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Backup Modes
There are two backup modes available for VMware virtual machine backup:
- Non-VDDK backup mode
- VDDK backup mode
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 the first backup, full files (*.F.vddk) are created in the backup destination.
- During subsequent backup, Changed Block Tracking (CBT) - a VMware native feature (https://kb.vmware.com/kb/1020128) is employed, to identify disk sectors altered since the last backup. Altered blocks are saved as incremental VDDK file (*.I.vddk) in the backup chain.
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 |
