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Issues about Backups for VMware IntelliSnap vs streaming backup

  • October 24, 2025
  • 3 replies
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E
Novice
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I read the documentation on backing up VMware machines with IntelliSnap support and I've also read the considerations on this page here (streaming and intellisnap backups for vSAN datastore) and now I understand the importance of the second snapshot, this one via hardware, for the entire process, but what are the advantages of IntelliSnap backup using just the Virtual Server Agent Snap engine, not a 'hardware' snapshot of the datastore where my VM is hosted?

 

Second question, how (or when) does the Commvault know that it needs to take two snapshots, the first one, a snapshot of the VM’s, and the second, a snapshot of the VMware Datastore?

 

Third question, what do I need to consider when backing up multiple virtual machines from Datastores with tens, perhaps hundreds of virtual machines?

 

Last question, what are the recomendations in cases where there are backups of multiple VM Groups (Subclients), each one with multiple virtual machines. Maybe some kind of re-engineering to put as many virtual machines as possible in the same VM Group (Subclient) and on the same VMware Datastore?

 

 

 

Best answer by Scott Moseman

These discussions can be confusing because VMware “snapshots” (hypervisor level) are different from the IntelliSnap “snapshots” (storage level).

EVERY backup of a VMware VM will get a VMware “snapshot” (hypervisor level).  This includes if you are doing streaming backups without IntelliSnap. This is the same thing as if you were to manually take a snapshot of a VM using vCenter.

If you enable IntelliSnap, you will get a storage level snapshot AFTER the per-VM hypervisor snapshots mentioned above.  If you’re utilizing a hardware-based snap engine -- e.g., NetApp or Dell EMC -- you get a snapshot on the storage array for every LUN necessary to protect the selected VMs.  (This is why you define VM content by Data Store.)

There is a “Virtual Server Agent Snap” engine option.  This would give you a “storage level” snapshot, but it would be per VM instead of the whole Data Store.  However, this snap engine requires using virtualized storage like VVols or vSAN.

Thanks,
Scott
 

    3 replies

    S
    Vaulter
    Forum|alt.badge.img+10

    Hi ​@Eduardo Braga ,

    Good day!

    what are the advantages of IntelliSnap backup using just the Virtual Server Agent Snap engine, not a 'hardware' snapshot of the datastore where my VM is hosted?

    You can have multiple recovery points when you use VSA snap engine

     

    how (or when) does the Commvault know that it needs to take two snapshots, the first one, a snapshot of the VM’s, and the second, a snapshot of the VMware Datastore?

    During snap copy the software snapshot is first phase and hardware snapshot is second phase.

     

    what do I need to consider when backing up multiple virtual machines from Datastores with tens, perhaps hundreds of virtual machines?

    what are the recomendations in cases where there are backups of multiple VM Groups (Subclients), each one with multiple virtual machines. Maybe some kind of re-engineering to put as many virtual machines as possible in the same VM Group (Subclient) and on the same VMware Datastore?

     

    With intellisnapbackup its always recommended to configure the content as datastore level.

     

    Regards,

    Sureshkumar S

     

    E
    Novice
    Forum|alt.badge.img+9
    • Eduardo BragaNovice
    • Author
    • Novice
    • October 27, 2025

    Hi ​@Eduardo Braga ,

    Good day!

    what are the advantages of IntelliSnap backup using just the Virtual Server Agent Snap engine, not a 'hardware' snapshot of the datastore where my VM is hosted?

    You can have multiple recovery points when you use VSA snap engine

     

    how (or when) does the Commvault know that it needs to take two snapshots, the first one, a snapshot of the VM’s, and the second, a snapshot of the VMware Datastore?

    During snap copy the software snapshot is first phase and hardware snapshot is second phase.

     

    what do I need to consider when backing up multiple virtual machines from Datastores with tens, perhaps hundreds of virtual machines?

    what are the recomendations in cases where there are backups of multiple VM Groups (Subclients), each one with multiple virtual machines. Maybe some kind of re-engineering to put as many virtual machines as possible in the same VM Group (Subclient) and on the same VMware Datastore?

     

    With intellisnapbackup its always recommended to configure the content as datastore level.

     

    Regards,

    Sureshkumar S

     

    Thank you for your help, very kind of you, Sureshkumar.

    If it doesn't take up too much of your time, you could explain to me how Commvault knows to use the Hardware-based snapshot. That is, what do I have to configure to have Commvault take two snapshots? I know that to use IntelliSnap with VMware, the following configuration is required:

    Configure a virtualization client for the vCenter and Enable IntelliSnap for the virtualization client and subclient. Where I do configure IntelliSnap to have Commvault take the two snapshots? That wasn't clear to me. Where I do configure IntelliSnap to have Commvault take the first snapshot and where I do configure IntelliSnap to have Commvault take second one, the hardware one? 

     

     

     

     

     

    Scott Moseman
    Vaulter
    Forum|alt.badge.img+22
    • Scott MosemanVaulter
    • Vaulter
    • Answer
    • October 27, 2025

    These discussions can be confusing because VMware “snapshots” (hypervisor level) are different from the IntelliSnap “snapshots” (storage level).

    EVERY backup of a VMware VM will get a VMware “snapshot” (hypervisor level).  This includes if you are doing streaming backups without IntelliSnap. This is the same thing as if you were to manually take a snapshot of a VM using vCenter.

    If you enable IntelliSnap, you will get a storage level snapshot AFTER the per-VM hypervisor snapshots mentioned above.  If you’re utilizing a hardware-based snap engine -- e.g., NetApp or Dell EMC -- you get a snapshot on the storage array for every LUN necessary to protect the selected VMs.  (This is why you define VM content by Data Store.)

    There is a “Virtual Server Agent Snap” engine option.  This would give you a “storage level” snapshot, but it would be per VM instead of the whole Data Store.  However, this snap engine requires using virtualized storage like VVols or vSAN.

    Thanks,
    Scott
     

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