vCenter Chargeback

vCenter Chargeback Server as the name suggests helps to measure and analyze the cost of workloads in vCloud environment and has four main components.

1) Runs web portal (Apache tomcat server) - for users and administrative interface.

2) Data Collectors - vCenter chargeback retrieves the virtual infrastructure inventory, resource and network usage information through data collectors. Three types of data collectors are available vCenter chargeback data collector (for vCenter Server) , vCloud Director data collector (for vCLoud Director) , vCNS data collector (for vCloud networking and security).

3) Built in Load balancer - (For scaling vCenter Chargeback Servers). Configure additional instances of vCenter Chargeback server to connect to built-in load balancer which is included with the installation of first instance. 

4) vCenter Chargeback Database- Data collector instances replicates the information to the vCenter Chargeback Database. It also stores other information like vCenter Chargeback heir achy, vCenter Chargeback user and roles, cost models and usage metrics and configuration settings.


Using VMware vCenter Chargeback with VMware vCloud Director

Integrating Veeam With vSphere

Spent some time on this weekend and tried integrating Veeam Backup and Replication with VMware vSphere infrastructure.

Veeam provides back up solution for vSphere and Hyper-v virtual environments and provides few listed features.

Backup

• Image-level VM backups: Create application-consistent backups with advanced application-aware processing.
• Backup from Storage Snapshots for EMCNEW, HP and NetApp: Generate ultra-fast backups with low RPOs.
• NEW Scale-out Backup Repository: Create a single virtual pool of backup storage to which backups can be assigned, offering the freedom to easily extend backup storage capacity.
• Veeam Cloud Connect: Get backups off site without the cost and complexity of building and maintaining an off-site infrastructure fast and secure cloud backup to a service provider.

Recovery

•  Instant VM Recovery: Recover a failed VM in less than 2 minutes 
•  Instant File-Level Recovery: Recover guest OS files and folders on the fly.
•  ENHANCED Veeam Explorer for Microsoft Active Directory: Instantly recover individual AD objects and entire containers, easily recover user accounts and passwords, enable restores of Group Policy Objects (GPOs), Active Directoryintegrated DNS records, and more.

Veeam DataSheet

Now when we have an overview about Veeam backup and recovery solution will understand what are system requirements related to VMware Infrastructure Platforms.

vSphere 6.0 • vSphere 5.x • vSphere 4.1 Hosts • ESXi 6.0 • ESXi 5.x • ESX(i) 4.1.

vCenter Server 6.0 • vCenter Server 5.x • vCenter Server 4.1 vCloud Director 5.1, 5.5, 5.6, 8.0 

vSphere Virtual Machines Virtual Hardware All types and versions of virtual hardware are supported, including 62TB VMDK.

Virtual machines with disks engaged in SCSI bus sharing are not supported, because VMware does not support snapshotting such VMs.

RDM virtual disks in physical mode, Independent disks, and disks connected via in-guest iSCSI initiator are not supported, and are skipped from processing automatically. 

File level restore is supported for the following file systems, including Microsoft Windows LDM (Logical Disk Manager) dynamic disks and Linux LVM (Logical Volume Manager).

OS Supported File Systems Windows FAT, FAT32 NTFS ReFS Linux ext, ext2, ext3, ext4 ReiserFS JFS XFS Btrfs BSD UFS, UFS2 Mac HFS, HFS+ Novell NSS Solaris UFS ZFS (except any pool versions of Oracle Solaris).

Veeam Release Notes

Let's Proceed further with installation and see how to add vSphere VM's in Veeam.

1) Downloaded the Veeam iso and proceed further with the installation.

 2) Welcome Screen

 3) Accepting the EULA license

4) Provide the license or install it in Free edition mode.

5) From the list of features select Veeam Backup & Replication.

6) Ensure the Microsoft services are installed before proceeding further.

 7) Install with default configuration or select the check box for customization.

 8) Checking the GUI of Veeam post installation. 

9) Adding the Virtual machine

10) Specifying the username and password

11) Virtual machine has been successfully added.

Veeam User Guide

Content Library

Content library is one of the new feature introduced in VMware vSphere 6.0.

Content Library is a repository which can help manage templates and other files which are used in vCenter Server instances globally.

A single organization may have  multiple vCenter Server instances across the globe and on these vCenter Server instance organization might have multiple templates, ISO images and various other files, which are independent of each other because of different versions that exist for these files on various vCenter Server instances.

With content library we can store OVF templates, ISO images and other types of files in a central location and publish them so as other content library can subscribe for the same.

One of the most important reason to use content library is sharing the content with other libraries and maintaining a consistency across.

Types of Content Library:

Local: local libraries are used to store items meant for single vCenter Server instance.

Published: A local library that is available for subscription.

Subscribed: Subscribed library is subscribed to publish library.

To ensure the contents of a subscribed library are up-to-date, the subscribed library automatically synchronizes to the published library.

You can use the option to download content from the source published library immediately or only when needed to manage your storage space.

During the synchronisation the library items that are new for the subscribed library are fully downloaded to the storage location of the subscribed library.

For more information kindly refer below

https://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-60/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.vm_admin.doc%2FGUID-254B2CE8-20A8-43F0-90E8-3F6776C2C896.html