Backup for virtual servers
Backup for virtual servers changed the game for data protection. You'll find all our resources on backup for virtual servers here, including news, tutorials and expert advice on VMware backup tools such as VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB), VMware Data Recovery Manager and vSphere. You'll also find information on Microsoft Hyper V and Citrix Xen backup. This section also offers information about third-party virtual server data backup and recovery tools from companies such as Veeam Software and traditional backup players such as Veritas, Dell EMC, IBM and Commvault. You can also learn how data backup software vendors are responding to the challenges associated with backup for virtual servers. Bookmark our backup for virtual servers page and check back frequently for the latest tips and podcasts on backing up virtual servers.
Top Stories
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Tip
20 Oct 2021
Use NetBackup version command to gather critical data
Running different NetBackup versions on client servers can complicate infrastructure management. This version command can help admins gather version data for their servers. Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2021
Qumulo consolidates data protection features into Recover Q
Qumulo Core's snapshotting, replication, recovery and access control have been packed into Recover Q to give customers a one-stop shop for anti-ransomware capabilities. Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2021
Dell EMC tunes PowerProtect for data protection at scale
Dell EMC updated PowerProtect with faster snapshots, new software to manage multiple appliances and a managed service for recovery to help scale data protection functions. Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2021
Zerto update adds ransomware defense and simplifies backup
Zerto 9 rolls out immutability for Amazon S3 and rapid VM recovery as anti-ransomware measures, and expands the platform's automation and long-term retention capabilities. Continue Reading
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News
18 May 2021
Rubrik Forward highlights ransomware recovery features
Rubrik's virtual Forward conference featured AppFlows and several data security features aimed at identifying and rapidly recovering from ransomware attacks. Continue Reading
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News
02 Mar 2021
Nexsan launches cloud edition of Assureon immutable vault
Nexsan Assureon can now be deployed on Azure and private clouds, no longer tying its immutable storage and active archive capabilities to Unity appliances. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Jan 2021
6 data backup service providers to watch
Evaluate how offerings from six prominent BaaS providers differ when it comes to considerations such as pricing, scope of coverage and the amount of data they can back up. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Jan 2021
Indiana hospital hops on cloud data protection with Clumio
Rush Memorial Hospital switched from on-premises backup and disaster recovery to cloud data protection through Clumio, significantly reducing its costs and backup management burden. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2021
Tape storage protects research on Antarctic science ship
British Antarctic Survey outfitted the RRS Sir David Attenborough with Quantum QXS hybrid disk and Scalar i3 tape libraries to store and protect research data mid-voyage. Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2020
Zerto unveils Kubernetes support at ZertoCon 2020
Zerto talked about its future releases during its ZertoCon 2020 virtual event. Next year, Zerto plans to release Kubernetes support and workflows for operational backup. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Sep 2020
Back up Hyper-V: Native limitations and other methods
Microsoft offers native protection to back up Hyper-V workloads, but is it enough for your organization? Find out what third-party vendors offer that Microsoft doesn't. Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2020
Commvault launches dedicated disaster recovery product
Commvault split off the disaster recovery capabilities from its Complete Data Protection into a separate product and added automation and recovery validation functions. Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2020
Horizon Bancorp adds Zerto to its portfolio
Zerto reduced Horizon Bancorp's recovery times and improved reporting for auditors. Zerto's cloud-to-cloud replication also helps as Horizon increases its cloud usage. Continue Reading
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News
25 Aug 2020
Veeam backup software helps California city streamline IT
Rancho Cucamonga, a city in Southern California, moved from tape backup to Veeam software. Amid the pandemic and new protection needs, it's looking at other ways Veeam can help. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Jul 2020
14 leading data backup software tools of 2020
The enterprise backup software market consists of traditional vendors and newer technology companies that offer appliances and other cloud-native data protection products. Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2020
Datto quietly files for IPO
Industry analysts say despite economic uncertainty, the data protection market seems unfazed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Datto offered no comment on the IPO matter. Continue Reading
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News
22 Jun 2020
Veeam CEO talks IPO, M&A, going virtual for VeeamON 2020
William Largent became Veeam CEO in January after a multibillion-dollar acquisition and before a pandemic. Here's his take on 2020 so far, and what lies ahead following VeeamON. Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2020
IFDS goes hands-on with Zerto's Kubernetes backup
Technology and services provider IFDS was one of the first to try the alpha build of Zerto's Kubernetes backup. The company relies on containers for greater resource efficiency. Continue Reading
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News
29 Apr 2020
Rubrik ramps up backup speed and test/dev clones for Oracle
Rubrik Andes 5.2 doesn't add any groundbreaking features, but it focused on using backup capabilities to enhance test/dev and improving backup speed for large datasets. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
29 Apr 2020
5 of the hottest backup and recovery software startups to watch
Several backup and recovery vendor startups have recently introduced products designed to address varied environments, including VMware, AWS, Nutanix, Kubernetes and Salesforce. Continue Reading
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News
03 Mar 2020
Retrospect backup wants to get more ROBOs on board
Retrospect version 17 makes deploying its backup software easier. The new onboarding feature focuses on simplicity, which is demanded regardless of customer size. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Feb 2020
Top 10 VM backup tools for VMware and Hyper-V
Admins who rely on VMware and Hyper-V workloads might have trouble choosing the right backup tool for their VMs. Admins can use this article to better inform their purchasing decisions. Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2020
Veeam acquisition puts heat on rivals
Backup vendors Druva and Commvault say the multi-billion-dollar Veeam acquisition validates the strategies they've been executing and proves the importance of the backup market. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Dec 2019
How to use SnapCenter for VMware backups
NetApp storage appliances and VMware's vSphere platform provide widely used data center resources. Combine their capabilities by using NetApp's SnapCenter to back up vSphere. Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Dec 2019
SaaS backup services deliver data protection for SaaS apps
Providers of SaaS apps offer only basic data recovery protection. Learn which SaaS backup services and cloud-to-cloud data protection products fill this void. Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2019
With Time on its hands, Meredith drives storage consolidation
Following an acquisition of Time Inc., Meredith Corp. dumped most of its traditional IT gear and added newer technology developed around virtualization, convergence and the cloud. Continue Reading
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News
13 Nov 2019
Vancouver Canucks defend data with Veeam backup
To prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Vancouver Canucks used Veeam to protect against point-of-sale system failures -- a major upgrade over its previous tape backup. Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2019
Commvault lays out Metallic and Hedvig roadmaps
Commvault is adding nonbackup capabilities to Metallic and integrating Hedvig with HyperScale. The vendor will roll out features for the two ventures over the course of next year. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Nov 2019
Select enterprise data backup software to fit data protection needs
While some backup and recovery software applies to the entire enterprise, other products address environment-specific data protection, virtualization and the public cloud. Continue Reading
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News
07 Nov 2019
Emerson Electric consolidates on Nutanix, Commvault
As part of a project to get its branch offices and business units on the same backup product, Emerson Electric used Commvault to simplify, save money and lower its RTO and RPO. Continue Reading
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News
06 Nov 2019
Oaktree Capital Management invests in upgraded backup
Switching to Veritas NetBackup let Oaktree perform hourly backups instead of daily, greatly reducing risk of data loss during restores. Oaktree also uses Data Insight for audits. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Oct 2019
5 considerations before buying data center backup software
Backup and recovery software should support various OSes and environments such as VMware, as well as applications running in public cloud IaaS and SaaS platforms. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Oct 2019
Enterprise backup software provides data protection foundation
Learn how backup and recovery software has evolved and what features it offers IT enterprises that need to protect cloud and virtual environments and other data sources. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Oct 2019
Selection criteria for converged data protection
See if a converged backup product will meet your needs by exploring the features you should consider before investing in this relatively new kind of data protection platform. Continue Reading
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News
16 Aug 2019
Actifio GO 'SaaSifies' copy data management in GCP
The new Actifio GO for GCP has expanded from backup as a service to include copy data management and disaster recovery, putting it on par with the vendor's on-premises product. Continue Reading
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News
02 Jul 2019
Open source machine learning accelerates winemaking
Using open source machine learning, Palmaz Vineyards developed a tool to automatically alert winemakers of environmental conditions. Soon, the data flowed like wine. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2019
Intelligent data management drives smarter use of copy data
Intelligent data management has turned copies of backup data into tools for analytics, test/dev and other use cases. But company culture prevents some organizations from adoption. Continue Reading
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News
18 Jun 2019
Actifio multi-cloud support extends DR to AWS, Azure
Actifio Multi-Cloud Mobility and Automation brings multi-cloud disaster recovery to Sky, along with flexible migration capabilities for companies that want to stay agile. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jun 2019
Window and door manufacturer picks Zerto for DR replication
Weaning itself off of Veritas Backup Exec, AmesburyTruth tapped Zerto for DR replication, ready to fail over 80 critical servers into the Microsoft Azure cloud. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2019
Asigra FreeNAS plugin brings open source data protection
The Asigra FreeNAS plugin covers up to ten physical machines, ten virtual machines and ten cloud accounts for free. Customers wanting more must get Asigra on TrueNAS. Continue Reading
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News
05 Jun 2019
Latest update takes Arcserve RHA to the cloud
Arcserve enhances its RHA disaster recovery software, enabling cloud-to-cloud failback, as well as the ability to continuously replicate from on premises to a public cloud. Continue Reading
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News
31 May 2019
ShadowXafe 2 supports Hyper-V, network tunneling
StorageCraft wants to bring its ShadowXafe data protection software to midsize enterprises and managed service providers, rather than only small and medium-sized businesses. Continue Reading
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News
13 May 2019
Nakivo backup supports Nutanix AHV in latest update
In its quest to reach feature parity with Veeam, backup software vendor Nakivo adds support for the Nutanix AHV hypervisor and the ability to replicate VMs from backup sets. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 May 2019
Is Windows Server troubleshooting on the way out?
When a Windows Server workload starts to falter, what's the best way to proceed before it keels over? Once upon a time, you would try to fix it, but times have changed. Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2019
Arcserve UDP update supports Nutanix AHV, Office 365
The Arcserve UDP update extends the backup software's support to Nutanix AHV and Office 365, with the promise of other hypervisors and SaaS applications to come. Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2019
Storware vProtect backup supports OpenShift and CloudForms
Storware updates its vProtect data protection software for open platforms, adding backup support for Red Hat OpenShift containers and the latest version of CloudForms. Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2019
Synology Active Backup boosts recovery speeds for Shiseido
Worried about slow recovery times and the impact ransomware might cause endpoint devices, Shiseido swapped in Synology Active Backup to reduce recovery time to 30 minutes. Continue Reading
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News
12 Feb 2019
Actifio GO turns Sky into SaaS backup
With Actifio GO, multi-cloud backup doesn't require backup software or any on-premises appliances. The SaaS data protection is based on the Salesforce model. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Feb 2019
IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.2
IBM's Spectrum Protect Plus focuses on virtual data protection. Judges praised its VMware backup, instant recovery and potential for being part of overall data management strategy. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Jan 2019
Top 8 VMware vSphere backup best practices
The architecture and operation of a virtual environment is different than a traditional backup environment and demands specific techniques. Learn top tips for backing up vSphere. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Jan 2019
Converged secondary storage changes (almost) everything
Converged secondary storage brings important benefits but also crucial choices. Learn the advantages and what you must do, and what questions to ask, in order to reap them. Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2019
Veritas NetBackup provides Docker container backup
A new NetBackup client enables users to back up application data on Docker containers, becoming one of the few products to offer data backup and recovery in the container space. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Dec 2018
IT storage team skills for hyper-converged secondary storage
Is your IT storage team ready for the arrival of hyper-converged secondary storage? Learn what storage skills pros need now in order to take on this latest development in storage tech. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Nov 2018
Physical vs. virtual backup appliances: Make the best choice
Organizations have a choice in backup appliances: physical or virtual. Explore what both types of appliances require and where a virtual backup appliance has an edge. Continue Reading
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News
02 Oct 2018
HPE StoreOnce backup adds capacity, protection capabilities
Hewlett Packard Enterprise spruces up StoreOnce secondary storage with federated management of up to 100 appliances. HPE also deepened the StoreOnce integration with Commvault. Continue Reading
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News
14 Aug 2018
IBM DS8882F converges array and mainframe in one rack
IBM skinny mainframes add a few pounds with the DS8882F all-flash array screwed into the IBM Z ZR1 and LinuxOne Rockhopper II 19-inch racks. Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2018
New Nakivo update supports more platforms
Light on new functions, Nakivo's new update focuses on playing nicely with others, adding software support for VMware vSphere 6.7, Netgear ReadyNAS and Dell EMC Data Domain Boost. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Jun 2018
How do I keep my virtualized backup secure?
A virtual backup is not effective if it's not secure. Encryption, agentless backup and testing can all help. Explore the details of how to secure your backups. Continue Reading
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Opinion
06 Jun 2018
Disaster avoidance requirements ensure business continuity
Include disaster recovery and avoidance requirements as design goals when creating storage and production environments to ensure business continuity during weather events. Continue Reading
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Answer
25 Apr 2018
How should the virtualized backup market evolve?
GDPR looms large over many data protection processes, and virtual backup is no different. Overall management is important as well, as data volume continues to grow. Continue Reading
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News
02 Apr 2018
Nutanix HCI, Nakivo backup go straight into Compton schools
The Compton, Calif., school district reduces its data center server and storage footprint with Nutanix hyper-convergence and simplifies data backup with Nakivo software. Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2018
Rubrik backup for Nutanix HCI makes hospitals' IT healthy
Hospitals' IT team liked Nutanix hyper-converged infrastructure for primary storage so much, it went with converged backup vendor Rubrik for data protection. Continue Reading
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News
22 Mar 2018
Tintri replication speeds agriculture firm's backup, restore
Tintri hybrid flash enables Life-Science Innovations to complete replication every night for all of its servers. The system can provide a server restoration in seconds. Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2016
EMC launches DD VE, virtual edition of Data Domain
EMC unveils the virtual edition of its Data Domain disk library, DD VE, allowing the Data Domain operating system to run inside a VMware hypervisor and back up to any hardware. Continue Reading
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Answer
24 Feb 2016
When does storage snapshot technology work best?
Snapshots do not replace backup, but they can be used to enhance a data protection strategy if you use them at the right time and for the right tasks. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Nov 2015
Docker data container protection methods: Pros and cons
While Docker data container protection methods haven't reached the level found with hypervisor-based virtual machines, these four technologies can help users with the challenge. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Oct 2015
Geocluster vs. off-site replication for VM protection
Is a geocluster or virtual machine replication the best option for VM protection? Both approaches protect VM workloads by moving them to an alternate data center during a disaster. Continue Reading
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Answer
23 Oct 2015
What is NetBackup Instant Recovery for VMware?
Symantec's NetBackup Instant Recovery for VMware feature can provide organizations with instant recovery capabilities, but backup server power issues can be a concern. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Apr 2015
Avoid Docker host backup issues on Hyper-V virtual machines
Learn about common issues associated with Docker host backup on Hyper-V and how to avoid them. Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2015
Storage system software: 2014 Products of the Year finalists
Vendors that describe their products as ‘software-defined storage’ dominated the 2014 Products of the Year storage system software category. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Sep 2014
Backing up Linux VMs running on Microsoft Hyper-V
Independent backup expert Brien Posey explains what you should know about backing up Linux VMs running on Microsoft Hyper-V. Continue Reading
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Answer
29 Apr 2014
Hypervisor-based replication in VMware and Hyper-V
Independent backup expert Brien Posey discusses native hypervisor-based replication in VMware and Hyper-V, in this Expert Answer. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Mar 2014
Ten common reasons for VM restore failure
When a VM restore fails, you must troubleshoot quickly. Event logs are a good start, but can be cryptic. Here are 10 causes of VM restore failures. Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Feb 2014
Backup targets: Tape libraries and VTLs
Tape drives, tape libraries and virtual tape libraries are among the popular backup target options available today. Continue Reading
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Answer
10 Dec 2013
Crash-consistent vs. application-consistent backups of virtual machines
Marc Staimer of Dragon Slayer Consulting compares crash-consistent and application-consistent backups of virtual machines in this Expert Answer. Continue Reading
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Answer
05 Apr 2013
Solving SQL VSS writer problems during backup
Backup expert Brien Posey explains how to solve common SQL VSS writer problems users can face during SQL database backups. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Nov 2012
Virtual machine backup and restoration in a Windows failover cluster
Learn about Windows failover clusters and their role in VM backups and restoration in this tip from Microsoft expert Brien Posey. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Mar 2012
The value of VMware’s Changed Block Tracking (CBT)
VMware’s Changed Block Tracking is an important part of VMware’s efforts to simplify and improve the VMware virtual machine backup process. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Sep 2011
Backing up VMs: Traditional apps vs. virtual machine backup software
In this tip on backing up VMs, learn about the pros and cons of traditional backup software vs. VM backup software. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Jul 2011
Microsoft's Hyper-V snapshots offer quick VM backups, but with limits
Microsoft’s Hyper-V snapshots offer a quick way to back up virtual machines during upgrades, but they’re no substitute for long-term archives. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Apr 2011
Hyper-V recovery: Top tips for restoring Hyper-V virtual machines
Good backups are only one half of a solid data protection plan. Check out our best tips for solving common Hyper-V recovery problems. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Jul 2009
File-level versus image-level data backup: Chapter excerpt from "VMware VI3 Implementation and Admin
Learn about file-level backup versus image-level backup, and attaching tape drives to ESX hosts in our chapter excerpt from "VMware VI3 Implementation and Administration." Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Jun 2009
Backing up your virtual environment
Learn all about backing up your virtual environment, whether with traditional backup and backup scripts in this except of Eric Seibert's new book "VMware VI3 Implementation and Administration." Continue Reading
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Feature
26 May 2009
Using bare-metal recovery to migrate physical machines to virtual machines with VMware
Learn how to use the bare-metal recovery procedure to migrate physical machines into virtual machines in VMware. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Jan 2008
What is the difference between a traditional file-level backup and a virtual machine backup?
Most traditional client/server architecture remains the same in the server virtualization environment where the client has an agent installed. However, this can become cumbersome. We still have to manage agents... Continue Reading