Source:Changed Block Tracking (CBT): Difference between revisions

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	WORK IN PROGRESS
	This article is in the initial stage and may be updated, replaced or deleted at any time. It is inappropriate to use this document as reference material as it is a work in progress and should be treated as such.

Any form of reproduction of the contents or parts of this manual is allowed only with the express written permission from SEP AG. When compiling and designing user documentation SEP AG uses great diligence and attempts to deliver accurate and correct information. However, SEP AG cannot issue a guarantee for the contents of this manual.

Welcome to the latest SEP sesam documentation version 4.4.3 Tigon. For previous documentation version(s), check VMware archive.

Overview

Additional resources

If you have a problem with yourVMwarebackup, check the VMware troubleshooting.

If you are using an older SEP sesam version, refer to VMware previous versions of the documentation.

SEP sesam provides efficient data protection for virtual machines (VMs) running on VMware ESXi servers by using VMware vSphere Storage APIs – Data Protection (VADP). Part of the VADP is also Changed Block Tracking (CBT).

The CBT feature is an incremental backup technology from VMware that identifies changes on block level and backs up only disk blocks of a VM’s virtual disk that have changed since the last backup. SEP sesam uses CBT to perform block level incremental (INCR) and differential (DIFF) backups of VMDKs after a full (FULL) backup has been successfully executed.

SEP sesam enables CBT automatically by default to optimize backups of VMs. This way the amount of copied data is reduced, which results in reduced amount of time for the backups, reduced network bandwidth required for transferring data, and reduced required storage capacity.

CBT tracks changes of the corresponding VMDK file in a special Changed Block Tracking log file. This CTK file is permanent and must not be deleted after the backups.

Prerequisites for using CBT

SEP sesam enables CBT globally by default if the following prerequisites are met:

ESX/ESXi hosts at version 4.0 or newer
VMs must be using version 7 virtual hardware or newer
I/O operations must go through the ESX/ESXi storage stack. NFS is supported, and RDM is supported in virtual compatibility mode, but not in physical compatibility mode. VMFS is supported, whether backed by SAN, iSCSI, or local disk.
Virtual machine storage must not be (persistent or non-persistent) independent disk, meaning unaffected by snapshots.
If there are any existing snapshots of VM, CBT cannot be enabled.

For more details on CBT, see the VMware article Changed Block Tracking (CBT) on virtual machines.

Disabling and enabling CBT globally

By default, SEP sesam enables the CBT functionality globally. CBT is enabled per virtual disk and can also be disabled and enabled in the backup task properties.

	Note
	Typically, there is no need to disable CBT. By disabling CBT, the respective VM's FULL/DIFF/INC backup chain is aborted without the possibility to perform subsequent DIFF and INC backups. Only COPY backups are possible which means that the whole VMDK including empty blocks (provisioned size means that the size of a backup and the size of VMDK equals) will be backed up each time.

In the SEP sesam GUI, from the menu bar select Configuration -> Defaults, and then switch to tab Extras.
Uder the Extras options, select or deselect the check box Globally activate Change Block Tracking (CBT).

File:CBT global.png

Disabling and enabling CBT in backup task

You can also disable/enable the CBT functionality in the backup tasks properties. This change takes effect when the next backup is run and is applied to all backup tasks related to the respective VM.

	Note
	Typically, there is no need to disable CBT. By disabling CBT, the respective VM's FULL/DIFF/INC backup chain is aborted without the possibility to perform subsequent DIFF and INC backups. Only COPY backups are possible which means that the whole VMDK including empty blocks (provisioned size means that the size of a backup and the size of VMDK equals) will be backed up each time.

From Main Selection -> Tasks -> By clients, select the vCenter client and click New backup task, or double-click an already existing backup task.
If you are creating a new backup task, specify the Source. Browse for the VM that you want to include in the backup and select it. Note that you can only configure one VM per backup task. By selecting the source, the backup type and task name are set automatically.
Use the following options carefully.

By default, Backup as Image option is enabled and performs a FULL raw backup of VMDK without CBT, even though the CBT is selected. However, CBT is applied for subsequent differential and incremental backups. If Backup as Image option is deselected while the CBT stays enabled, the CBT is fully utilized. For details on how the combination of these options affects the size of your backed up data, check VMware single file restore & instant recovery support matrix.
If you want to exclude a dedicated virtual disk (VMDK) from snapshot operations and backup only VM configuration, select the Backup only the VM configuration check box. In this case, only Open Virtualization Format (OVF) file and VM configuration are backed up.
By default, Changed Block Tracking option is enabled. Disabling it will broke a CBT backup chain (full, differential, incremental) for all backup tasks related to the same VM! If enabled again, you must run a full backup to start a new backup chain.

Click OK to save the task.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <languages/>
 <translate>
+<!--T:1-->
 {{draft}}
 {{Copyright SEP AG|en}}
+<!--T:2-->
 {{Navigation_latest|release=4.4.3 ''Tigon''|link=[[VMWare|VMware archive]]}}</translate><br />
-<translate>==Overview==</translate>
+<translate>==Overview== <!--T:3--></translate>
-<div class="boilerplate metadata" id="Additional resources" style="background-color: #f0f0f0; color:#636f73; border: 1px ridge#cdd3db; margin: 0.5em; padding: 0.5em; float: right; width: 35%; "><center><b><translate>Additional resources</translate></b></center>
+<div class="boilerplate metadata" id="Additional resources" style="background-color: #f0f0f0; color:#636f73; border: 1px ridge#cdd3db; margin: 0.5em; padding: 0.5em; float: right; width: 35%; "><center><b><translate><!--T:4-->
+Additional resources</translate></b></center>
 {|style="margin: auto; margin-bottom:1em; width:100%; border:0px solid grey;"
-| rowspan="2" style="padding:0px 10px 0px;" | <translate>[[File:SEP_next.png|45px|link=VMware Restore]]</translate>
+| rowspan="2" style="padding:0px 10px 0px;" | <translate><!--T:5-->
-| style="padding:0px 40px 0px 10px; color: grey; font-size: 90%; text-align:left;" | <translate>See also [[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3:VMware Requirements & Restrictions|VMware requirements & restrictions]] –[[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3:VMware_Backup|VMware Backup]] – [[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3:VMware_Restore|VMware Restore]] – [[VMware Single File Restore]] – [[VMware Instant Recovery]] </translate>
+[[File:SEP_next.png|45px|link=VMware Restore]]</translate>
+| style="padding:0px 40px 0px 10px; color: grey; font-size: 90%; text-align:left;" | <translate><!--T:6-->
+See also [[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3:VMware Requirements & Restrictions|VMware requirements & restrictions]] –[[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3:VMware_Backup|VMware Backup]] – [[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3:VMware_Restore|VMware Restore]] – [[VMware Single File Restore]] – [[VMware Instant Recovery]] </translate>
 |}
 {|style="margin: auto; margin-bottom:1em; width:100%; border:0px solid grey;"
-| rowspan="2" style="padding:0px 10px 0px;" | <translate>[[File:SEP Troubleshooting.png|45px|link=Special:MyLanguage/Troubleshooting_Guide#VMware_vStorage_API]]</translate>
+| rowspan="2" style="padding:0px 10px 0px;" | <translate><!--T:7-->
-| style="padding:0px 40px 0px 10px; color: grey; font-size: 90%; text-align:left;" | <translate>If you have a problem with your''VMware''backup, check the [[Special:MyLanguage/Troubleshooting_Guide#VMware_vStorage_API|VMware troubleshooting]].</translate>
+[[File:SEP Troubleshooting.png|45px|link=Special:MyLanguage/Troubleshooting_Guide#VMware_vStorage_API]]</translate>
+| style="padding:0px 40px 0px 10px; color: grey; font-size: 90%; text-align:left;" | <translate><!--T:8-->
+If you have a problem with your''VMware''backup, check the [[Special:MyLanguage/Troubleshooting_Guide#VMware_vStorage_API|VMware troubleshooting]].</translate>
 |}
 {|style="margin: auto; margin-bottom:1em; width:100%; border:0px solid grey;"
-| rowspan="2" style="padding:0px 10px 0px;" | <translate>[[File:icon_archived_docs.png|45px|link=VMWare]]</translate>
+| rowspan="2" style="padding:0px 10px 0px;" | <translate><!--T:9-->
-| style="padding:0px 40px 0px 10px; color: grey; font-size: 90%; text-align:left;" | <translate>If you are using an older SEP sesam version, refer to [[Special:MyLanguage/VMWare|VMware previous versions]] of the documentation.</translate>
+[[File:icon_archived_docs.png|45px|link=VMWare]]</translate>
+| style="padding:0px 40px 0px 10px; color: grey; font-size: 90%; text-align:left;" | <translate><!--T:10-->
+If you are using an older SEP sesam version, refer to [[Special:MyLanguage/VMWare|VMware previous versions]] of the documentation.</translate>
 |}</div>
-<translate>SEP sesam provides efficient data protection for virtual machines (VMs) running on VMware ESXi servers by using [https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1021175 ''VMware vSphere Storage APIs – Data Protection''] (VADP). Part of the VADP is also Changed Block Tracking (CBT).
+<translate><!--T:11-->
+SEP sesam provides efficient data protection for virtual machines (VMs) running on VMware ESXi servers by using [https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1021175 ''VMware vSphere Storage APIs – Data Protection''] (VADP). Part of the VADP is also Changed Block Tracking (CBT).
+<!--T:12-->
 The CBT feature is an incremental backup technology from VMware that identifies changes on block level and backs up only disk blocks of a VM’s virtual disk that have changed since the last backup. SEP sesam uses CBT to perform block level incremental ([[Special:MyLanguage/SEP_sesam_Glossary#INCR|INCR]]) and differential ([[Special:MyLanguage/SEP_sesam_Glossary#DIFF|DIFF]]) backups of [[Special:MyLanguage/SEP_sesam_Glossary#VMDK|VMDKs]] after a full ([[Special:MyLanguage/SEP_sesam_Glossary#FULL|FULL]]) backup has been successfully executed.
+<!--T:13-->
 SEP sesam enables CBT automatically by default to optimize backups of VMs. This way the amount of copied data is reduced, which results in reduced amount of time for the backups, reduced network bandwidth required for transferring data, and reduced required storage capacity.
+<!--T:14-->
 CBT tracks changes of the corresponding VMDK file in a special ''Changed Block Tracking log file''. This CTK file is permanent and must not be deleted after the backups.
-===Prerequisites for using CBT===</translate>
+===Prerequisites for using CBT=== <!--T:15--></translate>
-<translate>SEP sesam enables CBT globally by default if the following prerequisites are met:
+<translate><!--T:16-->
+SEP sesam enables CBT globally by default if the following prerequisites are met:
 *ESX/ESXi hosts at version 4.0 or newer
 *VMs must be using version 7 virtual hardware or newer</translate>
-<translate>*I/O operations must go through the ESX/ESXi storage stack. NFS is supported, and RDM is supported in virtual compatibility mode, but not in physical compatibility mode. VMFS is supported, whether backed by SAN, iSCSI, or local disk.
+<translate><!--T:17-->
+*I/O operations must go through the ESX/ESXi storage stack. NFS is supported, and RDM is supported in virtual compatibility mode, but not in physical compatibility mode. VMFS is supported, whether backed by SAN, iSCSI, or local disk.
 *Virtual machine storage must not be (persistent or non-persistent) independent disk, meaning unaffected by snapshots.
 *If there are any existing snapshots of VM, CBT cannot be enabled.
+<!--T:18-->
 For more details on CBT, see the VMware article [https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1020128 Changed Block Tracking (CBT) on virtual machines].
-==Disabling and enabling CBT globally==
+==Disabling and enabling CBT globally== <!--T:19-->
 By default, SEP sesam enables the CBT functionality globally. CBT is enabled per virtual disk and can also be disabled and enabled in the backup task properties.</translate>
-{{<translate>note</translate>|<translate>Typically, there is no need to disable CBT. By disabling CBT, the respective VM's FULL/DIFF/INC backup chain is aborted without the possibility to perform subsequent DIFF and INC backups. Only COPY backups are possible which means that the whole VMDK including empty blocks (provisioned size means that the size of a backup and the size of VMDK equals) will be backed up each time.</translate>}}
+{{<translate><!--T:20-->
+note</translate>|<translate><!--T:21-->
+Typically, there is no need to disable CBT. By disabling CBT, the respective VM's FULL/DIFF/INC backup chain is aborted without the possibility to perform subsequent DIFF and INC backups. Only COPY backups are possible which means that the whole VMDK including empty blocks (provisioned size means that the size of a backup and the size of VMDK equals) will be backed up each time.</translate>}}
-<ol><li><translate>In the SEP sesam GUI, from the ''menu bar'' select '''Configuration''' -> '''Defaults''', and then switch to tab '''Extras'''.</translate></li>
+<ol><li><translate><!--T:22-->
-<li><translate>Uder the ''Extras'' options, select or deselect the check box '''Globally activate Change Block Tracking (CBT)'''.</translate></li>
+In the SEP sesam GUI, from the ''menu bar'' select '''Configuration''' -> '''Defaults''', and then switch to tab '''Extras'''.</translate></li>
-<translate>[[File:CBT_global.png|500px|link=]]</translate>
+<li><translate><!--T:23-->
+Uder the ''Extras'' options, select or deselect the check box '''Globally activate Change Block Tracking (CBT)'''.</translate></li>
+<translate><!--T:24-->
+[[File:CBT_global.png|500px|link=]]</translate>
 <br clear=all>
 </ol>
-<translate>==Disabling and enabling CBT in backup task==
+<translate>==Disabling and enabling CBT in backup task== <!--T:25-->
 You can also disable/enable the CBT functionality in the backup tasks properties. This change takes effect when the next backup is run and is applied to all backup tasks related to the respective VM.</translate>
-{{<translate>note</translate>|<translate>Typically, there is no need to disable CBT. By disabling CBT, the respective VM's FULL/DIFF/INC backup chain is aborted without the possibility to perform subsequent DIFF and INC backups. Only COPY backups are possible which means that the whole VMDK including empty blocks (provisioned size means that the size of a backup and the size of VMDK equals) will be backed up each time.</translate>}}
+{{<translate><!--T:26-->
+note</translate>|<translate><!--T:27-->
+Typically, there is no need to disable CBT. By disabling CBT, the respective VM's FULL/DIFF/INC backup chain is aborted without the possibility to perform subsequent DIFF and INC backups. Only COPY backups are possible which means that the whole VMDK including empty blocks (provisioned size means that the size of a backup and the size of VMDK equals) will be backed up each time.</translate>}}
-<ol><li><translate>From '''Main Selection -> Tasks -> By clients''', select the ''vCenter'' client and click '''New backup task''', or double-click an already existing backup task.</translate></li>
+<ol><li><translate><!--T:28-->
-<li><translate>If you are creating a new backup task, specify the '''Source'''. Browse for the VM that you want to include in the backup and select it. Note that you can only configure one VM per backup task. By selecting the source, the ''backup type'' and ''task name'' are set automatically.</translate></li>
+From '''Main Selection -> Tasks -> By clients''', select the ''vCenter'' client and click '''New backup task''', or double-click an already existing backup task.</translate></li>
-<translate>If you are changing only the CBT option, move to the next step.</translate>
+<li><translate><!--T:29-->
-<li><translate>Use the following options carefully.</translate></li>
+If you are creating a new backup task, specify the '''Source'''. Browse for the VM that you want to include in the backup and select it. Note that you can only configure one VM per backup task. By selecting the source, the ''backup type'' and ''task name'' are set automatically.</translate></li>
-<translate>[[image:Backup_as_image-CBT_default.png|link=]]</translate>
+<translate><!--T:30-->
+If you are changing only the CBT option, move to the next step.</translate>
+<li><translate><!--T:31-->
+Use the following options carefully.</translate></li>
+<translate><!--T:32-->
+[[image:Backup_as_image-CBT_default.png|link=]]</translate>
 <br clear=all>
-<ul><li><translate>By default, '''Backup as Image''' option is enabled and performs a FULL raw backup of VMDK without CBT, even though the CBT is selected. However, CBT is applied for subsequent differential and incremental backups. If ''Backup as Image'' option is deselected while the CBT stays enabled, the CBT is fully utilized. For details on how the combination of these options affects the size of your backed up data, check [[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3 Tigon:VMware_Single_File_Restore_and_Instant_Recovery_Support_Matrix|VMware single file restore & instant recovery support matrix]].</translate></li>
+<ul><li><translate><!--T:33-->
-<li><translate>If you want to exclude a dedicated virtual disk (VMDK) from snapshot operations and backup only VM configuration, select the '''Backup only the VM configuration''' check box. In this case, only Open Virtualization Format (OVF) file and VM configuration are backed up.</translate></li>
+By default, '''Backup as Image''' option is enabled and performs a FULL raw backup of VMDK without CBT, even though the CBT is selected. However, CBT is applied for subsequent differential and incremental backups. If ''Backup as Image'' option is deselected while the CBT stays enabled, the CBT is fully utilized. For details on how the combination of these options affects the size of your backed up data, check [[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3 Tigon:VMware_Single_File_Restore_and_Instant_Recovery_Support_Matrix|VMware single file restore & instant recovery support matrix]].</translate></li>
-<li><translate>By default, '''Changed Block Tracking''' option is enabled. Disabling it will broke a CBT backup chain (full, differential, incremental) for all backup tasks related to the same VM! If enabled again, you must run a full backup to start a new backup chain.</translate>
+<li><translate><!--T:34-->
+If you want to exclude a dedicated virtual disk (VMDK) from snapshot operations and backup only VM configuration, select the '''Backup only the VM configuration''' check box. In this case, only Open Virtualization Format (OVF) file and VM configuration are backed up.</translate></li>
+<li><translate><!--T:35-->
+By default, '''Changed Block Tracking''' option is enabled. Disabling it will broke a CBT backup chain (full, differential, incremental) for all backup tasks related to the same VM! If enabled again, you must run a full backup to start a new backup chain.</translate>
 </ul>
-<li><translate>Click '''OK''' to save the task.</translate></li></ol>
+<li><translate><!--T:36-->
+Click '''OK''' to save the task.</translate></li></ol>
-<translate>==See also==
+<translate>==See also== <!--T:37-->
 See also [[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3:VMware Requirements & Restrictions|VMware requirements & restrictions]] –[[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3:VMware_Backup|VMware Backup]] – [[Special:MyLanguage/4_4_3:VMware_Restore|VMware Restore]] – [[VMware Single File Restore]] – [[VMware Instant Recovery]]</translate>