You can include Raw Device Mappings (RDMs) and independent disks in IntelliSnap backup operations performed with the Virtual Server Agent (VSA). This feature enables backups of both physical and virtual RDMs.
RDMs provide access to raw LUNs in physical or virtual compatibility mode. Independent disks are standalone virtual disks that can be attached to a virtual machine, but are not included in virtual machine snapshots.
By default, RDMs and independent disks are not included in IntelliSnap backup operations. To enable IntelliSnap backup operations for RDMs and independent disks, see Enabling IntelliSnap Backup Operations for RDM and Independent Disks.
Note
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To include RDMs and independent disks in IntelliSnap backup operations, your VMware ESXi host must be version 5.5 or later using iSCSI or Fibre Channel hardware that supports N-Port ID Virtualization (NPIV).
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VSA IntelliSnap backup operations that are performed using the Virtual Server Agent snap engine cannot protect RDMs or independent disks.
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pRDMs and independent vRDMs are mounted on an ESXi proxy server and do not use the ESXi proxyless backup method.
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If any disk on a VM has an independent flag (pRDM, independent VMDK, or independent vRDM), then the CRC method is used for incremental backups of all of the disks for the VM.
The Advantage of VSA IntelliSnap Backups Over In-Guest File System Agents
When you protect RDMs and independent disks with VSA IntelliSnap backups, you can restore data as VMDKs on the restored VMs.
You can also protect RDMs and independent disks by deploying a file system agent on the source VM. However, when you protect RDMs and independent disks using a file system agent, you cannot restore the disks directly to a virtual machine. Instead, you must create VM disks manually, and then use the file system agent to restore data into the VM disk volumes.