NVP vProxy: Configuring NetWorker VMware Protection Policies to Optimize Hot add or NBD transport Sessions

Summary: NetWorker 19.10 lets backup administrators configure VMware Protection Policies to avoid Network Block Device (NBD) when hot add sessions are unavailable or use NBD only if hot add is not supported by Virtual Machines (VM). ...

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Instructions

NetWorker 19.10 has introduced a new VMware Protection Policy configuration option available through the NetWorker Web User Interface (NWUI). When creating or modifying a VMware Protection Policy's backup action, a Transport Mode option is available in the VMware Specific Configuration Options tab:

NWUI Policy configuration options 
The available options are:

  • Auto: Hot add or NBD sessions are used depending on availability. If a hot add backup session fails to establish, the session attempts to fall back to NBD and complete using NBD. If the VM is configured with IDE disks, it automatically falls back to NBD.
  • Hot add: When selected, only hot add sessions are used. If a VM backup cannot be established over hot add, the session does not fall back to NBD.
  • NBD: When selected only NBD sessions are used. This can be used when a VM does not support hot add capabilities. Previously a single vProxy with NBD sessions must be manually specified inside the backup action. Using this option would allow you to leverage several vProxies with NBD sessions enabled. The backup action does not attempt to backup over hot add and immediately attempts NBD sessions. 
  • NBDSSL: When selected only NBD sessions are used; however, the vProxy must have the Encrypt NBD Sessions option selected. The backup action does not attempt to backup over hot add and immediately attempts NBD sessions.

The best vProxy for a backup is chosen based on the specified transport mode and available HotAdd/NBD sessions at the selection time.

The hot add and NBD session limits are defined in the vProxy properties:

vProxy tab

See the NetWorker VMware Integration Guide for information about Hot add requirements.

Additional Information

NetWorker: How to Configure Concurrent or Parallel VM Backup Sessions

Affected Products

NetWorker

Products

NetWorker Family, NetWorker Series
Article Properties
Article Number: 000220787
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 18 Apr 2025
Version:  2
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