Virtualization for backup and recovery refers to creating virtual copies or representations of data, servers, desktops, applications, and more that can be used for backup, disaster recovery, and testing purposes. There are a few main approaches to virtualization that are commonly used for these use cases:
Hypervisor-Based Virtualization
Hypervisor-based virtualization is one of the most common forms of virtualization used for backup and disaster recovery. A hypervisor is software that creates and runs virtual machines (VMs) on top of physical server hardware. Popular hypervisors like VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Citrix XenServer can be used to virtualize workloads like servers, desktops, and applications.
Key benefits of hypervisor virtualization for backup/recovery:
- Allows entire workloads to be backed up or replicated as VMs
- VMs can be quickly restored or failed over for recovery
- Backups are hardware independent and can restore to dissimilar hardware
- Reduces need for physical backup targets like tape
Hypervisor snapshots are point-in-time copies of VMs that can also be used for quick recovery. Limitation is snaphots are not independent copies like full VM backups.
VMware vSphere and vCenter
VMware vSphere is the leading hypervisor platform with vCenter for centralized management. Key capabilities:
- vSphere VM snapshots for quick recovery
- Image-level backups with VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
- Agentless backups with VMware vStorage APIs for Data Protection (VADP)
- vCenter Server provides unified management across hosts
Microsoft Hyper-V
Microsoft’s native hypervisor built into Windows Server. Key features:
- Hyper-V Replica for easy DR replication
- Volume snapshots for crash-consistent recovery points
- Backup using Microsoft Data Protection Manager (DPM)
- Centralized management with Hyper-V Manager and System Center VMM
Citrix XenServer
XenServer from Citrix is an open source hypervisor platform. Backup capabilities include:
- Storage snapshots for quick recovery
- Agentless backups with XenServer APIs (XAPI)
- Built-in replication for DR using XenMotion
- Central management with XenCenter
Operating System Virtualization
Operating system virtualization refers to containers and other OS-level abstraction techniques. Benefits for backup/recovery include:
- Lightweight and quick to backup/recover compared to VMs
- Allow stateful application snapshots
- Can provide application isolation and portability
Docker Containers
Docker is the leading container platform. Backup approaches include:
- Container snapshots using Docker commit
- Exporting containers as images for backup
- Leveraging volume snapshots and backups
- Using orchestrators like Kubernetes for app-consistent backups
Windows Containers
Native container support in Windows Server. Backup options include:
- Windows Server volume snapshots
- Hyper-V VM backups encompassing containers
- Third party tools for app-consistent backups
Storage Virtualization
Storage virtualization abstracts physical storage devices into pooled resources. This provides benefits for backup and recovery like:
- Centralized backups without affecting production
- Easier data migration to backup targets
- Storage agnosticism for flexible recoveries
Storage Area Networks
A SAN acts as networked storage independent of servers. Backup capabilities include:
- Network-based backups without production impact
- Snapshots, clones, and replication
- Integrated with leading backup software
Network Attached Storage
NAS provides file-level shared storage. Backup approaches include:
- File-based backups over the network
- Volume and share snapshots
- Replication to another NAS system
- Integrated backup software capabilities
Software-Defined Storage
SDS abstracts storage hardware through a software layer. Backup benefits include:
- Storage management independent of hardware
- Automated data protection policies
- Centralized visibility and monitoring
Network Virtualization
Network virtualization abstracts physical networks into logical network overlays. This can facilitate backup and recovery through capabilities like:
- Isolated backup networks
- Virtual network replication and failover
- Centralized management and monitoring
Software-Defined Networking
SDN separates the network control plane from the data forwarding plane. Backup benefits:
- Programmatically route backups across networks
- Integrate with orchestration platforms
- Microsegmentation to isolate backup traffic
Network Virtualization Platforms
Major network virtualization platforms like VMware NSX and Cisco ACI provide abstraction and automation capabilities that can enhance data protection:
- Backup traffic isolation from production
- Integrated data protection policies
- Data copying across virtual networks
- Rapid networking provisioning during recovery
Application Virtualization
Application virtualization encapsulates apps from underlying operating systems. Benefits for backup/recovery include:
- Apps are decoupled from specific OS environments
- Portable backup images for flexible recovery options
- Isolation prevents app conflicts during recovery
- Streamlined testing of recovery processes
Application Virtualization Tools
Leading app virtualization tools like VMware ThinApp and Microsoft App-V can enhance backup/recovery workflows:
- Create portable app packages stored independently from OS
- Simplify version testing during restores
- Streamline deployment to alternate platforms
- Segregate apps to prevent conflicts
Application Containers
Containers like Docker provide app portability and isolation for improved data protection:
- Application-centric backups using container images
- Version specific recovery to any endpoint
- Standard runtimes simplify restore environments
- Consistent app instances across virtualization platforms
Cloud Virtualization
Cloud computing depends on virtualization technologies. Benefits for backup/recovery include:
- On-demand provisioning of backup resources
- Highly scalable backup and recovery
- Usage-based pricing model
- Cloud storage integration for low cost archiving
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
IaaS public clouds like AWS, Azure, and GCP offer virtualized infrastructure. Backup capabilities include:
- Cloud snapshots for quick recovery
- VM images for full system backups
- Integrated storage replication and snapshot tools
- Global infrastructure and availability zones for geo-distributed recovery
Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)
DRaaS offerings provide simple cloud-based disaster recovery:
- Replicate VMs/data to cloud
- Declare disaster to spin up in cloud
- Failback to on-prem after outage resolution
- Consumption-based pricing model
Backup and Recovery Approaches
Here are some best practices for leveraging virtualization in backup and recovery strategies:
- Use hypervisor snapshots for local instant recovery needs
- Implement image-level backups of VM or container images for efficiency
- Factor in backup requirements during virtualization design
- Follow the 3-2-1 rule with 3 backup copies, 2 different media, 1 offsite copy
- Test recovery plans regularly to validate they work
- Choose backup tools that integrate with your virtualization platform
- Enable compression and deduplication to optimize backup storage footprint
Conclusion
Virtualization introduces many advantages for modern data protection. Key capabilities like improved flexibility, portability, scalability, automation, and hardware abstraction allow more efficient and robust backup and disaster recovery approaches. By integrating backup considerations into virtualization strategies, organizations can gain significant business continuity and risk reduction benefits.