Within ESX, there are many possible methods to perform a backup to a storage system. It is important to use a deterministic strategy to perform a backup and recovery analysis in light of the desired backup and recovery points. This should be done according to customer approved SLAs (Service Level Agreements) or goals in order to come up with a viable solution to minimize downtime and address these goals.

Automated VMware backups with NetApp Storage Snapshot technology are a highly effective solution for host-based backups in a SAN environment. NetApp systems are the ideal storage platform for a virtual infrastructure and can address VMware challenges in a way that is unparalleled in the storage market.

This document describes a best practices approach that has been applied in a production environment.