Support for free VMware vSphere Hypervisor (Free ESXi) in virtual environment backup products
Recently, the practice often raises the question of why backup products (including their free versions), specially designed to work in a virtual environment (that is, do not use software agents inside virtual machines), do not support the free VMware vSphere Hypervisor (Free ESXi). The reason lies not at all in the technical restrictions or the unwillingness of manufacturers to support the free hypervisor, but in the license restrictions of VMware. About this and wanted to tell more.
Such backup products use the vStorage API for Data Protection ( VADP ) feature set provided by the VMware platform. According to official information from the VMware website , "VADP is included in all editions of vSphere":
Here we need to remind you that VMware vSphere is a product that includes the ESXi hypervisor as a component (see the figure below), but the free ESXi server itself is not a “vSphere edition”, and for this reason, the above phrase means that VADP is “not included” in free VMware vSphere Hypervisor (Free ESXi).
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VMware does not place in the public domain a license agreement with independent software developers (ISVs) who use the VDDK in their products and distribute its components along with their product - the text of the agreement is sent to the developer on his individual application on the partner site. But in public access there is a FAQ on the VDDK , in paragraph 6 of which states that VMware explicitly prohibits the use of VDDK to work with the free version of ESXi.
Thus, the inability to use specialized backup products with a free ESXi server is an intentional licensing limitation of VMware. Apparently, VMware is considering a free ESXi as a trial product, and therefore excluded from it the functionality that allows (safely for data) to use it in a productive network. There are essentially no technical limitations, and at times (from version to version) the VDDK can technically begin (or cease to work) again with a free ESXi server, however it is not advisable for users to seriously rely on the “sudden” temporary performance of the VDDK in relation to the free ESXi server.
In accordance with the VMware licensing policy described above, manufacturers of specialized backup tools for VMware do not officially support the free version of the VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi hypervisor in their backup products . For example:
For backing up free ESXi, users can be advised to use backup tools that are used by software agents inside virtual machines (that is, they work with virtual machines as physical). Or consider the basic paid edition of vSphere for small business.
Such backup products use the vStorage API for Data Protection ( VADP ) feature set provided by the VMware platform. According to official information from the VMware website , "VADP is included in all editions of vSphere":
Here we need to remind you that VMware vSphere is a product that includes the ESXi hypervisor as a component (see the figure below), but the free ESXi server itself is not a “vSphere edition”, and for this reason, the above phrase means that VADP is “not included” in free VMware vSphere Hypervisor (Free ESXi).
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VSphere components
VMware does not place in the public domain a license agreement with independent software developers (ISVs) who use the VDDK in their products and distribute its components along with their product - the text of the agreement is sent to the developer on his individual application on the partner site. But in public access there is a FAQ on the VDDK , in paragraph 6 of which states that VMware explicitly prohibits the use of VDDK to work with the free version of ESXi.
Thus, the inability to use specialized backup products with a free ESXi server is an intentional licensing limitation of VMware. Apparently, VMware is considering a free ESXi as a trial product, and therefore excluded from it the functionality that allows (safely for data) to use it in a productive network. There are essentially no technical limitations, and at times (from version to version) the VDDK can technically begin (or cease to work) again with a free ESXi server, however it is not advisable for users to seriously rely on the “sudden” temporary performance of the VDDK in relation to the free ESXi server.
In accordance with the VMware licensing policy described above, manufacturers of specialized backup tools for VMware do not officially support the free version of the VMware vSphere Hypervisor ESXi hypervisor in their backup products . For example:
- Symantec : Supported Product Knowledge Base Article (" Note: All free versions of ESXi (3.5i and 4i)"). support in the free version of ESXi and is a current limitation of VMware. ")
- Veeam : The official blog post of June 3, 2009, " Veeam and Free ESXi - it is official now " "updated with the licensing policy ... Veeam Backup and Replication"
- Quest : KB87501 "The vStorage API is not available with the free version of ESXi Server"
For backing up free ESXi, users can be advised to use backup tools that are used by software agents inside virtual machines (that is, they work with virtual machines as physical). Or consider the basic paid edition of vSphere for small business.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/166743/
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