NetWorker for VMware provides an alternate client backup technology for virtual machines in conjunction with vStorage APIs for Data Protection (VADP) technology from VMware.

VADP helps to perform backups from a VADP backup proxy server, which can be a physical or virtual machine, using the VMware snapshot technique (A point in time copy of the virtual machine). VADP can be used with a vCenter Server.

The following are advantages of VADP backup and recovery:
<ul>
	<li>VADP backups offload backup processes from the ESX server to a VADP proxy server.</li>
	<li>Eliminates the need for a backup window by using VMware virtual machine snapshot technology.</li>
	<li>Supports file level backups with incremental and differentials for virtual machines running Microsoft Windows guest operating system.</li>
	<li>Supports image level backups for virtual machines running any guest operating system supported by VMware.</li>
	<li>Supports the ability to recover individual files from an image level backup (Windows NTFS only).</li>
	<li>Supports deduplication across virtual machines and servers.</li>
	<li>Backup impact on the target virtual machine and other virtual machines hosted on the same server is minimized.</li>
	<li>There is no need to install NetWorker software on each virtual machine.</li>
	<li>Provides LAN-Free backup because the VADP proxy server can be connected to the SAN through a fibre channel adapter.</li>
	<li>Advanced VMware features and configurations like Distributed Resource Scheduling (DRS) and VMotion do not have any impact on the performance of NetWorker.</li>
</ul>
<div>In the next few weeks, I will be implementing VADP in the lab and testing it out.  I will post more information on how it works compared to VCB and VDR.</div>
<div>Will Turbeville</div>
<div>twitter: @wturbeville</div>
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