Using vRealize Automation for VMware

Users of the vRealize Automation portal can perform the following actions:

Add newly provisioned virtual machines (VMs) to a VM group (also called subclient) using a vRealize blueprint.
Back up VMs.
Back up a VM group.
Recover full VMs in place.
Replicate VMs to a disaster recovery (DR) site and monitor replication operations.
Perform DR orchestration operations such as test boot, failover, and failback.
Recover files.
Send logs.

From the vRealize Automation portal, you can choose VMs on the Deployments tab, view details, and then choose an operation from the Actions menu.

Before You Begin

Deploy the Commvault VMware vRealize Plugin as described in Deploying the Commvault vRealize Plugin.

Performing Backup Operations

You can initiate backups in the following ways:

Backup VM:
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Backup VM.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select the VM group for the virtual machine and then click Submit.
Backup VM Group:
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Backup VM Group.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select a plan and VM group. You can also enter a group name to create a new VM group.

Performing Restore Operations

Restore Full VM - in place:
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Restore Full VM - in place.
  
  A dialog box for the request appears.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select a time range and a backup job to be used for the restore.
  
  By default, the restore uses the latest backup.
  
  Note
  
  This operation overwrites the original VM.
File Level Restore:
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click File Level Restore.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, click the VM Browse URL value.
5. Log on to the Command Center and perform the restore.
  
  If necessary, click the VM Browse URL link again to browse the VM backup and restore files.

Performing Replication and DR Orchestration Operations

Add VM to Replication Group:
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Add VM to Replication Group.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select the CommServe host.
5. Select the replication group.
Disable Replication:

This operation disables replication for the selected VM.
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Disable Replication.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select the CommServe host.
5. Select the replication group.
Enable Replication:
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Enable Replication.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select the CommServe host.
5. Select the replication group.
Failback:
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Failback.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select the CommServe host.
Planned Failover:
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Planned Failover.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select the CommServe host, and then click Submit.
Remove VM from Replication Group:

This operation removes a VM from the replication group and the associated VM group.
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Remove VM From Replication Group.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select the CommServe host.
5. Select the replication group.
Test Boot:
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click TestBoot.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select the CommServe host.
Unplanned Failover:
1. From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.
  
  The Components tab appears.
2. Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Unplanned Failover.
3. On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
4. On the Step subtab, select the CommServe host.

Monitoring Requests

From the vRealize Automation portal, you can view the status of requests on the Deployments tab.

From Command Center, you can use the Jobs page to monitor jobs that run in response to requests from vRealize.

From CommCell Console, you can use the Job Controller to monitor jobs that run in response to requests from vRealize.

Sending Logs

You can request logs for a VM to provide information that can be used for troubleshooting by Commvault support.

To process a Send Logs request, the CommServe system must have an Internet connection.

From the vRealize Automation portal, on the Deployments tab, in the VM section, click Actions > View Details.

The Components tab appears.
Beside the VM, click the Action button, and then click Send Logs.
On the Request Information subtab, enter a description for the request.
Click Next.
On the Step subtab, provide the information needed to process the request:
- Send client logs: To request logs for a client, select Yes and then, from the Client list, select the client.
  
  For example, you can select the client for the CommServe system, the client for a MediaAgent, or the virtualization client for a hypervisor.
  
  To troubleshoot any failures for backup operations or restore operations, select the virtualization client for the hypervisor.
- Send logs for job ID: To request logs for a specific job, select Yes and then, in the Job ID box, enter the job ID.
  
  You can get the job ID from the Command Center Jobs page or the CommCell Console Job Controller.
  
  Notes
  
  If you select a client and also enter a job ID, the send logs request is processed using the job ID.
  
  If you do not select a client or enter a job ID, the request fails.
- Email Address: Select the email address to receive the logs.
  
  You can also enter one or more email addresses, separated by commas, in the Additional email to notify box.
Click Submit.

When you submit the request, a Send Log Files job starts in the CommCell Console. When the job completes, the logs are sent to the specified email recipients.