Advanced LibVirt Backup with Bacula Enterprise

Bacula Enterprise’s LibVirt module is a powerful software technology created to provide image-level backup and restore services for a wide range of hypervisors that are based in Linux standard virtualization technology (KVM) and being bundled together with the virtualization management tools shipped by LibVirt – which has become a standard in the industry in recent years.

Bacula Enterprise extends its already extremely broad range of agentless virtualization solutions portfolio such as VMware, OpenStack, oVirt, and RHV to include not only pure KVM environments – but also technologies such as OpenNebula and other LibVirt-compatible platforms.

The new module offers a comprehensive set of features to cover all the data protection needs of a LibVirt-managed virtualized environment. It enables enterprises to leverage the flexibility of open-source virtualization while also benefiting from Bacula Enterprise’s secure, robust, and cost-effective backup and recovery toolset. It provides an exceptional combination of efficiency and flexibility, assisting IT teams with protecting mission-critical virtualized workloads while contributing to the reduction of backup times and resource usage.

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Organizations benefit from Bacula Enterprise’s unified approach to data protection, seamlessly integrating LibVirt environments with existing enterprise infrastructure while maintaining consistent security and management standards.

Security Architecture

Critical infrastructure organizations worldwide depend on Bacula Enterprise’s multi-layered security approach. The platform implements defense-in-depth strategies that activate immediately upon deployment:

• Advanced encryption protocols including AES-256 for data protection during storage and transmission
• Configurable cipher selection with support of multiple algorithms (AES-128, AES-192, AES-256, Blowfish)
• Comprehensive user authentication and authorization controls with detailed permission management
• Compliance-ready key management meeting FIPS requirements
• Integration capabilities with isolated and disconnected storage systems
• Write-protected backup copies that resist modification and deletion attacks
• Real-time threat monitoring and anomaly detection systems
• BGuardian security analysis platform for automated threat assessment and response

Hybrid Environment Support

Bacula Enterprise specializes in protecting diverse technology ecosystems, providing consistent data protection policies across:

• LibVirt-managed virtual machines alongside other hypervisor platforms
• Traditional physical infrastructure including servers and endpoints
• Containerized applications (OpenShift, Docker, Kubernetes) with persistent volume support
• Cloud storage services spanning multiple providers (Amazon S3, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud)

This integrated approach allows organizations to maintain standardized backup policies while accommodating technological diversity throughout their infrastructure.

Intuitive Web-Based Management Interface

The BWeb™ management platform provides comprehensive control through an intuitive interface that includes:

• Streamlined configuration workflows for LibVirt backup operations
• Detailed operational analytics and reporting capabilities
• Resource utilization tracking and performance analysis
• Live operational monitoring with customizable status displays
• Service provider functionality with multi-customer management support

Built-In Air Gapping and Immutability

Bacula Enterprise safeguards critical virtualized workloads against sophisticated cyber threats through multiple protective layers:

• Integration with offline storage systems including WORM devices, tape libraries, and cloud archival services
• Multi-tier storage strategies that physically separate critical VM data from primary systems
• Tamper-proof backup repositories to maintain data integrity over extended retention periods
• Continuous verification processes with automated integrity validation

Advanced Management Tools

Enterprise-class management features designed for complex distributed environments include:

• Intelligent configuration automation through Automation Center and ScanPlugin integration
• Centralized administrative interface providing unified control across geographically distributed infrastructure
• Comprehensive alerting and notification systems with customizable escalation procedures
• Seamless integration with enterprise monitoring platforms (Zabbix, Pandora FMS) for consolidated operations management
• Multi-user access controls with detailed permission hierarchies and workflow management

The LibVirt plugin provides an extensive array of capabilities designed specifically for modern virtualization environments:

Core Backup and Restore Features

• Automatic domain discovery for all virtual machines
• Image-level and checkpoint-based backup and restore using NBD (Network Block Device) devices or user directories
• Full, Differential and Incremental backup level support
• The ability to handle inclusion/exclusion of specific domains (Virtual Machines)
• The ability to handle exclusion of specific domain disks
• Backup of domains in “running”, “paused” and “shut off” states

Advanced Configuration Management

• Backup of storage pools configuration
• Backup of networks configuration
• Generic or custom quiesce during backup operations
• Restore on local directory for flexible recovery options
• Restore directly on the same or into a different hypervisor

Storage and Format Support

• Support for QCOW2 and RAW disk formats
• Single Item Restore capabilities for individual file recovery
• Flexible storage destination options

Supported Platforms

The following list represents just a few examples of the additional solutions that are also protected by Bacula’s LibVirt plugin:

• Pure KVM environment (managed with virt-manager or any other client)
• OpenNebula
• Apache CloudStack
• Huawei FusionCube Hypervisor
• Ganeti/Synnefo