Information covered

• Purpose
• Description
• Create a local virtual instance of a VMware machine
• Create a cloud virtual instance of a VMware machine
• Connect to the new VMware virtual instance
• Activating Windows license after creating a virtual instance

Purpose

IDrive BMR local and cloud virtualization of VMware machines is an effective disaster recovery solution that helps to achieve the availability of a large number of virtual machines in the event of a technical breakdown or disaster. This feature is specifically useful in preventing downtime that might occur in a business or organization due to system failure.

Description

IDrive BMR virtualization of VMware machines allows you to quickly create virtual instances of your backed up VMware virtual machines, locally or on the IDrive cloud. Since the back-end file system used for storage consumes less memory and CPU resources, you can smoothly run multiple virtual machines from the backups of your VMware data.

With the created virtual instance, you can establish a remote connection to your virtualized machine and access data so that your business can continue as usual with minimal downtime.

Note: The backup of virtualized VMware machines is not currently supported. This feature will be coming soon.

Create a local virtual instance of a VMware machine

To create a local virtual instance of your VMware machine,

1. Sign in to the IDrive BMR device web interface.
2. On the Local Virtualization tab, click the Create a Virtual Machine button.
   
   
   
   
3. A new popup appears. Navigate to the VMware tab and choose the required server, ESXi Host or vCenter server, from the Choose Server drop-down list.
   
   
   
   
4. Select the ESXi Host from the Choose ESXI Host drop-down list.
5. Select a VM from the Choose VM list.
6. Choose a recovery point for creating the virtual instance.
7. Specify the boot firmware. Refer to the virtual machine’s hardware configuration on the VMware server to set the firmware to UEFI or Legacy BIOS.
8. Assign the number of processors for the virtual machine from the Processors drop-down list.
9. Allocate required memory for the virtual machine in the RAM field.
   

   Note: Memory value should be greater than 512 MB. You can decide the memory value depending on the available memory displayed below the RAM field.

10. Select a network source based on your requirement.
11. Next, select the appropriate network model.
12. Choose the required storage controller for the virtual machine.
    

    Note: The recommended storage controller is LsiLogicSAS.

13. Select a graphics option from the drop-down menu.
14. Click Build Virtual Machine.
    
    
    
    Once you complete these steps, your virtual machine will be created. You can now connect to it and access data.

Create a cloud virtual instance of a VMware machine

To create a cloud virtual instance of your VMware machine,

1. Sign in to IDrive BMR’s device web interface.
2. On the Cloud Virtualization tab, click the Create a Virtual Machine button. A new popup appears.
   
   
   
   
3. In the VMware tab, choose the required server from the Choose Server drop-down.
4. Select the ESXi Host from the Choose ESXI Host dropdown list.
5. Select a VM from the Choose VM list.
6. Choose a recovery point that will be used to create the virtual instance.
7. Assign the number of processors for the virtual machine from the Processors dropdown list.
8. Allocate required memory for the virtual machine in the RAM field, taking into account the space available for cloud virtualization.
9. Select a network source.
10. Select the appropriate network model and choose the required storage controller for the virtual machine. The recommended storage controller is LsiLogicSAS.
11. Select a graphics option from the drop-down list, and click Build Virtual Machine.
    
    
    
    Once this is completed, your virtual machine is built. You can now connect to it and access data.

Connect to the new VMware virtual instance

To connect to the new VMware virtual instance,

1. In the Virtualization page, navigate to the new virtual instance and click Copy VNC Password button on the right-hand side.
   
   
   
   
2. Click Connect corresponding to the virtual machine.
3. In the new window that appears, paste the password. Click Send Password.
   
   
   
   A remote connection to the virtual machine will be established.

Note: All the created virtual instances will be unmounted and the changes made in the virtual machine will be lost when you restart your IDrive BMR device. You can also click to unmount and delete the virtual machine manually.

Activating Windows license after creating a virtual instance

Windows licensing links your purchased product key to the hardware configuration of the backed-up machine. In the case of virtualization, IDrive BMR presents an emulated hardware to the virtual instance which is different from the hardware of the original backed-up machine. So, Windows may prompt you to reactivate your license.

The solution depends on the type of your Windows license.

Solution for retail license: Windows allows retail licenses to be transferred to another machine. You can simply enter the product key on the new machine and reactivate the Windows license.

Note: Retail licenses can only be installed on one machine at any particular time. Avoid activating Windows on multiple computers with the same product key.

Solution for OEM license: OEM license is non-transferrable and links your purchased product key to the motherboard. To secure license activation for a restored machine, you will need to contact your OEM-license provider. IDrive BMR cannot assist you with third-party licensing issues.