please guide me a solution for SAN connecting to VM RHEL

do you have a SAN?

use SAN Snapshotting rather than LAN Backup. Most SAN vendors support SAN Snapshotting the volume where the VMs are stored.

yes i have a SAN - can you give me some more info how it works and what are the pre-requitstie and other things need to take care of ..

many thanks in advance

What SAN do you have?

Does it support SAN Snapshots?

Ill give an example, maybe this will clear things up.

I have a Box which is running FreeBSD and uses zfs to build the raid and share it out to esxi over the San. It's zfsguru but nexenta and others are very similar.
So a LAN based backup would be considered letting esxi clone the vm using vmwareDR or veeam or something. Or if I used Nfs just copying the files (which doesn't work well when the vms are running)

A San based backup is letting zfs snapshot the filesystem. This happens instantly. I can then clone or send this snapshot to another box or just let it hang out as a backup (personally I keep them AND send them to another box).

So the question to you is: what is your storage San? Is it based on zfs or something else than has snapshot capabilities?

Thank you it gives me basic idea:

We have two options one is of EMC and second is Netapp - I will require it basically for Redhat Virtual machine having ESX connected via SAN.

Netapp
http://www.netapp.com/us/products/platform-os/snapshot.aspx

Emc has many different products, but the ones that support snapshots do so like this:
http://www.emcstorageinfo.com/2008/05/differences-between-snapview-clone.html?m=1

You create a snapshot of the volume which contains the LUN.

Thank you so much for ur help - i got to know that we r using FC to backup on this shared Networker platform do you have any idea how to implement and any advice on this too?

Also tell me if Snapimage can also be a solution for the same?

My first if I were you would be to see if Networker has plug-ins (API's) for your SAN to allow both systems to talk and to allow Networker to take advantage of advanced SAN functions as well.

I would also reach out to your SAN manufacture to see what their backup recommendations are when using Networker. They may know of issues that you should be aware of up front if any

Thanks i Think it has - but problem is How to ? and can we have any other free solution for the same and also what you prefered ?

DO you mean run to separate backup application that connect to your SAN for backups?

If so, I would be careful because both application conflict with each other and cause a negative impact on your SAN..

Again, I would contact your SAN vendor and talk to them in detail about your plan since they know their product best

Let me summarize:

1. I have Vmware ESX and RHEL VM's in it.
2. I want to plan backup for those VM's APP/System.
3. We have Legato Networker tool which I suppose to use for this.
4. Now I want how to use Legato networker to take backup for those RHEL VM's on SAN.

INFO :
- HBA attached to VM esx
- I have checked networker tool called snapimage and looks like it works do you have any idea?

OK if I'm understanding you correctly you want to backup the REdHat VM's and their associated files within the guest OS correct.

Since I'm not a familir with Snapimage from teh brief research I did, it almost sounds like a VSS type of option that allows constally active files to be backed up.

You might want to see if Network has the ability to snapshot a running view via and backup the snapshot of the VM using using sometype of proxy

Hi I also came to know that we cant use FC direct with vmware ESX is it correct if yes than do you haev any idea - and than what we will use as an alternative if we need to use FC from our VM linux machine to tape drives?

Someone posted a simlar question a while ago here:
http://communities.vmware.com/thread/285415?start=0&tstart=0

What verson of ESX/ESXi are you using?
If the FC card in your host is listed on the VMware support site as support Direct Path IO or SR-IOV you may be able to do what you are looking to do

What make and model HBA are you using?

This thread is old one - I don't have issue if you have any specific card which works - ready to buy but which one ....have also look at NPIV solution ..if its okay than how it works ?

Also one more option like put one backup node between Tape drive via Fc and virtual machine will that work if yes than what impact there will be in terms of speed?