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Configuring Multi-Region Backups for VMs

If you need to protect VMs that reside in multiple regions, the most cost-effective configuration is to create a multi-region plan, assign the plan to your VM groups, and then block cross-region backups for your hypervisors. With this configuration, if the Commvault software detects that a backup job would incur egress charges (by moving data from one region to another), then the backup job fails.

Supported Workloads

  • Azure VMs

  • VMware VMs

Considerations for Workloads

Workload Considerations
Azure VMs
  • To avoid unintentional cross-region backups (which incur egress charges), if you specify a snapshot copy, you must also specify a backup copy.
  • If you want all VMs in a VM group to be retained and pruned according to same settings, specify the same retention rules for each type of copy (primary, snapshot, and backup).

    For example, you have a plan that includes 3 regions—US-East, US-Central, US-West—and each of those regions has a primary backup destination, a snap backup destination, and a backup copy destination. In this case, specify same retention settings for all 3 primary backup destinations, all 3 snap backup destinations, and all 3 backup copy destinations.

  • Each region that you specify in the plan must have an access node configured in it.
  • The workload region must be set at the storage level that you specify in the plan.
VMware VMs
  • When you block cross-region backups for on-prem VMware VMs:
    • IntelliSnap backup of VMs is not supported with a multi-region server plan assigned to a VM Group. Only streaming backup of the VMs is supported.
    • Commvault software automatically picks appropriate access node and MediaAgent based on region and subnet configuration of the ESX server.
  • Configure an access node for each region that you specify in the server plan.
  • Set the workload region at the storage level associated with the server plan.

Step 1: Create a Multi-Region Plan

Create a plan that includes all the regions that your VMs reside in.

Start the Plan Wizard

  1. From the Command Center navigation pane, go to Manage > Plans.

    The Plans page appears.

  2. Click Create plan, and then select Server backup.

    The Create server backup plan wizard appears.

  3. Specify whether to create a new plan or to use an existing base plan.

  4. In Plan name, enter a name for the plan.

  5. Click Next.

    The Backup destinations page appears.

Specify Storage and Backups for the First Region

  1. Click Add copy.

    The Add copy dialog box appears.

  2. In Name, enter a name for the backup destination.

  3. From the Storage list, select the storage to use for the backups.

    You can use the Air Gap Protect cool storage class for creating secondary copies, but not for creating primary copies.

  4. For Retention rules, specify the amount of time to retain the backups.

  5. To specify additional backups, such as weekly full backups, move the Extended retention rules toggle key to the right, and then add rules.

  6. Click Save.

  7. Move the Multi-region toggle key to the right.

  8. From the Region list, select the region.

  9. Specify additional copies, if necessary.

    Important

    To avoid unintentional cross-region backups (which incur egress charges), if you specify a snapshot copy, you must also specify a backup copy.

Specify Storage and Backups for the Other Regions

  1. Click Add destinations for another region,

  2. Specify storage and backups for the other regions, using the same steps as for the first region.

Step 2: Assign the Multi-Region Plan to Your VM Groups

For each VM group that contains VMs that you want to protect, use the following steps to assign the multi-region plan.

  1. From the Command Center navigation pane, go to Protect > Virtualization.

    The Overview page appears.

  2. On the VM groups tab, click the VM group.

    The VM group page appears.

  3. In the Summary section, for Plan, click the edit button, select the multi-region plan, and then click Submit.

Step 3: Block Cross-Region Backups for Your Hypervisors

For each hypervisor, use the following steps to block cross-region backups.

  1. From the Command Center navigation pane, go to Protect > Virtualization.

    The Overview page appears.

  2. On the Hypervisor tab, click the hypervisor.

    The hypervisor page appears.

  3. On the Configuration tab, move the Restrict cross-region backups toggle key to the right.

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