‘Backup the Free Version of ESX?’ This was asked on Experts Exchange this week, I responded with the usual answer of “No the VAPI is not exposed in the free version, so it cannot be backed up by a third party backup application.”
The poster responded with, “That’s what I thought, but I’ve got a Technical Consultant here who says it can be done with version 7“
This should be easy to test, I simply need to spin up an ESX7 VM put a free licence on it and see if I can back it up right?
Backup the Free Version of ESX ?
Off on a Tangent: Things always go wrong the most when you are doing someone a favour! First my test machines (In a corporate data centre, didn’t have CPUs compatible with ESX7. No problem I’ll spin one up on my macbook in VMWare Fusion, and attempt a backup from the DC (I have a site to site VPN to the DC). Then none of my fusion machines could get network access, then when I fixed that, the VPN was down and needed fixing. Then I was in the middle of a Veeam upgrade anyway, that took about 12 hours!
Back to the answer: Whoever started this rumour needs a percussive adjustment to the face, free ESX still cannot be backed up, here’s what happens when you try with Veeam for example;
Veeam Error:
Error: Current vSphere license or ESXi version prohibits execution of the required operations
So I Can’t Backup the Free Version of ESX?
Well not using a VMWare aware backup solution, but theres nothing to stop you installing backup agents into your VMs, and backing them up that way, (treat them as if they are Physical machines.)
Alternative Backup Solution: I’ve seen people suggesting using GhettoVCB which might fit your requirements, but you need to install it into the ESX server as a VIB, then you can create a folder in your storage. Finally you can then script the VIB to take snapshots of your VMs, and then copy the backups into that folder, but it requires some CLI skills and it leaves your backups on the same box as you production VMs. It you’re an enthusiastic tech type (with no budget) you might want to take a look at it.
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You want to import your mail from an older version of Outlook into your new Outlook mailbox, or you simply want to backup your mail.
Solution
Thankfully the process is the same for modern Outlook as it was for previous versions of Outlook.
1. In Outlook > Select the “File” Tab > Open > Open & Export > Import/Export
Note: On older versions of Outlook its simply Open > Import (you select Import even if your going to Export!)
2. Export to a file.
3. Outlook Data File (.pst).
4. Select your mailbox, select the ailbox – {username} > To back up everything (calendar contacts the lot), tick “Include sub folders” > Next.
Note: If using a POP mail account, here it may say Personal Folders.
5. Choose a location to save the .pst file.
6. If you want to password protect this (remember someone can import your .pst and read all your mail). I usually leave this option blank > OK.
7. After a few seconds the mailbox will export. (Note: if the mailbox is very small this might happen so quickly nothing is displayed on the screen). And there it is.
To “Import” your mailbox,
1. Launch thewWizard as above (Step 1) > Select “Import from another program or file” > Next.
2. Outlook Data File (.pst) >Next.
3. Browse to, and select your .pst file > Next.
4. Stop and think! where do you want to import the files to? Select as appropriate > Finish (Note at this point if the .pst is password protected you will be prompted for a password).
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Thankfully I’ve never had to rely on my Mac backup, but it runs to an EMC Iomega NAS drive that I have in my house, (which also has all my media on it).
Backup Failed
The backup on “target-name” is already in use.
If I expand ‘details’;
Time Machine couldn’t complete the backup to “target-name”.
The backup disk image “/Volumes/Volume-Name/Mac-Name.sparsebundle” is already in use.
Solution
Now rebooting the NAS drive cures the problem, but (as stated) it’s got all my media on it which is then inaccessible for 10-15 minutes (not good if I’m watching a film, or TV series).
What you need to do is open System Preferences (click the ‘apple’ logo and select System Preferences) > Spotlight > Privacy > Add > Add in the backup volume.
Reboot your mac, (or dismount and remount the backup volume) > problem resolved. For example, below I’ve got a folder called ‘Movies’ mounted and it’s on the same device, If I remove that with the following command, my backup will start almost straight away.
[box]sudo umount -f Movies[/box]
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A: Essentially you can take folders that hold things like your “My documents” or your “Favorites” folder, and put them out on a network server, which is great if you want to back that sort of information up for disaster recovery.
Q: What’s the difference between this and a roaming / roving profile?
A: Folder redirection keeps information on a server and you access it remotely, Roaming profiles are designed to sync that information (and your WHOLE user profile) backwards and forwards to a network share as your users logon and log off.
Q: What folders can be redirected?
A: From Server 2008 onwards, and with Windows 7 clients and above, the following can be redirected.
AppData(Roaming)
Desktop
Start Menu
Documents
Pictures
Music
Videos
Favorites
Contacts
Downloads
Links
Searches
Saved Games
Solution
1. On a server create a folder to hold the redirected data, In this case you will notice I’ve called my share Redir$ (The dollar sign just means it’s a hidden share, and can’t be seen if people are network browsing).
Folder Redirection: Permissions for the Root Folder
2. Set the share permissions to Everyone: Full Control (Don’t worry we will secure it with NTFS permissions).
3. On the security tab of the folder click advanced.
4. For Server 2012 / 2016 you should see something like this;
For Server 2008 and older it should look more like this;
5. For server 2012 / 2016 Disable Inheritance and select ‘Convert’.
For 2008 and older, untick “Include Inheritable permissions from this objects parent” > At the warning click “Add”.
6. Select each User in turn (You will need to add the Everyone group) > Then Edit the permissions so that they are as follows.
CREATOR OWNER – Full Control (Apply onto: Subfolders and Files Only).
System – Full Control (Apply onto: This Folder, Subfolders and Files).
Domain Admins – Full Control (Apply onto: This Folder, Subfolders and Files).
Everyone – Traverse Folder/Execute File (Apply onto: This Folder Only).
Everyone – List Folder/Read Data (Apply onto: This Folder Only).
Everyone – Read Attributes (Apply onto: This Folder Only).
Everyone – Create Folder/Append Data (Apply onto: This Folder Only).
2012 / 2016
‘Show Advanced Permissions’
2008 and older.
7. Now REMOVE BOTH the entries for USERS > Apply > OK.
7. On your domain controller open the Group Policy Management Console, (Under Administrative Tools) and either create a new USER policy of edit one that already linked to the users you want to enforce this policy upon.
8. I prefer to create a new policy and call it something sensible so if there’s a problem it’s easy to find in the future.
9. Navigate to:
[box]User Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Folder Redirection[/box]
Locate the folder you want to redirect (In this case its just the documents folder) > Right click > Properties.
10. I’m going to redirect all my users documents to the one folder I created earlier, so I will choose basic.
Note: You can choose “Advanced” and redirect different groups folders to different locations.
Enter the path to the root folder AS A UNC PATH, DONT click the browse button and browse to it.
11. I’m going to accept the defaults on the settings tab, the option I’ve highlighted creates the folders with exclusive rights on the folders for the user in question and SYSTEM, so the domain admin had no access (this is OK, it’s the same way user profiles work, you can still back them up).
12. Now as your users log on their folders will be redirected to the share you setup.
Backing up Redirected Folders
13. Even with exclusive rights you can still back this data up:
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It’s been such a long time since I touched any backup software, I setup Arcserve UDP this week for a client to backup their servers to a NAS drive, then they wanted to back that data off to tape for an offsite backup.
I installed Arcserve no problem, it looks much the same as it did last time I used it. When I expanded the server-name only the local drives were shown, as I only had a basic licence adding the NAS drive was not an option.
Solution
A quick call to the boys in the data center who look after all our backups pointed me in the right direction. Instead of adding the mapped drive letter, you simply add the UNC path to the share as a “Preferred Shared/Machines” source.
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While attempting to install vCenter 5.5, I got the following error.
Error 26002. Setup failed to register vCenter Server. This might indicate a problem with the SSL certificates for vCenter Server. Search the VMware Knowledge Base (http://kb.vmware.com) for “Error 26006” for more information.
Earlier on in the install it had asked me if I wanted to overwrite the certs, and I just clicked OK, this probably was not such a good idea!
Solution
1. Navigate to C:Program DataVMwareVMware Virtual Center >Locate the SSL folder and rename it to SSL-OLD.
2. Navigate to C:Program DataVMwareInfrastructureInventory Service > Locate the SSL folder take a copy of it.
3. Paste that folder back in the C:Program DataVMwareVMware Virtual Center location to replace the folder you renamed earlier.
4. This is what the folder should now look like.
5. Now attempt the install, and it should complete without error.
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Error
Task Failed Error: No connections could be made because the target machine actively refused it
Also when trying to connect to VMware VCenter from the Backup and Replication management console;
Error
Failed to connect to “Host-name” by SOAP, port 443, user “User-Name”, proxy srv: port:0
Unable to connect to the remote server No connections could be made because the target machine actively refused it {IP-Address}:443
Solution
There are a few things that might cause this, make sure the Veeam Server can “Ping” the VCenter and the hosts. Also make sure if you use a proxy server there is an exception for traffic going to this IP address.
In my case the problem was simply that the VMware Server service was not running on the Virtual Center.
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The goal here was for me to get a backup of my VPS server (Running CentOS 6). My background is primarily Windows based, so I wanted a solution where I can just run the backup from a Windows machine, (i.e. my my laptop) and let it connect, login and perform the backup.
What is Rsync? If you are familiar with Robocopy it’s similar, it can perform a backup/sync of data and encrypt that data while it’s passing over the network. In addition, once the initial sync has been done, the next time you run it, it only replicates the changes. This makes it ideal for backups.
What is Cygwin? Basically it’s a Linux ‘Shell’ that will run on a Windows machine.
Solution
Step 1: Install Cygwin on My Windows Client
1. Download Cygwin (URL is on the image below), and install on the machine that will be performing the backups. When prompted accept all the defaults to download form the internet > Accept the install directory C:cgywin64 > Install for All users > Set the local Package Directory to the Desktop > Internet = Direct Connection > Choose a Download site > Next.
2. When asked to select packages > Expand Net.
3. Select openssh and rsync to be installed.
4. Expand shells > Select bash to be installed. > Complete the installation.
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048
KEEP PRESSING ENTER TO ACCEPT THE DEFAULTS, AND HAVE A BLANK PASSPHRASE
[/box]
Step:3 Create a User (On the Remote Linux Host) to Perform Backups
6. Connect to the server via SSH, (or open a terminal session). Logon as, (or su to) root.
[box]
useradd {username} -s /bin/bash
passwd {username}ENTER AND CONFIRM THE PASSWORD
[/box]
7. To ensure your user has the correct folders in their home folder the easiest way is generate a pair of keys on the remote Linux machine (the same as you did before).
[box]
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048
[/box]
Step 4: Copy the Public SSH Key from the Windows Machine to the Linux Machine
8. Above, Cygwin told us the keys are in /home/{username}/.ssh > Go to that directory and make sure they are there > Make a copy of the id_rsa.pub key > Call the copy authorized_keys > Copy that key to the correct folder on the remote Linux machine (via SCP).
[box]
cd /home/{username}/.ssh <<Note This is the username on the Cygwin machine)
ls
CHECK id_rsa.pub IS LISTED
cp id_rsa.pub authorized_keys
ls
CHECK authorized_keys IS LISTED
scp
authorized_keys {username}@{Linux Machine's name/IP}:/home/{username}/.ssh
Note The username (above) is the username on the Linux Machine
[/box]
9. Now check we can login to the remote Linux machine, from the Windows machine (without having to provide a password for the user we created). Note: Sometimes you need to do this twice before it will work.
[box]
ssh {username}@{Linux Machine's name/IP}
[/box]
If successful, your prompt should change to that of the remote Linux machine.
10. To return to Cygwin, simply type exit.
Step 5: On the Windows Machine Create a Backup Job
11. On the Windows machine create a folder that will hold the backup files (create it in the C:cygwin64 folder).
12. Lets test our backup to that folder. (Note: This does not back any data up it just performs a ‘dry run’).
Note: Above I’ve chosen the root ‘/’ directory, you may just want to select specific folders to backup e.g.
/var/www/ The Default location for Apache’s Website Files.
/var/lib/mysql The Default location for MySQL Databases.
Warning: Folder locations may differ depending on the server and how it was setup.
13. Tailor the following, and save it on the Windows machine, in the C:cyqwinbin directory as Remote-Server-Backup.sh
[box]
# Remote-Server-Backup.sh
#
#
# rsync tool to download server data
# from [Remote Linux Server name] to [Windows Backup Machine]
#
#
# download only those files on [Remote Linux Server name] in
#
[server directory]
# Only files that are newer than what is already on the
#
[Windows Backup Machine Directory]
#
# Syntax
#
# rsync -avzu [user name]@[Remote Linux Server name]:
#[server directory] [Windows Backup Machine Directory]
# Windows Shortcut Target Should be
#C:cygwin64binbash.exe --login -i '/bin/Remote-Server-Backup.sh'
rsync -avzu {username}@{Linux Machine's name/IP}:/ /VPS-Backup
[/box]
14. On the Windows machine create a new shortcut.
15. Browse to, and select c:cygwinbinbash.exe
16. Give it a sensible name > Finish
17. Open the properties of the shortcut and change the Target: to;
If you have a machine setup and working on your wireless network, sometimes it’s easier to set other machines up by simply migrating the settings. Either because you don’t want your child to try and type in a 64 bit WPA key, or you might simply have forgotten the WEP/WPA key,and don’t want to go through all the hassle of setting it up again.
In a small business environment you can give your colleagues their wireless settings in an XML file, or on a USB thumb drive. When using XML files you can even script the deployment of wireless settings to your users.
Solution
Option 1: Export/Import wireless Networks to XML File.
This is quick and easy, and if you are feeling adventurous enough, could be used to script the deployment of wireless networks.
1. On your working wireless machine, open a command window, the following command will list all the wireless profiles that are installed on this machine, )in the example below there is just one).
[box]netsh wlan show profiles[/box]
2. Now we know the name of the profile (Note: Typically it will be the SSID), we can export it to a folder. Be aware if the folder does not exist, the process is liable to fail.
Option 2: Export/Transfer/Import wireless Settings via USB.
1. On the source machine open ‘Control Panel’.
2. Select ‘Network and Sharing Center’.
3. Select ‘Manage wireless networks.
4. Locate the wireless profile you want to migrate, (in the example below there is just one), double click it > select ‘copy this network profile to a USB flash drive’.
5. Assuming you already have a USB drive plugged in, the wizard will detect it > Next.
6. Close.
7. Take the drive to a destination machine, and plug it in, Windows 7 has autorun disabled, with older versions of Windows you can simply choose ‘Connect to wireless network” from the autorun menu. If not open the drive and run the setupSNK.exe file.
8. Yes to confirm.
9. OK to close.
10. Your network is setup and ready to go.
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