Table of Contents

Backup Modes


There are two backup modes available for VMware virtual machine backup:

For VDDK backup mode, CloudBacko Pro must be installed on a supported Windows operating system platform.


Non-VDDK Backup Mode


No longer supported in CloudBacko v5


VDDK Backup Mode


For VM on VMware host on Enterprise Standard, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus Edition, backup is performed in VDDK mode. Backup in VDDK mode produces a backup chain that consists of a full VDDK file and a set of VDDK incremental files.

During a subsequent backup in VDDK mode, CloudBacko Pro queries CBT through VADP (vSphere APIs for Data Protection) to request for transmission of all altered blocks since the last backup.

As there is no need to stream the VM files through CloudBacko Pro for delta generation, backup in VDDK mode will greatly enhance the speed of subsequent backup.

Pros Faster backup speed for subsequent backups compared to non-VDDK backup, as a result of backing up only the used size of your VM instead of the entire machine to enhance backup efficiency. This also helps with minimizing the storage size requirement and saving storage cost.
Cons Require paid license, i.e. VMware Essentials License for usage of vSphere API.


Comparison between VDDK and Non-VDDK Modes


VDDK (CBT) Non-VDDK (CBK v4)
Full Backup Used data size of guest Provisioned data size of guest
Incremental / Differential Generated by VMware Host using CBT Generated by CloudBacko Pro on the staging machine using in-file delta
Storage Size Uses less storage quota Uses more storage quota
Storage Cost Lower storage cost Higher storage cost
Backup Speed Faster backup speed due to smaller data size Slower backup speed due to larger data size
Run Direct Support YES NO
Restore from VDDK to VMDK format YES NO
Granular Restore YES YES
CloudBacko Pro on Windows Platform YES YES
CloudBacko Pro on Non Windows Platform NO YES