vReplicator
vReplicator, previously known as esxReplicator, is a host-level image replication solution for VMware infrastructure. Also developed by Vizioncore Inc., vReplicator is a Windows-based application that enables companies to leverage virtualization technology to keep applications running day in and day out all year round by replicating entire virtual machines, including configuration settings, patches to the OS, the application and the data, and all other OS-level changes.
vReplicator selectively replicates virtual machines from many hosts to one host, as well as to dissimilar hardware platforms. In physical server environments, disaster-recovery solutions are expensive and difficult to deploy and maintain because they require redundant, overbuilt standby servers that are typically dormant and underutilized until a portion of the production environment becomes unavailable. Virtualization eliminates the expense of overbuilding by allowing higher utilization of existing servers. vReplicator offers a strategic and bandwidth-conscious approach to replication: it enables full virtual machines to be selectively and cost-effectively replicated without agents, and with full flexibility to complement the existing server environment, while reducing the financial impact of the overall solution.
vReplicator selectively replicates individual virtual machines selected by the virtual infrastructure administrator. This eliminates the maintenance, network traffic, and hardware and software expenses of replicating all the LUNs from a SAN. Because vReplicator works from a centralized server, installation components are not needed on either the source or the target virtual machines.
vReplicator operates from a centralized server and does not need to be installed on either the source or the target virtual machines, which eliminates the licensing costs, management, and maintenance involved with agent-based solutions. vReplicator provides a Setup wizard for the configuration of replication jobs. The solution can be configured for direct communication between the vReplicator server, the source, and the destination hosts, or it can be configured to leverage VirtualCenter. Replication job settings include replication intervals, the destination server, and the target datastore. Status information is available in the GUI to determine the duration of replication processes as well as to verify successful replications. Performance statistics are available to determine the workload on a host and the impact of replication on the virtualized environment. These statistics are helpful in determining the limitations of the host and the performance requirements for replication. vReplicator is integrated with VirtualCenter to provide a recognizable hierarchy of virtual machines and the respective hosts involved in replication. This integration with VirtualCenter allows the solution to be VMotion and DRS aware so replication jobs continue even after the virtual machines have moved.
The initial synchronization for vReplicator leverages proven Vizioncore technology for the initial copy of the source virtual machine. After the initial synchronization, a differential engine sends only changes to the destination host and applies them to the closed target virtual machine. The replication engine of vReplicator is a Windows service that resides on the server where vReplicator has been installed. This reduces the impact on the underlying virtualization platform implementation by offloading the work to the dedicated vReplicator server. vReplicator validates the differential information needed to perform live replication without interruption to the virtual machine. The differential engine checks for changes to VMDKs as a catalyst for performing block-level replication. To prevent problems in the replication and recovery process, vReplicator copies changed blocks to the target system before applying them. By copying the blocks before writing them into the replicated virtual machine files, vReplicator ensures that if any problems arise during the process the original blocks can be written back to the target. Ultimately this logic prevents the need to recopy the entire VMDK.
esXpress
esXpress is a virtual infrastructure backup solution created by PHD Technologies. The latest version as of this writing, esXpress v3.1, is a unique solution that involves the use of a small, low-impact virtual machine called a virtual backup appliance (VBA) that provides a sophisticated backup technology to a VMware virtual infrastructure. Although the product sits inside a dedicated virtual machine, the backup destinations include all of the following storage targets:
♦ FTP
♦ SSH
♦ CIFS/SMB (Windows file shares)
♦ iSCSI (VMFS)
♦ Fibre channel (VMFS)
esXpress installs a GUI helper virtual machine that provides for the configuration of the backup process but once configured is not required for the execution of the backups. The product is licensed and installed on a per-host basis. Uniquely it is not licensed per socket or per core, and therefore does not penalize you for having a well-stocked set of equipment for your virtual infrastructure. This also means that esXpress will scale with your hardware without any additional costs. Today your server might have two quad-core processors, but the future might see an upgrade to four quad-core processors. Such a change will not incur any additional costs for the esXpress deployment. And it gets better; PHD does not charge you for licenses for esXpress installations on ESX Server hosts that will only serve as restore targets. The licenses come in four different types: free, LE, Pro, and Enterprise. The differences in the licenses revolve around the number of simultaneous backups, bandwidth throttling, and full versus differential backup capability.
Once configured, when a backup job is instantiated esXpress will perform a consistency check across the VMX, VMSD, VirtualCenter, and datastore. Pending a successful consistency check, it will take a snapshot and create a VBA to manage the backup process. The number of simultaneous VB As a host can support is based on the number of cores in the physical server (and of course the license purchased). A server with eight processor cores can spawn eight VBA virtual machines, each responsible for the backup of an individual virtual machine. Upon completion of the backup, the VBA is deleted from disk. As backups are completed, new VBAs will be spawned to continue the process of backing up all the desired virtual machines.
The backup procedure of esXpress is completely integrated into VirtualCenter, thus eliminating the need to use any other interface or software application. However, for those times when access to VirtualCenter just isn't possible, a console session (or SSH session via putty.exe) can be used to configure, manage, and administer the backup processes. esXpress adds features like compression and encryption to provide enhanced efficiency and encryption to its product.
By default, esXpress performs full backups on the first day of the month and complements that with a differential backup every other day. The differential feature allows for the efficient use of space for storing backups.
Perhaps one of the most unsung features in esXpress is the ability to replicate backup data to alternate locations. By including a replication technology in the product, esXpress offers a true disaster-recovery solution that provides administrators with an easy off-site recovery process. Using the replication feature to send backups to another VMFS datastore in another location means that virtual machines can be powered on in the remote location when disaster occurs.
In all, esXpress offers a unique product with a great level of functionality.
Acronis True Image Echo Enterprise
Acronis True Image Echo Enterprise has long been a leading disaster-recovery tool for physical servers. Acronis now extends its reach into creating image-level backups of virtual machines. With support for both Linux and Windows 32-bit and 64-bit virtual machines, True Image Echo Enterprise covers most of the guest operating systems installed into virtual machines in VMware Infrastructure 3 (VI3) deployment. The Acronis True Image Echo Enterprise product includes many new features for simplifying the backup and restore process. Among these features are: