asked on VDP Clean Removal – Fresh Install
Hey Experts!!
Needing some advice\help on a VMware VDP appliance.
Long story short we have been having issues with our VDP appliances filling up.
(usually the .var-poxy-4 folder) and dismounting Datastore)
This has been going on since version 5.5 and every time we upgrade, it just get worse (3 upgrades)
We are on version 6.0 right now.
We have had to have SR’s to VMware to have log files removed, cleanup and get back on track.
I have been put in charge of our VMware and something I can’t stand is intermittent working!
(Now I know just enough to get me in trouble, so force feed me like a “NOOB”)
Here is the deal…
We have two sites (main and branch). Since I figured I couldn’t do much damage to the branch site, I decided to use it as my guinea pig\test site. (don’t have funds for test lab).
I blew the 6.0 VDP away. Shut down the VDP appliance (VDP2), right click and “delete from disk”.
BAM, gone (since I was at 6.0, didn’t think the need to remove from MOB, and we are still using 6.0 at main site).
Next downloaded and installed the newest 6.1.2 .OVA appliance, setup, configured and setup backup job. Let run couple nights and all seem to turn out good. Was able to check activity, status, and my disk space usage is now at 19% (which it should be on new install)
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda2 32G 5.7G 25G 19% /
(Was at 72% at the time I blew the appliance away)
Next I went to one of the guest VMs and deleted some files and did a file level restore of files.
(https://<VDP Appliance>:8543/flr/)
All restored, and logs are clean. So I am going to say this was a successful clean install.
Now my Question……
On the main site, I don’t want to be all “cowboy” and just blow away the VDP (VDP1) and lose all the backup data. (unless that is the only option – I could do a veeam backup if limited to options). We also do full tape backups every night.
We have file servers, exchange servers, database servers….etc. at this site (mission critical).
Is it possible to copy the folders\vmdk of the VM from the Datastore to network drive as backup?
And restore if disaster happens? (here is where my knowledge fails me)
Or
Can you save these and just remount these folders\vmdk once I have re-installed the VDP appliance?
(not sure how to do this, if it is possible)
The main site VDP appliance (VDP1) is at 96% on the /dev/sda2 folder. Which is very close to a dismount. (which has been less than 5 months since VMware support clean it up)
It is different this time because it is not in the .var-proxy-4 folder, this time the folders with the most size is “./bin” (over 3.5 GB). I’m not a Linux expert, but I’m not going to be deleting files from this folder (in my mine, that would be like deleting files from the C:\Windows folder in windows.)
So I think it is time to flush and start fresh. Just needing some guidance and the proper path…
Please help and give it to me in “Noob-English”. LOL
Thanks in advanced.
Fubr
Needing some advice\help on a VMware VDP appliance.
Long story short we have been having issues with our VDP appliances filling up.
(usually the .var-poxy-4 folder) and dismounting Datastore)
This has been going on since version 5.5 and every time we upgrade, it just get worse (3 upgrades)
We are on version 6.0 right now.
We have had to have SR’s to VMware to have log files removed, cleanup and get back on track.
I have been put in charge of our VMware and something I can’t stand is intermittent working!
(Now I know just enough to get me in trouble, so force feed me like a “NOOB”)
Here is the deal…
We have two sites (main and branch). Since I figured I couldn’t do much damage to the branch site, I decided to use it as my guinea pig\test site. (don’t have funds for test lab).
I blew the 6.0 VDP away. Shut down the VDP appliance (VDP2), right click and “delete from disk”.
BAM, gone (since I was at 6.0, didn’t think the need to remove from MOB, and we are still using 6.0 at main site).
Next downloaded and installed the newest 6.1.2 .OVA appliance, setup, configured and setup backup job. Let run couple nights and all seem to turn out good. Was able to check activity, status, and my disk space usage is now at 19% (which it should be on new install)
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda2 32G 5.7G 25G 19% /
(Was at 72% at the time I blew the appliance away)
Next I went to one of the guest VMs and deleted some files and did a file level restore of files.
(https://<VDP Appliance>:8543/flr/)
All restored, and logs are clean. So I am going to say this was a successful clean install.
Now my Question……
On the main site, I don’t want to be all “cowboy” and just blow away the VDP (VDP1) and lose all the backup data. (unless that is the only option – I could do a veeam backup if limited to options). We also do full tape backups every night.
We have file servers, exchange servers, database servers….etc. at this site (mission critical).
Is it possible to copy the folders\vmdk of the VM from the Datastore to network drive as backup?
And restore if disaster happens? (here is where my knowledge fails me)
Or
Can you save these and just remount these folders\vmdk once I have re-installed the VDP appliance?
(not sure how to do this, if it is possible)
The main site VDP appliance (VDP1) is at 96% on the /dev/sda2 folder. Which is very close to a dismount. (which has been less than 5 months since VMware support clean it up)
It is different this time because it is not in the .var-proxy-4 folder, this time the folders with the most size is “./bin” (over 3.5 GB). I’m not a Linux expert, but I’m not going to be deleting files from this folder (in my mine, that would be like deleting files from the C:\Windows folder in windows.)
So I think it is time to flush and start fresh. Just needing some guidance and the proper path…
Please help and give it to me in “Noob-English”. LOL
Thanks in advanced.
Fubr
VMwareVirtualizationDisaster Recovery
Last Comment
Fubr
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Setting up a second VDP and blowing the old one away after I had a back up was the easiest way.
All is good now.
Fubr