For vCenter 6.0 or later, the vCenter Server is installed on a virtual machine. You can also deploy a vCenter Server Appliance, which is a preconfigured Linux virtual machine that runs vCenter Server.
When the vCenter is running on a virtual machine, you can use an application-consistent backup using the Virtual Server Agent to protect the virtual machine as well as the vCenter database and files. This is the recommended method for backing up a vCenter Server Appliance.
When vCenter runs on a virtual machine, consider the following points when using the Virtual Server Agent to back up the VM:
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Configure a separate subclient for a virtual machine where vCenter is running.
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Schedule backups at a time when other backups for the vCenter are not running.
Related Topics
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When a vCenter running on a virtual machine was protected using a Virtual Server Agent backup, perform the steps in Restoring the vCenter Server from a VM Backup to recover the vCenter.
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For vCenter running on a physical machine, see Protecting a vCenter Server on a Physical Machine.