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Druva Documentation

Install the agent and register a Hyper-V host

Enterprise Workloads Editions: File:/tick.png Business File:/cross.png Enterprise File:/tick.png Elite

 

Before you can backup your virtual machines, you have to register the Hyper-V host on which you create and manage virtual machines. During registration, Druva generates an activation token that activates the Hybrid Workloads agent installed on your host. Activation ensures that Hybrid Workloads agent establishes a persistent connection with Druva Cloud and registers your host with Druva. After your host is registered, backup is enabled for the host on which the agent is installed. The Hybrid Workloads agent:

  • Scans your host and requests the VSS service for the virtual machine recovery point
  • Backs up the recovery point on the cloud
  • Restores data from the cloud when you request it

For an overview of configuration steps, see:

This article contains the following sections:

Step 1: Download the agent and generate activation token

  1. Log in to Management Console.
  2. select the workload from the Protect menu. Note that if the All Organizations menu is enabled, you have to first select an organization and then select the workload.
  3. Click Register Hyper-V Host.
  4. On the Register New Hyper-V Host page, click Check prerequisites and ensure that you review the requirements before configuring Hyper-V hosts for backup.
  5. Under Download and install agent on the host, do one of the following:
    • If you have not yet downloaded the Hybrid Workloads agent installer, click Download. The agent download starts on the same browser page. 
      Note: Using this Hybrid Workloads agent, you can protect MS SQL, File Servers, and NAS workloads on a Windows Server. For more information, see Common agent installation and activation
    • If the Hybrid Workloads agent has already been downloaded, proceed to the Activate Host for Backup section.
  6. Under the Activation Token field, you can select a pre-existing activation token from the drop-down. An activation token can be used to activate up to 25 servers and expires in 7 days. If this token has expired, click Generate New Token. In the Generate Token dialog box, enter the following details, and then click Generate
    Field Description
    Token Label

    A short description of the activation token.

    Note: You cannot leave this field empty.

    This token can activate

    The number of hosts that the activation token can activate.

    The default value is 25.

    The token expires in

    The number of days after which the activation token expires.

    The default value is 7. 

  7. In the Generate Token window that follows, you can copy the generated token by clicking the Copy Token icon. Click Done.
    Downloadspage_HyperV.png

Step 2: Install the agent

Before you begin, ensure that:

  • You are logged in as an administrator to the host.
  • Your host matches the requirements listed in the support matrix
  • You have downloaded the Hybrid Workloads agent installer on your host. The installer is available on the Druva downloads page. You can also download the installer from the Management Console at the time of registering hosts. 

Perform the following steps to install the agent:

  1. Copy the downloaded Hybrid Workloads agent installer to the host on which you want to install it.
  2. Double-click the Hybrid Workloads agent installer. The installation wizard appears.
  3. Accept the license agreement and click Next
  4. Use the local system account for installing the agent on the Hyper-V host. 
  5. In the Install location box, enter or select the full path to the installation home directory. 
  6. Click Install.
  7. After the installation completes, click Finish.

Command-line install

From the command prompt, run the following command:

msiexec /i <path to Phoenix msi> /qn /quiet /log <path to log file>
For example:
msiexec.exe/i C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads\Phoenix-6.0.1-154609.msi /qn/quiet/log C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads

Step 3: Activate the Hybrid Workloads agent  

Activate the agent using the user interface

If you’re using the Hybrid Workloads Agent shortcut to activate the agent, follow the below steps:

  1. Double-click the Hybrid Workloads Agent shortcut on the Windows server where the Hybrid Workloads Agent needs to be activated. 
     
  2. The Hybrid Workloads Agent window is displayed.

    Activation_screen.png
  3. In the Hybrid Workloads Agent window, select the Hyper-V workload.
    A set of in-built activation checks are run and the result is displayed.clipboard_e76f17e5b9aea1b763a0a98800a1f90d9.png
  4. The Agent Activation page for Hyper-V is displayed.

    HyperV_activate.png
    Enter the following details: 
    Field  Description
    Activation Token Paste the copied activation token.
    Note: This is the token copied from the Register New Hyper-V Host dialog box. 
    Register Host As Select the host type based on your setup. The available options are SCVMM, Cluster, Standalone. The default option is Standalone
    SCVMM FQDN Provide IP address or Fully Qualified Domain name.
    This field displays only when you select SCVMM as the host type in the Register Host As field. 
    Username Enter a valid user name. 
    This field displays only when you select SCVMM or Cluster as the host type in the Register Host As field. 
    Password Enter a valid password.
    This field displays only when you select SCVMM or Cluster as the host type in the Register Host As field. 
    Note: If you are activating the Hybrid Workloads agent for Druva Public Cloud, do not select the GovCloud check box.
  5. Click Activate.
    The backup readiness checks will run to ensure that your system is equipped for successful backup operation.
    clipboard_e931bfff9de151dceda9659ca6cef4bea.png
     
    The Hyper-V agent is activated successfully.
    Note: After successful activation, a green tick displays next to the workload on the mentioned common agent activation screen.

Activate the agent using command line

  1. Open the command-line prompt with Admin privilege.
    Note:  If you are using an agent older than version 6.0.1-154928, navigate to C:\Program Files\Druva\Phoenix Agent
  2. After changing the directory, run the following commands to activate the agent:

    For Druva Cloud:

    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe hyperv activate -t <token> --type <scvmm/cluster/standalone> --scvmm_fqdn <scvmm FQDN> --user <scvmm/cluster username> --password <scvmm/cluster password>

    Note:

    • If a password is required, you will be prompted to enter the password. 
    • If you are using an agent older than version 6.0.1-154928, the following command can be used:
      PhoenixHyperVControl.exe activate <activation_token> --type <scvmm/cluster/standalone> --scvmm_fqdn <scvmm FQDN> --user <scvmm/cluster username> --password <scvmm/cluster password>

    For GovCloud:
    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe hyperv activate --gov-cloud -t <token> --type <scvmm/cluster/standalone> --scvmm_fqdn <scvmm FQDN> --user <scvmm/cluster username> --password <scvmm/cluster password>
    

    Note:

    • If a password is required, you will be prompted to enter the password.
    • If you are using an agent older than version 6.0.1-154928, the following command can be used:
      PhoenixHyperVControl.exe activate govcloud <activation_token> --type <scvmm/cluster/standalone> --scvmm_fqdn <scvmm FQDN> --user <scvmm/cluster username> --password <scvmm/cluster password>

Note
  • Replace <activation_token> with the activation token that Druva generated at the time of registering the host.
  • For --type, select one of the following parameters based on your setup
    • scvmm
    • cluster
    • standalone
  • Provide IP address or Fully Qualified Domain name for <scvmm FQDN>
  • If the Hyper-V host uses SCVMM, replace <scvmm username> and <scvmm password>
     with username and password respectively. 
    If you are registering the Hyper-V host as a cluster, replace <cluster username> and <cluster password> with domain username and password respectively. Ensure that the domain user has access permissions on all the Hyper-V hosts within that cluster.
  • For example, if you are registering an SCVMM based host

    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe hyperv activate -t 111111AAAAAA --type scvmm --scvmm_fqdn examplehyperv.fqdn.yourorg.com --user admin --password examplepasswordforscvmm
    
  • If you are registering a clustered host:
    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe hyperv activate -t 111111AAAAAA --type cluster --user exampledomain\admin --password examplepasswordfordomainuser
  • If you are registering a standalone host:
    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe hyperv activate -t 111111AAAAAA --type standalone
  • If you are registering for Gov Cloud, add the --gov--cloud parameter. For example, in case of a standalone host:
    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe hyperv activate --gov-cloud -t 111111AAAAAA --type standalone
  • The --scvmm_fqdn parameter is applicable for System Center Virtual Machine Manager based host only. It is not applicable for a standalone host or a host in a cluster.
  • The --user and --password parameters are not required for standalone hosts.
  • In place of the --type, --user, --password, and --scvmm_fqdn parameters, you can use -e, -u, -p, and -f  respectively. 
  • If you move a host from one cluster to another after registration, the host appears as disconnected in the Management Console.
  • By default, the server is registered using its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). In addition, you can use the --ServerName  or -d parameter to register your host with a name. The server name is not case-sensitive. You cannot have one server registered as "ABC" and another as "abc". Druva will display the error message "Server display name already exists. Cannot register the server with same display name". You can add the -d parameter to register the server with a different name. 
  • You can upgrade Hybrid Workloads agents to their latest available version. For more information, see Upgrade the agent.
  • If you are using SCVMM for managing virtual machines on Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 hosts:
    • When you activate the Hybrid Workloads agent, select the type as standalone or cluster (based on your setup). Do not select the type as scvmm to register the hosts through SCVMM.
    • Phoenix does not support registration of the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 hosts through SCVMM.

If you want to update the credentials later:

PhoenixHyperVControl.exe set_credential --type <scvmm/cluster> --scvmm_fqdn <scvmm FQDN> --user <scvmm/cluster username> --password <scvmm/cluster password>

For example, 

PhoenixHyperVControl.exe set_credential --type scvmm --scvmm_fqdn=192.0.2.9 --user=exampledomain\user --password=Ex@mpleP@$$w0rd

Note: Do not use the following characters in the command:

  • Double quotes "
  • Single quotes '
  • Double back-slash \\

Note: The File level restore requires an additional proxy. For more information, see File-level restore (FLR) on Hyper-V virtual machines.

Configure Web proxy 

Phoenix agent connects to the Druva Cloud through the internet. If your network infrastructure uses a Web proxy, configure the Phoenix agent to use Web proxy to establish a connection with the Druva Cloud. You can configure the Web proxy either from the user interface or command line.

Configure Web proxy using the user interface

This procedure applies only to Windows servers. 

Before you begin

Ensure that Hybrid Workloads agent is running before starting proxy settings.

Procedure

  1. Double-click the Hybrid Workloads Agent application. 
  2. In the Agent Activation window, select Configure Web Proxy.
    1. Select the My network infrastructure uses a Web proxy check box to enter the details.
      The Web Proxy options are displayed.
      Webproxy.png
    2. In the Proxy Type drop-down list, select one of the supported proxy types(http, socks4, socks5). The default selection is http
    3. In the Proxy Server IP Address field, enter a valid IP address of the proxy server.
    4. In the Proxy Port field, enter the respective port number.
    5. If you want to add authentication to your proxy server, select the Proxy server requires authentication check box and add relevant username and password in their respective fields.
  3. Click Save.
    The Web proxy is configured.

Configure Web proxy servers using the command line

  1. Open the command-line interface window.
  2. In the command line interface, change the directory with which the CLI opens to the directory where Hybrid Workloads agent is installed. 
    Note: If you are using an agent older than version 6.0.1-154928,   change directory to C:\Program Files\Druva\Phoenix Agent.
  3. In the command prompt, run the following command  to set the Web proxy:
    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe web-proxy-config -s -t <proxy_type> -i <ProxyHost_IP>:port -u <Proxy_user> -p <Proxy_password>
    For example:
    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe web-proxy-config -s -t http -i 172.34.23.218:80 -u johndoe -p pass23
    Note: If you are using an agent older than version 6.0.1-154928, the following command can be used:
    PhoenixControl.exe set_proxy_details -t proxy_type -i proxy_IP:port -u proxy_user -p proxy_password
  4. (Optional)You can use the following command to fetch the current proxy configuration:
    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe web-proxy-config -g
Field  Description
Get_web-proxy
(-g, --get)
Fetches the current Web proxy configuration for the agent.
Set_web_proxy
(-s, --set)
Sets the current Web proxy configuration for the agent.
Proxy_type
(-t, --proxy-type string)
Agent supports the following proxy types:
  • http
  • socks4
  • socks5
Note: If you do not provide the type, http is applied by default.
Proxy_IP
(-i, --host string)
Valid IP or URL of proxy server.
Port Respective proxy port number.
Proxy_user
(-u, --user string)
Valid proxy user name. 
Proxy_password
(-p, --pass string)
Valid proxy password.

The Web proxy is configured successfully.

Note: Druva only supports basic authentication with Web proxy.

Additional information  
  • The Threat Management Gateway (TMG) drops IDLE connections after defined timeout duration, due to which agent does an aggressive retry with server.

    Note: In TMG application, it is recommended to set connection timeout value to 5 minutes.

  • The configuration file path for Hybrid Workloads agent and Cache Server are as follows:

    For windows agent:C:\ProgramData\Phoenix\Phoenix.cfg.

  • If the proxy details setting fails, ping the proxy-server IP from the same machine and check for proxy_user and proxy_password.

Steps to delete a Web proxy once it is set up successfully

You can delete the successful set up Web proxy in the following three ways.

Using the user interface

This is applicable only to Windows Servers.

  1. Clear the My network infrastructure uses a Web proxy check box.
  2. Click Save.
Using the command line
  1. Open the command line interface window.
  2. In the command prompt, run the following command on the Windows server to remove the Web proxy: 
    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe web-proxy-config -r
    or
    HybridWorkloadsAgent.exe web-proxy-config –remove
  3. In the terminal, run the following command in the Linux server to remove the Web proxy:
    HybridWorkloadsAgent web-proxy-config -r
    
    or
    HybridWorkloadsAgent web-proxy-config --remove
    
    Note: Enter -r or –remove command to remove the Web proxy. 
Updating the configuration file
  1. Log in to the required server.
  2. Stop the Hybrid Workloads agent Services.
    Note: If you are using an agent older than version 6.0.1-154928,  navigate to :C:\ProgramData\Phoenix\<WorkloadName> and copy the Phoenix.cfg file.

Next steps

After the server is registered, configure virtual machines for backup

For information on how to configure Druva so that it can work with third-party VSS providers, see How do I configure Druva to use third party VSS providers?