REDCENTRIC
VSPHERE AGENT
VERSION 7.36.5686
RELEASE NOTES, MAY 17, 2016
vSphere Agent
Version 7.36.5686
Release Notes, May 17, 2016
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Contents
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
OVERVIEW
Release History
Supported Platforms/VMware Infrastructure
Supported File Systems for File and Folder Recovery
2
2.1
2.2
NEW FEATURES
New Feature in Version 7.34
New Features in Version 7.3
3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
INSTALLATION NOTES
Installation Requirements
Conditional Requirements
Licensing Requirements
Install/Upgrade
4
4.1
4.2
FIXES and KNOWN ISSUES
Fixes
Known Issues
5
5.1
5.2
5.3
PRODUCT SUPPORT
Technical Support
Product Updates
Documentation
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1 OVERVIEW
This document contains release notes for vSphere Agent 7.36.
The Agent provides recovery protection for VMware vSphere environments. A
single vSphere Agent can back up VMs across all hosts managed by a vCenter
Server. You can back up your VMs to a secure, remote vault, and restore
VMs, VMDKs, or specific files and folders.
The Agent is pre-installed in a VM and provided in OVA format.
vSphere Agent 7.36 is for use in combination with:
- Portal 7.50 or later
- Web CentralControl version 7.50 or later
- Windows CentralControl version 7.30 or later
For VM and VMDK restores, you can use Director version 6.22 or later. To
ensure successful backups and restores in N:1 replicated environments, the
Director must be version 6.31 or later (or version 6.22 with a hotfix
obtained from your service provider).
For granular file and folder restores, Director 7.00 or later is required.
Files and folders can be restored from safesets that were created using
vSphere Agent version 6.90 or later and version 6.x vaults, but only after
both the Agent and Director are upgraded to version 7.00 or later.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------1.1 Release History
Version
Version
Version
Version
Version
Version
Version
7.36.5686,
7.35.5683,
7.34.5682,
7.33.5680,
7.32.5669,
7.31.5663,
7.30.5661,
May 17, 2016
November 24, 2015
July 6, 2015
November 4, 2014
May 8, 2014
April 8, 2014
March 27, 2014
--------------------------------------------------------------------------1.2 Supported Platforms/VMware Infrastructure
vSphere ESXi Hosts:
- ESXi 6.0 (Update 1b to Update 2)
- ESXi 5.5 (up to Update 3b)
- ESXi 5.1 (up to Update 3)
vSphere vCenter Servers:
-
vCenter
vCenter
vCenter
vCenter
vCenter
vCenter
Server
Server
Server
Server
Server
Server
6.0
6.0
5.5
5.5
5.1
5.1
(up to Update 2)
Linux Appliance (up to Update 2)
(up to Update 3d)
Linux Appliance (up to Update 3d)
(up to Update 3b)
Linux Appliance (up to Update 3b)
Raw Device Mappings:
The vSphere Agent backs up both VMDKs and virtual disks which use "virtual"
Raw Device Mapping (vRDM). Data backed up from a vRDM is restored as a
VMDK. See VMware documentation for instructions on how to migrate a
restored VMDK back to a vRDM.
Note: The vSphere Agent skips any physical Raw Device Mapping (pRDM) when
backing up VMs, because VMware does not allow them to be included in the
snapshots used for VM-level backups. To back up this data, you must install
an Agent within the VM and use it to back up the data that resides on the
pRDM(s).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------1.3 Supported File Systems for File and Folder Recovery
For file and folder recovery, the vSphere Agent currently supports the
following file systems.
Windows:
- NTFS
- FAT
- FAT32
- Dynamic disks (Limited support. For more information, see the vSphere
Agent User Guide.)
Note: GPT partitions are not supported for file and folder recovery.
Linux:
- ext3
- ext4
Note: For more information about disk types and file systems that are not
supported for granular restores, see the vSphere Agent user guide.
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2 NEW FEATURES
2.1 New Feature in Version 7.34
- vSphere features that were supported on vSphere vCenter 5.5 are now
supported on vSphere version 6.0.
2.2 New Features in Version 7.3
- vSphere features that were supported on vSphere vCenter 5.5 are now
supported on vSphere version 5.5 Update 2b.
- In a cluster where all hosts are running ESXi 5.5, the vSphere Agent can
now back up and restore VMs with VMDKs that are as large as 2 TB. In a
cluster where one or more hosts are running ESXi 5.1, the vSphere Agent
backs up VMs with VMDKs that are as large as 2032 GB.
- Backup jobs created using vSphere Agent 7.30 can only be encrypted using
the strongest available encryption type (currently, AES 256). Jobs
created using previous vSphere Agent versions continue to run with their
existing encryption type. However, if you change the encryption type for
an existing job, you can only select the strongest available encryption
type.
- When restoring a VM, the Agent can now reconnect a vNIC to a distributed
virtual port group (and vSphere distributed switch). The port group must
have the same name as the port group where the vNIC was connected at the
time of backup.
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3 INSTALLATION NOTES
3.1 Installation Requirements
Hardware
-------See the VMware website for supported and recommended hardware platforms.
Ensure that the vCenter has sufficient resources, including CPU and memory,
for the vSphere Agent and all VMs in your vCenter. Ensure that the vCenter
configuration follows VMware recommendations and best practices.
When deploying the vSphere Agent with thin-provisioned disks, ensure that
10 GB of free space is available to allow sufficient space for logging and
Agent files.
Software
-------Using Microsoft SQL Server Express for the vCenter Server database or the
internal database used by vCenter virtual appliance is not recommended.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------3.2 Conditional Requirements
A user ID with full Administrator rights is required for backups and
restores.
VMware plug-in versions earlier than 6.90 cannot exist in the same
environment as the vSphere Agent.
For file and folder restores on Linux platforms, you must install the Samba
client in order to mount shared virtual disks (VMDKs). Samba is an
installable option with some Linux distributions. You can also visit
www.samba.org to download the open-source software.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------3.3 Licensing Requirements
In Director versions 6.22 and later, the vSphere Agent claims at least
three licenses from the Director. A Server Agent license and a VMware plugin license is required for each vSphere Agent. A VMware Cluster license
(called “ESXFarm”) is required for each hypervisor host in the environment.
For example, in a vCenter with 15 VM hypervisors (ESX/ESXi hosts), the
vSphere Agent claims 15 Cluster licenses, one ESX license and one Server
Agent license.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------3.4 Install/Upgrade
3.4.1 Install
The vSphere Agent is pre-installed in a VM, and provided in Open
Virtualization Appliance (OVA) format. You must deploy the OVA file in the
vCenter where you want to back up VMs.
The OVA file name is: vSphereAgent-7-36-5686.ova
To obtain the OVA file, contact your service provider. For deployment and
configuration information, see the vSphere Agent User Guide.
To restore files and folders from VMDKs that are Windows dynamic disks, you
must install a separate Dynamic Disk Tool that is provided with the vSphere
Agent. The Dynamic Disk Tool is the preferred way to access files and
folders on shared VMDKs. For more information about the Dynamic Disk Tool,
see the vSphere Agent User Guide and Dynamic Disk Tool release notes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------3.4.2 Upgrade
With Internet access, you can upgrade a vSphere Agent by entering the
"system upgrade" command in the Agent CLI.
If direct Internet access is not available, you can download RPMs from your
service provider, create a CIFS share, and upgrade the vSphere Agent
locally using the "system upgrade manual" command. For more information,
see the vSphere Agent User Guide.
RPMs are available from your service provider in a .zip file named:
vSphereAgent-7-36-5686-RPMs.zip
When you upgrade a vSphere Agent, some or all of the RPMs are updated.
Settings such as vCenter registration and Web CentralControl credentials
are preserved.
All vSphere Agents since version 7.01 include a fix for a problem backing
up VMDKs that are larger than 1 TB minus 1 KB. To ensure that these large
VMDKs are successfully backed up, run backup jobs using vSphere Agent
version 7.01 or later. If you upgrade a vSphere Agent from version 7.00 or
earlier, and then perform a backup, the Agent detects VMs with VMDKs larger
than 1 TB minus 1 KB, and backs them up correctly.
Note: After an upgrade from vSphere Agent version 7.31 or earlier, when
vSphere Agent 7.35 first runs an existing job, the Agent rereads all data
for the job. For more information, see Section 4.1.2 of these release
notes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------3.4.3 Upgrade or install in a vSphere 6.0 environment
Do not upgrade a vSphere Agent to version 7.36 or install vSphere Agent
7.36 in a vSphere 6.x environment until all ESXi 6.0 hosts are upgraded to
version 6.0 Update 1b or Update 2. In earlier ESXi 6.0 versions, a VMware
issue with CBT could result in inconsistent VM backups.
To avoid this issue, vSphere Agent 7.35 blocked CBT when backing up VMs in
vCenter Server 6.0.x.
vSphere Agent 7.34 did not block CBT in vCenter Server 6.0.x, so
inconsistent VM backups could occur. To ensure that your VMs are protected,
do one of the following before upgrading the Agent to version 7.36:
- Run all backup jobs using vSphere Agent 7.35. This will cause the Agent
to re-read all data and ensure that it is backed up.
You cannot upgrade the Agent to version 7.35 using the "system upgrade"
command. If the Agent was not previously upgraded to version 7.35,
download the vSphereAgent-7-35-5683-RPMs.zip file from your service
provider. Save the files on a local Windows Share with read/write
access, and upgrade the Agent by running the following command:
system upgrade manual //path/SharedFolder Domain\User [password]
- Reset CBT on vSphere virtual machines as described in VMware's knowledge
base article 2139574.
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4 FIXES and KNOWN ISSUES
4.1 Fixes
4.1.1 Fix in 7.36 release
vSphere Agent 7.36 uses CBT when backing up VMs in vCenter Server 6.0.x.
vSphere Agent 7.35 blocked the use of CBT in vCenter Server 6.0.x to avoid
a VMware issue that could result in inconsistent backups. This issue was
fixed in ESXi 6.0 Update 1b. Do not use vSphere Agent 7.36 in a vCenter
where one or more ESXi 6.0 host versions are earlier than 6.0 Update 1b. If
you upgrade the vSphere Agent to version 7.36 in an upgraded vSphere 6.0
environment, and then add an ESXi 6.0 host with a version earlier than 6.0
Update 1b, inconsistent backups could occur again and VMware workarounds
must be applied. See VMware's knowledge base article 2136854.
To ensure that your VMs are backed up before upgrading the vSphere Agent to
version 7.36, see Section 3.4.3. (31187)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.1.2 Fixes in 7.35 release
VMware has reported an issue in ESXi 6.0.x where inconsistent VM backups
can occur when CBT is used. To prevent this problem from occurring, vSphere
Agent 7.35 blocks the use of CBT when backing up VMs in vCenter Server
6.0.x. CBT is not blocked when backing up VMs in vCenter Server 5.5.x or
5.1.x. For alternative workarounds for this issue, see VMware's knowledge
base article 2136854. (31187)
When you install vSphere Agent 7.35, the glibc version installed is not
vulnerable to GHOST Remote Code Execution. You do not need to upgrade the
glibc files. (29176)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.1.3 Fix in 7.34 release
When you upgrade a vSphere Agent to version 7.34, the glibc version
installed is not vulnerable to GHOST Remote Code Execution.
Note: If you install a new vSphere Agent 7.34, you must run a system
upgrade command to install glibc files that are not vulnerable to GHOST
Remote Code Execution. For more information, contact Support. (29176)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.1.4 Fixes in 7.33 release
The Bash shell version provided with vSphere Agent 7.33 is not vulnerable
to critical security issues known as "Shellshock". This new Bash shell
version is installed when you install or upgrade to vSphere Agent 7.33.
(28628)
Some compatibility issues have been resolved between the vSphere Agent and
Portal or Web CentralControl when recent Windows security updates are
installed on the Portal server. (28059)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.1.5 Fix in 7.32 release
As described in Section 4.1.5, vSphere Agent 7.30 would sometimes skip
files which should have been backed up (when the flag to enable QFS was
present), and vSphere Agent 7.31 included a fix that prevented files from
being skipped. However, assistance from Support and manual workarounds were
required after upgrading to version 7.31 to ensure that jobs which had
erroneously skipped files (in vSphere Agent 7.30) would capture the data
which had been missed. vSphere Agent 7.32 now automatically detects and
fixes any problems in existing backup jobs.
When vSphere Agent 7.32 first runs an existing backup job, the Agent
rereads all data for the job to ensure that the entire contents of the VMs
are protected. This occurs on the first backup after any previous vSphere
Agent version is upgraded to version 7.32, or after vSphere Agent 7.32 is
reregistered to a vault with backups from any previous Agent version.
(27619)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.1.6 Fix in 7.31 release
Note: vSphere Agent 7.31 is no longer available and is superseded by
vSphere Agent 7.32.
QFS (Quick File Scanning) is not applicable to vSphere Agent backups.
Instead, the Agent uses CBT (Changed Block Tracking) to identify disk
sectors that have changed.
In some cases, backup configurations can include a flag to enable QFS. This
can occur if vSphere Agent 7.30 was managed using Portal prior to April 5,
or if a backup schedule was edited manually.
Previous vSphere Agent versions ignored the flag to enable QFS. vSphere
Agent 7.30 did not ignore this flag. If QFS was enabled for a backup,
vSphere Agent 7.30 could skip files which should have been backed up.
vSphere Agent 7.31 now ignores the flag to enable QFS. If you ran backups
using vSphere Agent 7.30, contact Support to determine whether any backups
were affected and to ensure that data is backed up correctly. (27619)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.1.7 Fixes in 7.30 release
For a vCenter environment with a large number of datastores, the restore
wizard no longer times out when preparing the list of destination
datastores. (25467)
Under rare conditions, the Agent became unresponsive during a backup. This
problem no longer occurs. (26374)
The presence of a VM that contains a large number of snapshots (e.g., more
than 250) no longer causes backups to fail for any other VMs in the
vCenter. (24703)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.2 Known Issues
4.2.1 Backup Issues
In vCenter Server 6.0 and vCenter Server 6.0 Update b, the vCenter vpxd
service could fail in rare cases under extremely heavy load. VMware
included a fix for this issue in vCenter Server 6.0 Update 1.
WORKAROUND: Upgrade the vCenter Server to version 6.0 Update 1. (29828)
Backups of large VMs whose file systems are highly fragmented can sometimes
fail with no errors or warnings (segmentation fault).
WORKAROUND: Defrag the volumes within the VM. (22816)
When a job is configured to use CBT, the Agent may fail to enable CBT for a
VM with the message "Failed to enable Changed Block Tracking on VM <VM
name>". In some cases, this occurs because the VM is suspended and VMware
does not allow CBT to be enabled for a suspended VM.
WORKAROUND: Power the VM on or off before the next backup so that CBT can
be enabled. Once CBT has been enabled, backups will be able to use CBT even
while the VM is suspended. (21846)
When a job is configured to use CBT, the Agent may fail to enable CBT for a
VM with the message "Failed to enable Changed Block Tracking on VM <VM
name>". In some cases, this occurs because VMware does not allow CBT to be
enabled for a VM which already has one or more snapshots.
WORKAROUND: Remove the snapshot(s) so that CBT can be enabled. (21739)
The log for a backup which recreates the metadata needed for incrementals
(e.g., after changing the encryption password) will contain an
informational message which mentions that "quick file scanning will be
turned off". This message can be ignored; QFS is not applicable to VMware
backups (because CBT provides equivalent functionality). (22989)
vSphere Agents are not prevented or protected from performing concurrent
backups of the same VM from the same vSphere Agent or another vSphere
Agent. Avoid running concurrent backups of the same VM or job from the same
vSphere Agent or another vSphere Agent. This can cause unfavorable CBT
results and put delta backups out of sync. (21659)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.2.2 Snapshot Issues (27108, 22557)
In most cases, vSphere Agent deletes the snapshot used for a backup after
the backup completes. The delay until the snapshot has been deleted can be
substantial (e.g., several hours if the vCenter is busy).
In some cases where backups fail (e.g. because vSphere Agent cannot connect
to vCenter), the snapshot for a VM could be left behind. In most cases, the
leftover snapshot will be cleaned up before the next attempt to back up the
same VM. Do not reboot the Agent in this situation, as doing so might
interfere with the Agent's mechanism for cleaning up old snapshots.
In rare cases, the Agent might not clean up a snapshot left behind by a
previous terminated or failed backup, and the next attempt to back up the
same VM fails. If this occurs, remove the leftover snapshot using the
vCenter UI. It might also be necessary to run the "Consolidate Snapshots"
command in the vCenter UI. For assistance or more information, contact
Support.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.2.3 Restore Issues
Do not attempt to restore a VM with a VMDK larger than 2032 GB to an ESXi
version 5.1 host. vSphere Agent 7.31 can back up these VMs on an ESXi 5.5
or 6.0 host. However, if they are restored to an ESXi 5.1 host, the Agent
will not be able to resume backups of the restored VM.
WORKAROUND: Restore a VM with a VMDK larger than 2032 GB to an ESXi 5.5 or
6.0 host. (27562)
If there is insufficient space for restoring a VM or VMDK on the original
or alternate datastore, the restore appears to continue but the data is not
restored.
WORKAROUND: Restore VMs and VMDKs to datastores with sufficient space.
(23379)
In a restore, each VM and VMDK is restored to a separate folder on a
datastore: one for each VMX file, and one for each VMDK file. The first
folder created has the specified name. "_X" is appended to the name for
each subsequent folder, where X is a sequential number starting at 1.
(23561/21952)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.2.4 File and Folder Restore Issues
To prevent problems with granular restores, the minimum bandwidth usage
value for the Agent is now 1500 kilobits per second. If bandwidth
throttling is set for the Agent, the total bandwidth available is divided
by the number of granular restores you are running. Reduced bandwidth can
cause delays in opening the Dynamic Disk Tool and mounting VMDKs, and could
cause the Dynamic Disk Tool to become unresponsive. (23057)
If you terminate a granular restore and then try to perform another
granular restore, the second attempt may hang before the data is made
available. When this occurs, the vSphere Agent will not respond to any
attempts to cancel the restore.
WORKAROUND: Force the vSphere Agent to restart before performing another
granular restore. (23053)
For Linux VMs, granular restores are supported on LVM2 volumes that do not
span multiple virtual disks. Granular restores do not work with LVM2
volumes that span multiple virtual disks. (23196)
Email notifications are not provided for granular restores. (22842)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.2.5 Communication Issues
If replication between vaults is configured using host names instead of IP
addresses, and the vSphere Agent cannot resolve host names, the Agent
cannot register or back up to a Base or Passive vault. The log does not
indicate that the problem is related to host name resolution.
WORKAROUND: Configure replication using vault IP addresses instead of host
names, or ensure that the vSphere Agent can resolve host names using DNS or
static entries.
If you replace a vSphere Agent's virtual network card or assign a different
MAC address, the Agent does not recognize the virtual network card after a
reboot.
WORKAROUND: In the Agent Setup interface, select Network Reset. The Agent
then recognizes the new virtual network card and assigns an IP Address or
can be configured to use static IP. (24053)
Windows CentralControl may be unable to connect to the vSphere Agent when
Windows proxy settings prevent it from obtaining the SSL certificate from
the Agent.
WORKAROUND: On the computer where Windows CentralControl is running,
disable proxy settings in Internet Explorer. (23231)
When performing a reregistration to the vault, vCenter credentials are
removed from the Agent configuration, and backups, restores and synch
operations fail until you provide correct vCenter credentials.
WORKAROUND: Provide vCenter credentials so that Synchronize can recover the
delta information. (22028)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------4.2.6 Naming Issues
In some circumstances, vCenter allows multiple VMs to have identical
display names. All of these VMs are shown in the list displayed in the UIs
when configuring a job for the vSphere Agent, and they can be selected for
inclusion in the job. However, when the job runs, these VMs will not be
backed up.
WORKAROUND: Rename VMs so that each has a unique name. (21900)
When the vSphere Agent host name is longer than 20 characters, backups fail
with "Validation failed: failed to validate computer". The vSphere Agent
host name must be restricted to a maximum 20 characters. (22388)
VM names with special characters may display differently in the backup
structure versus the restore structure. Upon restore, the log might
indicate that the VM has been renamed, and also that the created datastore
folder name is incorrect. However, in VMware, the name of the restored VM
appears correctly. (22281)
In vCenter 5, the following characters cannot be used and are not supported
for VM names: # & @ { } (21974/21415)
When you try to change the vSphere Agent host name, the following warning
sometimes appears: "This node is a group master. Changing the hostname may
break the group communication." You can ignore this warning and continue to
change the Agent host name. Changing the Agent host name does not result in
any problems. (23289)
When you create a support bundle, the destination directory cannot include
spaces. (24105)
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5 PRODUCT SUPPORT
5.1 Technical Support
Contact information for your provider is available through the Help menu.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------5.2 Product Updates
Product updates are available from your provider.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------5.3 Documentation
The following documentation is available for the vSphere Agent:
vSphere Agent User Guide
vSphere Agent Quick Start Guide
vSphere Agent release notes (this document)
DynamicDiskTool release notes
All documentation is available from your provider.
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