Backing up the vCenter Server database running on Microsoft SQL or SQL Express server

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article provides steps to back up the vCenter Server database running on Microsoft SQL or SQL Express server as a regular maintenance task.

Resolution

To back up the vCenter Server database:

1. Download and install Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express.
   
   
2. Open SQL Server Management Studio Express and connect to the vCenter Server database server or instance.
   
   Note: If you are not using a dedicated SQL server, the database resides on vCenter Server. To verify the location and database name:
   
   
   1. Open the ODBC connector.
   2. Click the System DSN tab.
   3. Find the vCenter Server item.
   4. Click configure.
   5. Proceed through the steps and note the SQL Server and the default database.
      
      
3. Stop all vCenter Server services on the vCenter Server system. This ensures that no service is out of sync during the backup. For more information, see Stopping, starting, or restarting vCenter services (1003895).
4. Expand Databases and look for the vCenter Server database, usually named as VIM_VCDB, unless you renamed it during the initial creation.
5. Right-click the vCenter Server database and Click Tasks > Back Up.
6. Select your backup options and Click OK.
7. Copy the backup file to a safe location during maintenance or upgrades. Ensure to perform this backup before performing any operation on vCenter Server, as it holds current and historical data.
8. Start all vCenter Server services on the vCenter Server system once the backup has completed. For more information, see Stopping, starting, or restarting vCenter services (1003895).

Additional Information

How to stop, start, or restart vCenter Server services