This new article series focuses on the latest Veeam Backup Nutanix install and configuration to protect Nutanix AHV workloads. Even though the screenshots show the version 2.0, at the time of writing the latest version is Veeam Backup for Nutanix 2.1 and resembles the very same user experience with the install process. In addition, the latest version Veeam Backup for Nutanix 2.1 is compatible with the latest version of Veeam v11. Existing version on 2.0 will be automatically upgraded to the latest version.
What’s new with the latest Veeam Backup Nutanix install of the plugin?
First of all is the name change from Veeam Availability for Nutanix to Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV making it more consistent with the rest solutions in the portfolio. Moving from version 1.0 the plugin can now be installed in two separate ways. The first one is like the manual Veeam Proxy for Nutanix deployment. The new mode is the automatic one where the Proxy is installed by the Veeam wizard. This article series will cover both methods. In addition, the latest version of the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV brings:
- AHV Proxy registration available with both hostname and IP Address
- Veeam Updater service now responsible for both updates of the appliance and the patches of the underlying Linux Ubuntu kernel
- Disk exclusion option in backup jobs
- Volume Restore for Volume Groups now visible as disks
- New default Proxy web console port on 443
- UI changes
- Auto Cluster rescan for newly created snapshots
- Cluster authentication based o cookies with interaction with RESTful APIs
- Backup job algorithm update for an accurate view on processing rates
There is quite a lot of new updates and the user experience has also improved. This article series will initially cover the following topics:
- Veeam Backup Nutanix install
- Proxy install modes
- Backup job configuration
- AHV data restore
- Restore any machine to AHV
Veeam Backup Nutanix install
The latest Veeam Backup Nutanix plugin is available for download at the Veeam site. In the case existing plugin on v2.0 this will be automatically updated when upgrading to Veeam v11. The install process is very simple and wizard driven. The plugin needs to be installed on Veeam Backup Server and will add the new options directly in the Veeam Backup & Replication console. This allows to use a single console to manage the Proxy configuration and also the backup and restore jobs.
First thing for the plugin is to check the .Net Core dependencies which are automatically detected and installed.
Next is to accept the Veeam EULA agreement.
The wizard shows the default location where the plugin will be installed . This is using a similar path for additional Veeam plugins. The space requirements are pretty small.
At this point the wizard has the main info to proceed with the plugin install for the Veeam console. This plugin adds all the necessary extra bits to the console and also the capability to add, manage, remove and scan the Nutanix AHV cluster directly from the Veeam console.
At this point the wizard has all the info to proceed. The existing plugin will be stopped (the corresponding Veeam service on Windows machine) the new files copied and the new plugin service started.
A few moments later and the plugin is successfully deployed.
As a confirmation the new plugin also appears as a separate component in the Windows Program and Features panel.
Plugin first time setup
Now that the plugin is deployed the next step is to proceed with the first time setup by adding the Nutanix AHV cluster info directly into the Veeam console. From Veeam Backup Infrastructure > Managed Server > Add server the wizard now shows the new Nutanix option.
In order to add the Nutanix AHV cluster info into the Veeam console it is necessary to point to one of the available Nutanix Controller VMs. In this homelab there is a single Nutanix CVM for a Nutanix single node cluster. The recommendation is to make sure DNS name resolution is working both ways. As of latest release it is possible to use IP Addresses directly. A personal preference is to use hostname and DNS resolution when possible.
Next is to specify the credentials to access the Nutanix AHV Cluster. These are not the Nutanix Credentials to access the PRISM console.
If the communication is working then a message about the validity of a self-signed certificate appears. Next is hit on continue to progress with the setup.
If the connection is successful the next step is to define the location where the Veeam FLR (for file level recovery from snapshots or Linux VM backups) helper appliance will be created. This requires the name of the name of the Nutanix Storage Container, the Nutanix Network and eventually the automatic or static IP address.
At this point the wizard has all the info to proceed with the first setup of the plugin.
All the information are now stored into the Veeam database and ready to use. A few moments later and it concludes the plugin setup.
As soon as the plugin is configured a new message asks to proceed with the creation of the Veeam Backup Nutanix Proxy which will be covered in the next article.
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