Migration to Proxmox VE from VMware: A Deep Dive into Backup Strategies and Cloud Integration

Selecting the right virtualization platform is a critical decision for IT departments aiming to boost efficiency, reduce costs, and scale operations effectively. With VMware and Proxmox VE leading the pack, each platform offers distinct advantages. Proxmox VE, with its open-source framework, is particularly appealing for its cost-effectiveness and flexibility. This contrasts VMware, a proprietary solution known for its comprehensive support and scalability, though often at a higher cost. Recent changes in VMware’s licensing, influenced by corporate decisions, have led some organizations to consider Proxmox VE as a more customizable and financially accessible option.

The Critical Role of Backup in Migration

Migrating from VMware to Proxmox VE necessitates a strategic approach, with data backup being a cornerstone of the transition. It’s crucial to maintain backups both before and after the migration for both virtualization platforms. Additionally, it’s necessary to retain backup data for a period, as VM administrators need to run test systems to ensure everything operates smoothly. This process highlights the differences in backup methodologies between VMware and Proxmox VE, each tailored to its respective platform’s architecture.

VMware Backup vs. Proxmox VE Backup

For VMware environments, usually the backup software adopts an agentless approach, streamlining the backup process by eliminating the need for installing backup agents on each VM. This method leverages VMware vCenter and a virtualization proxy server to manage VMware snapshot processing and communication with the storage destination. It enables auto-discovery and protection of new or modified VMs, ensuring comprehensive coverage. Additionally, the backup software offers instant recovery options, including the ability to quickly map Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) images back to the same or alternate VMs, significantly reducing downtime and enhancing data accessibility. The support for both physical and virtual environments underlines the backup solution’s versatility, catering to a wide range of backup and recovery needs.

In contrast, the approach for Proxmox backup with backup software is similarly agentless but specifically tailored to the Proxmox VE platform. It incorporates hypervisor snapshot management, enabling efficient backup and recovery processes. One of the features for Proxmox VE backups is the use of Changed Block Tracking (CBT), which allows for incremental backups after an initial full backup, focusing only on changed data blocks to minimize backup windows and storage requirements. Backup software also provides a disk-exclusion option, enabling users to exclude certain VM disks from backups. This can be particularly advantageous for optimizing backup storage by omitting disks that contain temporary or non-essential data.

 

The distinction between VMware and Proxmox backup strategies illustrates the tailored functionalities that backup software must provide to effectively cater to each platform. VMware’s solution emphasizes comprehensive coverage, instant recovery, and seamless integration within a diverse and complex IT infrastructure. Meanwhile, Proxmox’s backup solution focuses on efficiency, flexibility, and the specific virtualization technologies of Proxmox VE, offering scalable and efficient data protection. This highlights the critical role of choosing a backup solution that not only matches the technical framework of the virtualization environment but also supports the strategic goals of the organization’s data protection policies.

Choosing the Right Backup Destination of Cloud

When it comes to selecting a backup destination, options abound, including disk, tape, and cloud storage. Based on our recent experience, many user choose to backup VMs onto cloud, Wasabi Cloud Storage stands out for its affordability, reliability, and performance, making it an excellent choice for Proxmox VE backups. Its seamless integration with DPX vPlus backup solutions offers scalability and off-site data protection, without the burden of egress fees or hidden costs.

Securing Proxmox VE Backups with Wasabi Cloud Storage

The process of backing up Proxmox VE to Wasabi Cloud Storage is straightforward, beginning with setting up a Wasabi storage bucket and configuring DPX vPlus to use Wasabi as a backup destination. This approach not only ensures cost-effective cloud storage but also leverages DPX vPlus’s reliable backup capabilities, providing a robust data protection strategy for your virtual infrastructure.

Conclusion

The transition from VMware to Proxmox VE, motivated by the desire for a more flexible and cost-effective virtualization solution, highlights the importance of a well-planned backup strategy. The comparison between VMware and Proxmox VE backup methodologies reveals the need for backup solutions that align with the specific requirements of each platform. Integrating Proxmox VE backups with Wasabi Cloud Storage through DPX vPlus offers a compelling solution, combining cost-efficiency with reliable data protection. For organizations contemplating this migration, understanding these differences and options is crucial for ensuring data integrity and system continuity.

For a detailed demonstration on integrating DPX vPlus with Wasabi for Proxmox VE backups

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03/19/2024 0 Comments

Seizing Transformation in 2024: Masterfully Navigating VMware’s Licensing Evolution Post-Broadcom Acquisition

Broadcom’s Strategic Acquisition of VMware: Navigating the Evolving Technology Landscape 

Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware signifies a major shift in the tech industry, focusing on streamlined products, subscription models, revised pricing, and improved customer support. This strategy, emblematic of Broadcom’s adaptability, emphasizes flexibility in the changing market. CEO Hock Tan’s decision to divest VMware’s non-core units including EUC (end-user computing),  further aligns with this approach, prioritizing their core cloud services. 

From Perpetual to Subscription: A New Era for VMware 

Transitioning from traditional perpetual licenses to subscription models, Broadcom confronts customer and partner concerns regarding predictability and financial implications. To ease this transition, Broadcom is offering robust support and incentives, aligning with broader industry trends. However, this shift also raises questions about future pricing and support strategies, highlighting Broadcom’s strategy to establish predictable revenue streams through subscription licensing. 

Exploring Alternatives: Hyper-V, Nutanix, and Proxmox 

Amidst VMware‘s licensing model change, users are actively evaluating alternatives such as Hyper-V, Nutanix, and Proxmox. Hyper-V, a Windows-based hypervisor tightly integrated with Microsoft Azure Cloud, provides cost-effective and scalable solutions. Nutanix stands out for its hyperconverged infrastructure, offering ease of management and cloud-like capabilities. On the other hand, Proxmox VE, an open-source platform, is renowned for its scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. 

Hyper-V is a Windows-based hypervisor that offers integration with Microsoft Azure Cloud. It is a cost-effective option, as it is a bare-metal hypervisor that does not require new hardware. Hyper-V also provides high availability and scalability.

Nutanix is a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platform that offers simplified management and cloud-like capabilities. It also provides financial incentives for migration, such as discounts on its software and hardware. Nutanix Cloud Clusters facilitate the migration of apps and workloads to the cloud without the need for re-architecting or replatforming.

Proxmox VE is an open-source hypervisor that provides scalability and flexibility. It can support up to 32 nodes and 16,000 virtual machines in a single cluster. Proxmox VE also offers licensing cost savings.

The choice of platform depends on the specific needs and existing infrastructure of the organization. Organizations that need tight integration with Microsoft Azure Cloud should consider Hyper-V. Organizations that want simplified management and cloud-like capabilities, and that are willing to pay for these features, should consider Nutanix. Organizations that need scalability and flexibility, and that are budget-conscious, should consider Proxmox VE.

Catalogic’s Role in Seamless Migration 

As a data protection leader with over 30 years of experience, Catalogic has helped numerous customers navigate the migration process. While there are various third-party and vendor-provided migration tools available, backup remains a critical step in ensuring data integrity and business continuity during the migration journey. Catalogic’s DPX solution offers a streamlined approach for VMware backup through its Agentless VMware Backup feature, eliminating the need for agent installation and management on individual virtual machines. For Microsoft Hyper-V environments, Catalogic provides both DPX Block and Agentless options, simplifying backup processes and minimizing impact on production systems. DPX vPlus, an agentless backup and snapshot-management solution, caters to virtual environments and cloud, enhancing backup performance and automation, enabling efficient recovery testing, and delivering significant resource, time, and cost savings. With its agentless design and ability to integrate into Nutanix clusters, DPX vPlus optimizes backup performance and seamlessly integrates with Nutanix’s Changed Region Tracking feature, ensuring comprehensive data protection throughout the migration process.

 

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12/21/2023 0 Comments

Catalogic DPX 4.7.0 Introduces Hyper-V Agentless Backup and Much More

Catalogic DPX 4.7 release is full of exciting new DPX enhancements with the key new features being:

  • Hyper-V backup and recovery
  • Continued improvements to new HTML UI – With VMware Backup and Recovery now accessible in the new UI
  • Archive to Cloud for Block Level backups on vStor

Hyper-V Backup in the new UI

DPX now introduces a reliable native Hyper-V backup, offering backup and restore features to help you meet your recovery objectives. To maximize the success of your Hyper-V backups, Catalogic DPX offers key capabilities to ensure that your backups and restores are successfully completed the first time:

Fast backup and restore
Increase the speed and reduce the Hyper-V backup footprint by protecting only what has changed since the last backup.

 

Point in time restore
DPX Hyper-V full VM restore allows you to restore a VM from any point in time that it was backed up. The VM will be restored in the same state as it was during the backup and will appear on the Hyper-V host you selected for restore.

 

Hyper-V cluster support
If you have a Hyper-V cluster with multiple Hyper-V hosts, Catalogic DPX is able to properly back up all Guest VMs within your cluster, so that you don’t need to purchase the pricey Datacenter license of Microsoft System Center for Hyper-V cluster backup purpose.

 

Retention / versioning
Catalogic DPX allows you to set flexible retention policies, including daily, weekly, monthly, yearly policies to suit your IT audit and compliance needs.

 

Application-consistent backups
Provides application-aware processing, all in a single-pass, applications consistent snapshot backup of VSS-aware applications. This is the level of protection that you need to gain the flexible recovery your application needs.

VMware Backup in new UI

With DPX 4.7 we have started moving key user functionality to the new HTML5 User Interface beginning with VMware Agentless backup. The experience of creating VMware Agentless backup and recovery jobs has been redesigned to be a simpler more intuitive process. The new UI allows for creating backup and recovery jobs including setting retention time, schedule, and job options. The status of run jobs is also available in the new job monitor.

Archive to Cloud for Block Backups
Cloud archive from vStor now supports Block Backup as well as Agentless VMware backup.
The new Block archive from vStor supports incremental and differential transfers thereby eliminating the need to send the full data set to tape, disk directory or cloud every time.

 

vStor at rest volume encryption support
vStor Volume Encryption is based on ZFS technology for encrypting data at rest on a volume in vStor Server, ensuring that if the underlying device is repurposed, returned, misplaced, or stolen the data cannot be accessed without the encryption key.

 

vStor configuration backup and restore
vStor volume and pool configuration is backed up daily in a special configuration volume that can be replicated or archived further. In an event of a loss of the virtual appliance or a replacement of physical hardware, vStor configuration can be restored. Backup retention can be configured and be default lasts 14 days.

 

vStor performance improvements
UI is more responsive and snapshot creation is considerably quicker. Data deduplication can be enabled for a wider variety of data without significant performance degradation:

  • Pools with degraded performance can be treated with the deduplication table cleaning procedure
  • Ongoing deduplication table cleaning is enabled for all new pools with deduplication
  • System startup performance is improved by deduplication table preloading

 

Additional Features in this Release

  • Improved reporting in the new Management Interface
  • Adds multi-language support in the new Management Interface
  • CHAP authentication support for NetApp CDOT
  • Backup and recovery of vStor configuration in case of migration or disaster.

 

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01/05/2021 0 Comments