Running a virtual environment is cost-efficient and convenient with a Hyper-V infrastructure. But, at the same time, you need to think about how to protect your Hyper-V data from ransomware attacks, natural disasters, hardware malfunctions and other events that can result in data loss
Tip # 1: Perform Agentless Backups
An agent is a component of backup software that you may need to install on your VM. It enables your backup software to perform backups of your entire VM and data.
Tip # 2: Ensure App-consistent Backups
Application-aware or app-consistent backups are critical for data recovery. During the backup process, your data should be consistent across the applications. If an employee changes some data during the backup time, this change should be recognized and reflected in your backup.
Tip # 3: Back up Individual VMs
Use a backup solution that enables you to back up individual VMs instead of backing up the whole Hyper-V host. The reason behind this is that some VMs require frequent backups, others you don’t have to back up at all. For example, you don’t have to back up a VM that you keep for testing purposes.
Tip # 4: Run Incremental Backups
Incremental backups save time and space. You can run incremental backups by using Microsoft’s Resilient Changed Block Tracking (RCBT). This technology is designed solely for the Hyper-V environment. After you run a full backup, you have a representation of your virtual machine.
Tip # 5: Be Able to Perform Full and Granular Recoveries
If you experience a major data loss event or system failure, you may need to run a full recovery. Your backup solution should be capable of booting your Hyper-V VMs from any backup location. During a disruptive event, your goal is to restore your business operations instantly.
Tip # 6: Ensure Low Storage Cost and Fast Backup Speed
You can diminish your storage costs by lowering the size of your backups. A state-of-the-art backup solution allows you to save storage space by offering such features as global deduplication, compression, log truncation, and the exclusion of swap data, such as unused blocks and partitions.
Tip # 7: Create Disaster Recovery Workflows
Disaster events can take place unexpectedly and be the reason for data loss. Disaster events include ransomware attacks, natural disasters, or equipment failures. To avoid financial strain and reputation loss, you should have a disaster recovery plan.
Tip # 8: Include the Hyper-V Host into a Work Group
Include your Hyper-V host into a workgroup to make your Hyper-V host accessible at all times. For example, let’s say your Domain Controller (DC) runs on a VM that resides on a Hyper-V host that is a member of that domain.
Source: http://telecomdrive.com/key-tips-for-efficient-hyper-v-backup/
Top comments (0)