ADAM

#VDI Tip 58: Backup All Of Your Components At The Same Time

Backing up all of the View components at the same time might seem like an obvious thing to do but it can be harder than you think. Failing to get close to the same backup window for the View Composer DB(SQL) as the ADAM database can leave you in a bit of a mess. Records may not matching up on a restore will have you deleting virtual machines or records from other parts of the ADAM database to fix inconsistencies.

Inside of the View Administrator console there isn’t a set time that you can select from. The Time starts at Midnight and you can only adjust the frequency, hourly, weekly and so on. You can just adjust it to the hourly setting and that should get you close to what your DBA’s are doing.
I don’t like running backups all day if there isn’t a reason . To get an exact start time you have to head off into the ADAM database. Please read this post for help backing up and connecting to the ADAM database before making any changes.

In the ADAM database Expand OU=Properties, select OU=Server, select CN= in the right pane, and choose Action > Properties to modify the pae-LDAPBUTime. The pae-LDAPBUTime property is the Number of minutes after pae-LDAPBUUnits to perform a backup. Since we left the default of Midnight everything will be based off that time. Therefore, if we but in 60 the next backup should fire at 1:00 am.

IT WORKED!

Hope that helps. If you have a thought or questions drop me a line.

VMware ADAM Database – Backup & Connect

Working with the ADAM database in VMware View is kind of like going to the dentist. You never want to go there, your reasons for going are usally related to pain, but your glad when it’s all said and done. This post will form the ground work for a series of tips & articles over the next couple of weeks. The article references all locations in terms of Windows 2008. If you’re running Windows 2003, god bless you.
Step 1 – Always Get a Current Backup
In the VMware View Administrator console you get create an on-demand backup Under View Configuration -> Servers.
Once the backup is complete, go to the server you ran the backup on and move the .LDF and .SVI file to a “safe location”.

The backup location is: C:\ProgramData\VMware\VDM\backups
.LDF = ADAM database
.SVI = View Composer Database

Step 2 – Connecting to the ADAM database

To connect to the View ADAM database:
1. Log in to one of the View Connection Servers.
2. Click Start > Administrative Tools > ADSI Edit.
3. In the console window, right-click ADSI Edit and click Connect to.
4. In the Name field type: View ADAM Database
5. Select Select or type a Distinguished Name or Naming Context.
6. In the field below, type dc=vdi,dc=vmware,dc=int
7. Select Select or type a domain or server.
8. In the field below, type localhost
9. Click OK.
10. Click View ADAM Database [localhost] to expand.
11. Click DC=vdi,dc=vmware,dc=int to expand