Backing up Free version of VMware ESXi 4 with Free VCBGhetto v.2

Free backup tool GhettoVCB2 was released.

There has been new version of free script for backing up the VMware's free version of ESXi 4 . As you shoud know (and I'm sure you do), with the free version of ESXi you don't have a console (unless you use the unsupported mode – not recommended, only to use with VMware support guys), so that's why GhettoVCB uses VIMA/vMA to execute itself and do the actual backup of your VM's. GhettoVCB2 uses the VI Perl Toolkit/vSphere SDK for Perl which is present in the VIMA/vMA virtual appliance provided by VMware.

vMA stays for vSphere Management Assistant. It's a free appliance (in OVA format) which you can deploy from this url: https://www.vmware.com/go/importvma/vma4.ovf. From this appliance you can execute the GhettoVCB2  Script. You can even digg a bit further if you already managing few ESXi 4 servers and use the one vMA appliance with GhettoVCB2 to backup all of them by enabling vi-fastpass too…. -:). For how-to do this you must at this PDF from VMware's Website.

You can find all the how-to and step-by-step on VMware communities page here. The author is William Lam.

Sure it's not like VMware Data Recovery, you don't have a Graphical user interface. But if you're are on a budget and you are already using the free version of ESXi 4 from VMware, you might want to try this free alternative.

Here are all the features:

• Support for logging (normal & verbose)
• Single VM backup list across multiple ESX/ESXi host(s)
• Credential-less backups (so long as host(s) are being managed by VIMA/vMA)
• Online back up of VM(s)
• Only valid VMDKs presented to the VM will be backed up
• Support for multiple VMDK backup per VM
• Preserve original powerState of VM(s)
• Ability to shutdown guestOS, initiate backup process and power on VM afterwards with the option of hardpower timeout
• Ensure that snapshot removal process completes prior to continuing the backup process
• VM(s) that initially contain snapshots and Physical RDMs (raw device mapppings) will not be backed up
• Support for VM(s) with Virtual RDMs
• Ability to specify the number of backup rotations per VM
• Output back up VMDKs in ZEROEDTHICK (default behavior), EAGERZEROEDTHICK, 2GB SPARSE or THIN format
• Ouput backup VMDKs using either BUSLOGIC or LSILOGIC adapter type
• Fully support VMDKs stored across multiple datastores
• VM snapshot memory and quiesce options
• Individual VM backup policy (supported on ESX(i) 3.5u2+ & ESX(i) 4.x+)
• Email logs (Experimental Support) NEW!
• Ability to include/exclude specific VMDK(s) per VM (requires individual VM backup policy setup) NEW!
• Independent disk aware (will ignore VMDK) NEW!
• Additional debugging information including dry run execution NEW!