As described in the previous sections of this chapter, using snapshot technology on the LUNs deployed with the product ensures a reliable data protection model for any of the servers and virtual machines that are to be protected. However, with this LUN-centric approach to data protection, workflows for snapshots and backups can become quite complex, especially if virtual machine (VM) instances span multiple LUNs. This complexity occurs because with these types of multiple LUN configurations it is important to maintain a consistent state and coordinate timing for the snapshots of all LUNs related to a single server or VM instance. For a VM configured across multiple LUNs, snapshots for all the LUNs must be consistent to perform a successful backup.

In Core 4.6 and later, the Backups page and backup policy wizard provide an intuitive workflow to configure, manage, and monitor backups.

It is still possible to configure and perform LUN-based backups as in previous releases of the product, but this new feature enables the administrator to move away from the “LUN-centric” methodologies of data protection by using the concept of server-level backups.

Server-level backups still make use of snapshot technology and a proxy host in the data center. However, the policy wizard simplifies the process by combining all the relevant parameters of the procedure (Edge, ESXi/Windows server details, data center storage array where the LUNs reside, and proxy server used for the backup) and creating a backup policy to meet the requirements. With this new workflow, any VM or server configuration that spans multiple LUNs, the product will ensure that all the LUN snapshots are consistent, resulting in a consistent backup.

This allows policies to be created on the Core that can back up at differing levels of granularity including multiple Edges, multiple servers and VMs, a single Edge, a single server, or even a single VM (CLI only).