NovaBACKUP BE all Versions
NovaStor DataCenter (DC) Backup Server all Versions
In general, no additional software or services should be installed on a Hyper-V host in the management OS! A Hyper-V host should manage the VM environment and not take over any other tasks. If additional software is to be installed, then only software of these categories:
- Hardware drivers
- management software
- Anti Virus Software (AVS)
- monitoring software
- Backup Client Software
Under no circumstances should software be installed that makes excessive use of the management OS and can pose a security risk, such as
- Active Directory role
- File server services (file server)
- Exchange
- SQL
- Backup Server Software
You should also not use a browser on the management OS for Internet research or driver search or download. This bears the risk of catching ransomware via infected websites or downloads. Alternatively, it is better to set up an admin system with e.g. Windows 10 and administer the Hyper-V host remotely.
Backup software
To backup Hyper-V VMs you have to install NovaBACKUP BE within the management OS. Schedule the backup of the VMs outside of the usage times. A backup means increased disk activity. This can affect the performance of the VMs.
In some situations it is useful to install an additional NovaBACKUP instance within a VM (Exchange, SQL; Attention: additional NovaBACKUP licenses required!) A VM backup is always performed externally without taking into account the status of the internal applications. In some situations this can mean that the data of an application cannot be backed up consistently.
If you want to use NovaStor DataCenter, you should NOT use the management OS as a backup and/or command server! You would place an additional load on the management OS with the DataCenter infrastructure. This is neither supported by Microsoft nor by NovaStor!
You can certainly install a DataCenter Client. This allows you to back up the VMs.
Why the above notes?
The reasons for the above hints are complex, are related to the way the Hyper-V host works and can only be described here in brief.
When setting up a Hyper-V host, first install Windows. Then install the latest Windows updates and the drivers required for the hardware. Please note the compatibility information from Microsoft!
Separate Windows from the user data (here the data of the VMs) and use an own physical hard disk as system disk for the installation of Windows. These should be a SAS disk or Enterprise SATA in a RAID1 configuration. A Hyper-V host only benefits from SSDs to a limited extent.
The data for the VMs should be stored on a separate RAID volume with its own physical hard disks. With this you use different physical hard disks for the Windows management OS and the VMs and avoid that the I/O load of the VMs slows down the management OS.
After installing Windows/drivers including updates, activate the Hyper-V role. This has drastic effects on the installed Windows! A hypervisor is installed and the installed Windows is moved to a separate VM. This means that the installed Windows is a separate VM and thus becomes the management OS of the Hyper-V host. It is used exclusively for the management of the hypervisor and the VMs!
If you now install additional software within the first VM, i.e. the management OS, you keep the management OS busy and slow down the Hyper-V host. Depending on the operating situation, this can have a dramatic effect on the performance of the VMs and can also lead to instability of the Hyper-V host. This is because the resources (CPU, RAM etc.) are also allocated to the management OS via hypervisor!
This is also the reason why the backup of many VMs by NovaBACKUP BE can reach certain limits. A backup causes additional load on the hard disks and leads to latencies in hard disk accesses. This can also lead to interruptions during backups. In the Windows Event Viewer you can then find corresponding messages.
If you want to back up more than five VMs (a rough rule of thumb, depending on the type of applications running within the VMs), NovaStor recommends using the NovaStor DataCenter product. However, you should NOT install the DataCenter Command/Backup Server application in the management OS and use it as a backup and/or command server, but rather provide a separate server (physically or as a VM). Please note that Hyper-V hardware can only reach into a VM to a limited extent. Therefore a VM is less suitable for use as a backup server.
AMo