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Thank you for your response!<br />
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So, if I understand this correctly, I don't really have an option to backup free ESXi...
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Thank you for your response!

So, if I understand this correctly, I don't really have an option to backup free ESXi...

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Yes, did you read my EE Article, which lists products which can do it?
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Yes, did you read my EE Article, which lists products which can do it?

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I inherited a couple of VMware hosts running ESXi 5.0 and I'm looking for a free/cheap way to back them up at least weekly. I tried Veeam and Altaro but basically ran into the same issue: &quot;ESXi version prohibits execution&quot;. Is there a way to backup the free version of ESXi? I'm pretty new working with VMware so maybe I don't really understand how it works. Could I just at least copy the vmdk files from the datastore without shutting down the servers so I can have a copy? The tech before me was just backing up at &nbsp;file level but I would like to backup the VM entirely too if possible.
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I inherited a couple of VMware hosts running ESXi 5.0 and I'm looking for a free/cheap way to back them up at least weekly. I tried Veeam and Altaro but basically ran into the same issue: "ESXi version prohibits execution". Is there a way to backup the free version of ESXi? I'm pretty new working with VMware so maybe I don't really understand how it works. Could I just at least copy the vmdk files from the datastore without shutting down the servers so I can have a copy? The tech before me was just backing up at  file level but I would like to backup the VM entirely too if possible.

ESXi backup

VMware, a software company founded in 1998,  was one of the first commercially successful companies to offer x86 virtualization. The storage company EMC purchased VMware in 1994. Dell Technologies acquired EMC in 2016. VMware’s parent company is now Dell Technologies.

VMware has many software products that run on desktops, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS, which allows the virtualizing of the x86 architecture.  Its enterprise software hypervisor for servers, VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi), is a bare-metal hypervisor that runs directly on the server hardware and does not require an additional underlying operating system.

VMware

The term "Backup" means the methods and processes involved to copy computer data (system data as well as application data) to media other than the ones where the data originally live (disk, tape, optical, cloud). "Restore" in turn means the methods and processes involved in data recovery, i. e., bringing back copied computer data to their original location. Backup/Restore primarily serves as a means of protection against data loss, be it due to disaster, corruption or sabotage. It can also be used for recovering data from an earlier point in time and even for cloning machines or applications. There is a wide variety of backup/restore software available, from expensive commercial products to free or open source tools.

Storage Software

Virtualization is the act of creating a virtual (rather than actual) version of something, including (but not limited to) a virtual computer hardware platform, operating system (OS), storage device, or computer network resources. Virtualization is usually the creation of a system that executes separate from the underlying hardware resources, or the creation of an entire desktop for systems located elsewhere, similar to thin clients.

Virtualization

Veeam® has pioneered a new market of Availability for the Always-On Enterprise™ by helping organizations meet recovery time and point objectives (RTPO™) of less than 15 minutes for all applications and data. Veeam develops backup, disaster recovery and virtualization management software for VMware and Hyper-V virtual environments. The company focuses on products that help with virtualized workloads, reduce downtime, and ensure the system Availability required by service-level agreements.