter changes) for recurring backup usually follows next.

For recurring backups, esxRanger CLI currently uses the standard windows scheduler.

A central scheduler is forthcoming.  Just use the esxRanger GUI to create the command line and then copy the command to your scheduler at this time.

esxRanger works without the need for Virtual Center.  When you set up esxRanger to perform recurring backups, use the -allregistered option so no matter where you VMotion a VM, esxRanger will be able to back it up.  

Do not hard code VM's for backup by specifying the VM directly unless you do not plan on VMotioning the VM.  An esxRanger version with direct Virtual Center support is forthcoming.

This future version will add enhanced VM tracking and security functionality.

esxRanger will compress these files to conserve space and send them to a destination server of your choice.  The compression varies on the data that is in the Guest VM.

A standard Windows 2003 VM with updates on a 6GB disk has about 2GB of used space inside the guest.  That compresses down to approximately 900MB with esxRanger.

You can then backup these compressed disk files onto tape depending on your DR strategy.

The destination server can be the Local ESX Server VMFS, a locally mounted share or LUN on the ESX Server Console OS, another ESX or Linux server or a windows server or PC.  Novell, NAS, SAN, iSCSI, Fibre Channel are also supported if they are seen by the windows host running esxRanger.

No.  At times esxRanger can replace these agents.  For instance, Domain Controllers, DNS, DHCP, WINS, WEB Servers, Application Servers, Print Servers, etc. may no long need an operating system backup agent.

On VM's with fast changing user data ie. File Servers, SQL, Exchange or Domino servers, you will want to continue to run an operating system backup agent.

However, in this case, you will still want to backup these VM's regularly with esxRanger for quick restores and then proceed to restore and changed data since the last esxRanger backup from your tape or disk backup.  

No.  At times esxRanger can replace these agents.  For instance, Domain Controllers, DNS, DHCP, WINS, WEB Servers, Application Servers, Print Servers, etc. may no long need an operating system backup agent.

On VM's with fast changing user data ie. File Servers, SQL, Exchange or Domino servers, you will want to continue to run an operating system backup agent.

However, in this case, you will still want to backup these VM's regularly with esxRanger for quick restores and then proceed to restore and changed data since the last esxRanger backup from your tape or disk backup.  

(esxRanger GUI) Backup::Source - selecting VM's