Backup/restore entire ESXi host

[ozi_sej]

Bit of a VMWare newbie, so I'm looking for a process with as few and as simple steps as possible to backup and restore a complete ESXi Host...  (7.0u3)

Basically, I want to expand the raid array my ESXi sits on, but the underlying hardware doesn't support it directly, meaning I have to blow-away and recreate the array as part of any process I utilise.  Accordingly, anything I can use to simply backup the entire ESXi and then restore it, including all the virtual machines, would be ideal.  Everything I'm seeing however, suggests I can't do this.

If I understand it correctly, the minimum process is:

1. Backup all the VM's using backup technology suitable for each OS (mix of Windows, Linux/CentOS/FreeBSD)
2. Backup the ESXi host configuration
3. Blow away and recreate my RAID array
4. Re-install ESXi from scratch
5. Recreate my datastore(s)
6. Restore my ESXi host configuration (given I can't backup up the entire host, is this actually necessary?  What are the implications/what do I lose, if I don't?)
7. Recreate and Restore all my VMs individually

Can anyone suggest a simpler process?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.  I'm am certainly no VMWare/ESXi expert, so appreciate any advice.

Jason.

[allan trambouze]

That is all the steps you have to do, no faster way to do it

[Chris Conway]

My understanding is if you backup the host configuration via:    Connect-VIServer -Server YourESXiHostname
Get-VMHostFirmware -VMHost YourESXiHostname | Export-Clixml -Path "C:\path\to\backup.xml"

You only rebuild your host, and restore this backup.xml and all networking and storage configuration are restored..  

The virtual machines are on the SAN and as such not restored as they were never blown away.

[Casey]

"My understanding is if you backup the host configuration via:    Connect-VIServer -Server YourESXiHostname
Get-VMHostFirmware -VMHost YourESXiHostname | Export-Clixml -Path "C:\path\to\backup.xml"

You only rebuild your host, and restore this backup.xml and all networking and storage configuration are restored..  

The virtual machines are on the SAN and as such not restored as they were never blown away."

The statement is generally true but requires some clarifications:

1. Backing Up Host Configuration:

   • The command Get-VMHostFirmware -VMHost YourESXiHostname | Export-Clixml -Path "C:\path\to\backup.xml" does indeed backup the ESXi host configuration. However, this command typically exports the host configuration information and not the actual firmware. The correct command for backing up the firmware configuration is usually Get-VMHostFirmware -VMHost YourESXiHostname -BackupConfiguration -DestinationPath "C:\path\to\backup.zip". This will include all host settings such as networking and storage configurations.

2. Rebuilding the Host:

   • When you rebuild the host and restore from the backup, you will restore the ESXi host configuration, including networking and storage settings, from the backup file.

3. Virtual Machines:

   • The statement that virtual machines on the SAN are not restored because they were never blown away is correct. The virtual machines stored on shared storage (such as a SAN) remain intact and are not affected by the host rebuild process. After restoring the host configuration, the ESXi host should be able to reconnect to the shared storage and recognize the existing virtual machines.

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