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Freedom251 › Blog › backup and restore

How to Back Up and Restore VMs During a VMware Migration

By Freedom251 Team · · 12 min read

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The safest VMware migration starts with a verified, independent full image-level backup of every virtual machine and critical host configuration. Keep that restore point outside the source cluster, test it by booting a copy in an isolated network, and retain a written rollback decision before shutting down or cutting over.

Then match the move method to your licensing, compatibility, storage and downtime limits: compute vMotion for supported host moves, Storage vMotion for datastore moves, or a backup-assisted method such as Veeam Quick Migration when native VMware migration is unavailable. After the move, validate the guest and application, check encryption and network policy, and reconnect backup jobs to the VM’s new location.

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What to protect before moving anything

A migration changes the location and sometimes the identity, networking or storage path of a workload. A backup is your recovery point if the destination cannot boot, an application fails after the move, or the cutover must be reversed. Protect both the workload and the configuration that makes it usable.

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Inventory every VM and its dependencies

Create a migration record for each virtual machine. Record the VM name, owner, business service, power state, current host, datastore, network or port group, snapshot status, encryption state, SCSI bus-sharing settings, VMware Tools status, recovery-point objective (RPO), recovery-time objective (RTO), and the person authorized to roll back. Include dependencies such as databases, directory services, license servers, file shares, monitoring agents and scheduled jobs.

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Group VMs into dependency-aware batches rather than moving an entire cluster in an arbitrary order. A database and its application tier may need to move together or be tested together. A service that authenticates against a directory server should not be cut over while that directory service remains unreachable. Write the migration window and the order of operations for every batch.

Capture host and platform configuration

Broadcom’s VMware migration guidance calls for backing up VM data, host configurations and critical workloads before migration, and for executing a full image-level backup before host shutdown. Preserve the information needed to rebuild networking, storage presentation, permissions and cluster settings in addition to the VM disks themselves. A VM backup cannot by itself recreate an incorrectly configured destination host.

Build and verify an independent restore point

Run a full image-level backup of every VM in scope before the first production move. The backup must be readable, complete and retained independently of the source cluster. Veeam’s full-VM restore workflow requires at least one successfully created restore point; a job that merely started, copied metadata or reported a warning is not a usable rollback plan.

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Confirm that the backup is usable

  1. Check job completion. Confirm that each VM in the migration batch has a successful restore point, not an excluded disk, skipped snapshot or unresolved warning.
  2. Check repository capacity and retention. Leave enough free space for the restore itself and for any temporary files created during recovery. Keep the restore point available after the source VM is deleted or powered down.
  3. Check independence. Store the backup on infrastructure that will remain available if the source cluster, host or datastore is lost. A second copy on the same failing storage system is not an independent rollback point.
  4. Check access and encryption. Confirm that the recovery server, repository and required credentials can be reached during the migration window. Document encryption keys or passwords under your normal key-management process.
  5. Perform a test boot. Restore a representative VM, or use the product’s isolated recovery workflow, and boot it on a private test network. Record whether the guest starts and whether its disks and VMware Tools are healthy.

Do not connect a test restore to the production network. A cloned VM can create duplicate IP addresses, host names, directory identities or application listeners. Isolation lets you prove that the image boots without creating a second live instance.

Prepare the destination and the transport path

Before selecting a migration method, register or otherwise make both the source and destination ESXi hosts available to the backup and migration systems. Verify that the target datastore has sufficient free space for every virtual disk, snapshot consolidation and any temporary copy. Capacity must be checked for the largest batch, not only for one VM.

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Check VMware compatibility and licensing

Compute vMotion and Storage vMotion are native hot-migration options, but they depend on VMware edition, host compatibility, shared-storage or network design and the permissions available to the operator. Confirm that the license covers the planned operation and that CPU compatibility will allow the VM to run on the destination host. If a compatibility mode or other CPU adjustment is required, record it and include it in post-move testing.

Place backup traffic deliberately

Identify the network used by backup proxies, repositories and ESXi data paths. Veeam’s migration guidance recommends planning backup-job migration and keeping backup traffic off the management network where possible. Use a preferred or dedicated backup network when the design provides one. Validate routing, firewall rules, MTU expectations and proxy placement before the migration window; otherwise a move can succeed while the next backup silently uses an overloaded management link.

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Check settings that affect Quick Migration

SCSI bus sharing blocks Veeam Quick Migration. Find VMs with shared SCSI buses during inventory and decide whether they require a different migration method or a planned outage. Also identify encrypted VMs and vSAN-backed workloads. A vMotion operation does not automatically retain VM encryption settings, and vSAN Quick Migration can require full-disk reads, making it slower than a metadata-only move. Plan time for a complete read and verify encryption again on the destination.

Choose the move method that fits the workload

Evaluate each option on downtime, licensing, storage and network requirements, target capacity, and how easily you can roll back. “Hot” does not mean risk-free: all methods still require a verified backup and application validation.

Method Best fit Downtime behavior Important requirements or limits
Compute vMotion Moving a running VM to another compatible host while keeping its datastore Normally hot, with a brief switchover Requires supported VMware licensing, host and CPU compatibility, and suitable network and storage access
Storage vMotion Moving a running VM to another datastore Normally hot, with a brief switchover Requires supported licensing and enough destination datastore capacity; verify encryption afterward
Quick Migration with SmartSwitch Cross-boundary or license-limited moves handled by Veeam VM runs during copying and is suspended briefly for final synchronization Veeam analyzes the environment and VM state, then selects an available relocation method; SCSI bus sharing prevents this option
Quick Migration with ColdMigration Cases where a running move is unavailable or unsuitable VM is powered off, so the outage lasts through the copy and startup Schedule an explicit outage and verify that applications tolerate the stop and restart
Instant Recovery to VMware vSphere Urgent service resumption when the original VM or datastore is unavailable VM starts directly from the backup; final placement is completed later The recovered VM still must be moved to a production location with Quick Migration or Storage vMotion

When native VMware migration is the right choice

Use compute vMotion for a host move and Storage vMotion for a datastore move when the environment meets VMware’s compatibility and licensing requirements. These methods avoid creating a second full backup copy as part of the move, but they do not replace the independent restore point. Keep the backup until the migration has passed application acceptance and the rollback window has expired.

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When Quick Migration is safer

Use Quick Migration when hosts cross a boundary that prevents native vMotion, when licensing does not permit the native operation, or when the backup platform is the approved transport path. Veeam states that Quick Migration analyzes the virtual environment, configuration and VM state, then selects the most appropriate relocation method. SmartSwitch keeps the outage to a short final synchronization; ColdMigration powers off the VM and causes a longer interruption.

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When Instant Recovery is appropriate

Instant Recovery is an emergency or continuity option, not the final placement. It starts a VM directly from a compressed, deduplicated backup so service can resume while the destination storage is prepared. The VM must later be finalized by moving it with Quick Migration or Storage vMotion. Treat the backup repository as the temporary source and monitor its performance until the final move is complete.

Run a controlled pilot before the production batches

Choose one representative, noncritical VM for the first move. It should exercise the same datastore type, network path, guest operating system, backup policy and application dependencies as the important workloads, without being the service that would cause the greatest business impact if delayed.

  1. Freeze the baseline. Record the VM’s current host, datastore, network, power state, snapshots, encryption state, guest-tools status and latest successful restore point.
  2. Announce the change. Tell the owner when the move starts, what interruption is expected, how success will be judged and who can authorize rollback.
  3. Execute the selected method. Observe the copy, synchronization or shutdown rather than treating the task as a black box. Record elapsed time, throughput, datastore latency and any stun or outage.
  4. Check the destination immediately. Confirm that the VM is registered on the intended host and datastore, has the expected network, and shows the expected power state.
  5. Run technical and application tests. Check the guest boot, disks, VMware Tools, time, DNS, authentication, listeners and monitoring. Have the application owner perform a transaction-level test.
  6. Check protection. Verify that the existing backup job still identifies the VM and that a new backup can be scheduled for its destination location.
  7. Make the rollback decision. Keep the original restore point and write down the conditions that trigger a restore or return move. Do not delete the old copy merely because the pilot powered on.

Use the pilot’s observed behavior to set realistic windows for the remaining batches. Do not convert one pilot duration into a guaranteed migration speed: datastore contention, VM size, vSAN reads and concurrent jobs can change the result.

Restore a VM to the original or a different host

Conventional full-VM restore

Select a verified restore point and choose whether to restore to the original location or a new location. A new location can be another host, cluster or datastore, provided the destination has the capacity, network and compatibility required by the VM.

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  1. Choose the restore point that was verified before migration and confirm its timestamp and included disks.
  2. Select the original or alternate VMware location and map the VM to the intended host, datastore and network.
  3. Review disk placement and capacity before starting. Include every required disk; an omitted data disk can let the operating system boot while the application remains unusable.
  4. If the original VM is still running at its original location, plan for it to be powered off. Veeam’s restore behavior powers off that VM and restores the disks included in the backup.
  5. Start the restore and monitor the destination task, repository reads and datastore space.
  6. Power on only in an isolated network until identity, addressing and application checks are complete. Move the VM to production networking after the owner accepts the result.

Instant Recovery followed by final placement

For urgent recovery, start the VM directly from the compressed, deduplicated backup. This restores service without waiting for all disks to be written to production storage, but repository performance becomes part of the VM’s temporary performance profile. After the incident or migration risk passes, finalize the VM by moving it to the new datastore or host with Quick Migration or Storage vMotion. Verify that the final VM, not only the temporary recovered instance, is protected by the normal backup job.

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Test the restored or migrated VM in isolation

A successful hypervisor task proves that files were copied; it does not prove that the service works. Keep the restored or newly moved VM disconnected from production and use an isolated test network until identity and application checks pass.

Guest and infrastructure checks

  • Confirm that the guest operating system boots without filesystem or disk errors.
  • Check that every expected virtual disk is present, online and the correct size.
  • Verify VMware Tools or the guest integration service is running and reports normally.
  • Check time, time zone and synchronization sources; incorrect time can break authentication and certificates.
  • Confirm DNS resolution, hostname configuration and required routes in the test network.
  • Check local and network authentication without allowing the clone to alter production directory objects.
  • Verify monitoring, logging, endpoint protection and scheduled tasks are enabled as intended.

Application and data checks

  • Confirm that expected application listeners bind to the correct interfaces and ports.
  • Open the application with its normal client or service account and perform a transaction that writes and reads test data.
  • For databases, check recovery state and consistency using the database team’s approved procedure; a guest boot alone is not a database acceptance test.
  • Verify connections to dependent services, queues, file shares and license servers using isolated equivalents where necessary.
  • Have the application owner sign off on the transaction-level result and record any limitations.

Vendor restore documentation describes the mechanics of restoring a VM, but there is no single application acceptance checklist that fits every workload. Define the transaction and dependency tests with each owner before migration day.

Cut over, reconnect protection and close the change

After the pilot passes, migrate dependency-aware batches in the order documented during inventory. At each batch boundary, confirm placement, networking, security policy and application health before starting the next group.

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  1. Confirm destination placement. Check the final host, datastore, folder or resource-pool location and any affinity or anti-affinity rule.
  2. Recheck network and security. Verify port group, VLAN or equivalent network mapping, firewall policy and monitoring visibility.
  3. Verify encryption. Because vMotion does not automatically retain VM encryption settings, confirm the expected encryption state and re-enable it when required by policy.
  4. Reconnect backup jobs. Update job scope, proxies, repositories and schedules so the moved VM is protected at its new location. Run or schedule a post-move backup and inspect the result.
  5. Retain rollback evidence. Keep the pre-migration restore point for the agreed rollback period and preserve the written decision owner.
  6. Document the final state. Update the inventory with host, datastore, network, encryption state, backup job and test results.

Troubleshoot common migration and recovery failures

The VM will not move with Quick Migration

Check for SCSI bus sharing first, because it blocks Quick Migration. Then verify that both hosts are registered, the target datastore has capacity, the proxy can reach the required networks and the destination meets CPU and VMware compatibility requirements. If the native method is licensed and supported, use compute or Storage vMotion instead; otherwise schedule a ColdMigration outage.

The move completes but the VM has no network

Compare the source and destination network mapping, port group or VLAN, and security policy. Confirm that the guest retained the intended virtual NIC and that the operating system has not changed its interface identity. Keep the VM isolated while correcting the mapping so a duplicate or misaddressed instance cannot affect production.

The VM boots but the application fails

Check missing disks, time skew, DNS, authentication, service dependencies and database consistency before declaring the restore successful. Use the application owner’s transaction test. If the failure cannot be corrected within the cutover window, power down the moved copy, preserve logs and restore or return to the last known-good location according to the written rollback decision.

The backup job no longer finds the VM

Migration can change the VM’s host, folder, datastore or inventory path. Review the job’s inclusion rules, proxies and repository access, then run a post-move backup. Do not assume that a VM with the same display name is automatically covered.

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The destination runs out of space

Stop the move or restore before it exhausts the datastore. Recalculate space for all virtual disks, snapshots, temporary files and concurrent migrations, then select a larger datastore or reduce the batch size. Do not delete the independent restore point to make room for the destination copy.

Encrypted settings are different after vMotion

Inspect the VM’s encryption state on the destination and compare it with policy and the pre-migration record. Re-enable or correct encryption through the approved VMware key-management process, then repeat the security and backup checks.

vSAN Quick Migration is unexpectedly slow

A vSAN Quick Migration can require full-disk reads. Expect longer work when large or sparsely used virtual disks must be read completely, and avoid judging the remaining batches from a faster non-vSAN pilot. Check datastore latency and backup traffic before starting additional concurrent moves.

Final migration checklist

  • Every VM and critical host configuration has a successful full image-level backup.
  • The restore point is readable, independently retained and available to the recovery operator.
  • A representative restore or recovery boot passed in an isolated network.
  • Inventory includes owners, dependencies, snapshots, encryption, SCSI sharing, Tools status, RPO, RTO and rollback authority.
  • Destination hosts, datastores, networks, licenses, CPU compatibility and capacity are verified.
  • Backup traffic uses the planned proxy and network path rather than an overloaded management link.
  • The pilot recorded downtime, throughput, latency, application results and backup-job status.
  • Each moved VM has been tested by both infrastructure staff and its application owner.
  • Encryption, monitoring, security policy and final placement are confirmed after the move.
  • Backup jobs target the new location, a post-move backup succeeded and the rollback restore point remains available for the agreed period.

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