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Hello, @eric_76! You can use one of these methods to create an Amazon S3 backup: To preserve older versions of files and restore them, you can enable Amazon S3 versioning There is an option of configuring Amazon S3 replication from one S3 bucket to another You can use the synchronization tool in AWS CLI to copy your data from Amazon S3 to an EC2 instance Another method is to use s3cmd or s4cmd, which allow you to download files from a bucket directly to a local file system on your Linux machine Decide which option is the most suitable for you and check the instructions in this blog post on how to back up S3 buckets to have your backups stored in Amazon S3: https://www.nakivo.com/blog/how-to-backup-an-amazon-s3-bucket/

Hi! @eric_76 @mark007, I wouldn't recommend using snapshots as a backup method for your AWS EC2 instances as it has several limitations, such as: High security risks. If your cloud credentials leak, everything including EC2 instances, volumes and snapshots can be deleted within seconds, resulting in complete data loss and no way to recover it. Very basic retention policy for storing data. You can either keep a long chain of snapshots and overpay for storage or keep a short chain of snapshots and hope the older data won’t be needed. Another option is to spend time on manual snapshot administration. All of the choices aren't efficient. You can't perform granular recovery. EBS volume snapshots are exactly what they sound like: just snapshots. All you can do with a snapshot is restore it to an EBS volume. This means that you cannot perform any kind of granular recovery from the snapshots. AWS snapshots are only crash-consistent. A crash-consistent state is good for file servers, but not for applications and databases, which store portions of data in memory and have incomplete I/O operations at the time a snapshot is made. AWS snapshots store all data without using any data reduction techniques. Therefore, you spend much more money on your storage. For security reasons and budget savings (up to 4x times), I recommend you use a third-party solution. You can check NAKIVO's offer for your Amazon EC2 backup https://www.nakivo.com/aws-ec2-instance-backup/ Let me know if you have more questions.

Hi, @sys.erp! Yes, you can establish a hybrid deployment, allowing you to use the same accounts for both cloud and local authentification. It can be done easily using Office 365 AD synchronization. This step-by-step guide https://www.nakivo.com/blog/a-step-by-step-guide-to-setting-up-office-365-ad-sync/ will walk you through: All the requirements The preparation procedures Installation of Azure AD Connect Export of Azure AD Connect configuration Other Office 365 AD Sync Options Additional configuration recommendations If you have any questions left, don't hesitate to contact me.

Hi, @Jason! DSM7 is supported by NAKIVO 10.4.0.56979. So, there shouldn't be any issues. Let me now if you have other questions.

Hi, @SecureIT! So that our engineers can provide you with the best assistance, please request a meeting. To do so, please send an email to support@nakivo.com and specify your ticket ID #127423. Note: We use the GoToMeeting application. Let me know if I can help you with anything else.

@tim.vp, Hi! There are several options for how to deal with this error. You can solve it by using: native GUI tools Process Explorer PowerShell Check the complete guide on how to work with this issue in our blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/how-to-disable-a-hyper-v-vm-stuck-in-the-starting-stopping-state/ Let me know if it works for you.

@sanches.romero, Microsoft 365 offers several preventive measures to protect your environment: Defender for Office 365 (previously Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection) is one of the main anti-malware solutions. Defender monitors your environment for potential risks and any suspicious activity. It helps prevent most of the malware by recognizing and blocking the threats. Anti-phishing protection is included in Defender for Office 365. As phishing emails are one of the most common ways to get infected with malware, this feature can really make the difference. You can define the anti-phishing policies in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center and activate the anti-phishing protection feature. You can find a visual guide on how to set the requested policies in this blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/how-to-protect-microsoft-office-365-data-against-ransomware/ There are several preventive measures offered by Microsoft and third-party anti-ransomware solutions. However, please remember that the only way to protect your data is a reliable backup and recovery solution. It will restore your critical information when all the preventive measures fail.

Hi, @orlando! To protect your critical data in Microsoft 365, integrate the following points to your backup strategy: Endpoint security. First and foremost, protect your devices. Use antivirus, firewall, automate security updates, take your password choice seriously and access only protected Wi-Fi networks. Multi-factor authentification is another great measure to take. Protect the online conferencing space. Control who and how can access your team meetings. Enable encryption. Separate business and personal space even while using the BYOD system. Ensure email protection against phishing attacks. Avoid and report scam messages and emails. Consider using a third-party solution to have your data recoverable no matter what. If you want to dig into Microsoft 365 backup challenges and best practices, check this blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/key-reasons-why-microsoft-365-backup-is-essential-for-remote-workers/

Hi, @rico.tiko! You can download our free VMware VCP-DCV vSphere 7 study guide https://www.nakivo.com/resources/study-guide-7/ It covers all of the topics you might need. Good luck with your exam!

Hi, @Lu.tai! You can do it in two cases: if you know the IP address or the MAC address of the mentioned VM. 1. If you know the IP address, do the following: Connect to the ESXi host or vCenter. Enter the username and password (It has to be an administrative account.): Connect-VIServer ESXi_or_vCenter_IP -User root The most straight-forward command to display a virtual machine with the defined IP address is: Get-VM * |where-object{$_.Guest.IPAddress -match "192.168.17.137"} (Where "192.168.17.137" is your chosen VM's IP address.) 2. Alternatively, you can identify the virtual machine's name with its IP address by using vSphere PowerCLI. Find more details on this and how to identify the VM name by MAC address in our blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/locating-vmware-vms-by-ip-or-mac-address/ Let me know if you have any additional questions.

Hi, @Martijn! The feature request is created. However, there is no ETA for it yet. I will inform you when our team implements it. Thank you for your patience!

Hello, @Cian Joyce! All of the network topologies have their pros and cons. First of all, you have to set your company's priorities and define what your resources are. Based on that, you can move forward and check different types of networks that can be used. In our blog, we have multiple articles that can be helpful for you. This one explains the concept of network topology, the difference between physical and logical topologies, the peculiarities and use cases of the following types of topologies: point-to-point, bus, ring, star, tree and hybrid. Additionally, you will find some information on the types of cables you can use in every single case. https://www.nakivo.com/blog/msp-network-topology-for-beginners/ This blog post is a perfect further-read as it is centered on more advanced and complex networks, such as traditional 3-tier hierarchical, clos and multi-tier clos. In addition, you get explained the essential aspects that affect the layout of your network, like the top of rack vs. end of row network connection schemes and layer 2 vs. layer 3 connection. https://www.nakivo.com/blog/msp-network-topology-for-beginners/ Let me know if you require any extra information.

Hi, @heyho! Selecting a suitable storage controller is crucial for good VM performance. There are several types of controllers: IDE, AHCI SATA, NVM Express (NVMe) and SCSI. SCSI storage controllers have four sub-types: BusLogic Parallel LSI Logic SAS LSI Logic Parallel VMware Paravirtual SCSI Each of the storage controllers has its advantages and disadvantages. You can dive deeper into the differences through our blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/scsi-controller-and-other-vmware-controller-types/

Hello, @decoz! Windows scale-out file server (SOFS) is great for providing high scalability and high availability. So, if you were looking for a file server with the option of high availability, SOFS might be perfect for you. The setup process isn't complicated if you follow the guidelines. Note: First, your cluster requires some preparation that you can't skip. You can find a step-by-step guide on how to scale out file server in Windows and deploy a failover cluster in our blog post: https://www.nakivo.com/blog/how-to-use-scale-out-file-server-in-windows-server-2019/ Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi, @Tayler Odling! The biggest difference between FTP and SFTP is encryption (SSH file transfer protocol) included in SFTP. When you send data with FTP, it isn't encrypted. Note: You can use a secure connection, but your file and the transmission, in general, won't be encrypted. On the contrary, SFTP doesn't transfer data in clear text as it is encrypted. If you decide to stay with FTP, try using passwords and additional security options, like requesting passwords to access the transferred data. If you choose to set up SFTP, use this step-by-step guide https://www.nakivo.com/blog/how-to-build-powershell-tools-to-setup-sftp/ Let me know if you have any additional questions.

Hi,@Marco Zhang! You're right. Hyper-V can cause errors if you want to run a second-type hypervisor (like VirtualBox) on the same machine. So, the best solution for you is to uninstall Hyper-V if you don't want to use it anymore. You can do it using booth GUI and CLI. Disabling Hyper-V in the control panel of Windows 10 is one of the most convenient methods to uninstall Hyper-V completely. To use it, do the following: Click Start and open Control Panel. There are two methods of opening the Control Panel: Press Win+X and click Control Panel in the menu. Press Win+R > type appwiz.cpl > press Enter. In the Control Panel window, click Turn Windows features on or off. In the Windows Features tab, deselect the Hyper-V. Note: Ensure that all the checkboxes in Hyper-V subfolders are also deselected. Click OK. This will start the Hyper-V uninstallation process. Click Restart to finish the process. If for some reason you prefer another uninstalling method, check this blog post with several other disabling options https://www.nakivo.com/blog/uninstalling-or-disabling-hyper-v-in-windows-10/

Hi, @darkhorse! There are several points you have to take into account while backing up your Exchange Online. Ensure you think of the following aspects: 1. Define what has to be protected Microsoft 365 offers built-in data protection. However, Microsoft isn't legally responsible for data protection. That's why you might need a backup solution to fulfill all of the required processes. Microsoft uses retention policies to store or delete data. You get three data retention options: Retain only. Store your data for a specific time Delete only. Delete data after a specified time Retain and delete after. First, store data for the needed time and then delete it 2. Set your RTOs and RPOs Before building your Exchange Online backup strategy, set clear Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs). 3. Run incremental backups regularly Incremental backups are perfect for Exchange Online emails as they copy only the new data since the previous backup. As a result, incremental backups save your storage space. 4. Define your backup rotation scheme You need to keep in mind the type of your backup, the required storage and the storage media you require. Those are the basic factors that define your backup process. To back up your Exchange Online, you can use a Grandfather, Father, Son (GFS) rotation scheme, which means: Grandfather: your full monthly backup Father: your full weekly backup Son: your daily incremental backup 5. Keep your data on-premises Keeping your backup destinations diverse is one of the best ways to ensure data protection and business continuity. Having an on-premise copy helps you recover your data promptly if something happens with the copy stored offsite. 6. Automated backups Manual backups require a lot of time. That's why scheduled and automated backups are great to avoid network congestion and save your time. 7. Secure backup access Use role-based access control (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect your backups from unauthorized access. 8. Granular recovery This feature is helpful for the instant recovery of your Exchange Online data. You can quickly recover separate emails without running a full recovery. 9. Compliance requirements According to the law, some data has to be kept for legal compliance. Regular backups can help you have all relevant data available, while advanced search features allow you to find the data you require promptly. If you want to know more, continue with reading the following blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/best-practices-for-exchange-online-backup/

@fio_fan, Hello! The answer to your question depends on your needs. What you have to know about VXLAN: Adopted for environments with a high number of virtual machines connected to a network. Works on top of the L3 network. Allows you to build a virtual L2 network over an L3 physical network with an encapsulation technique called MAC-in-UDP. Has numerous advantages compared to traditional VLAN. However, VXLAN is much more complicated. As for the main advantages, consider the following: VXLAN pros: Highly scalable networks. Multiple L2 domains can be stretched between various data centers. Supports multi-tenancy, multicast and network segmentation. Flexibility. There is no need for STP. L3 networks work as the underlying network. You avoid overload of physical networks on the L2. You get centralized network management. As for the VXLAN downsides: Initial configuration and deployment are complex. Scaling a centralized controller to manage overlay networks is difficult. You get the headers overhead because of encapsulation techniques. The underlay network requires support for multicast broadcast, unknown unicast and multicast (BUM) traffic. If you want to learn more on the subject, go to our blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/vxlan-vmware-basics/ Let me know if you have any additional questions.

@darkhorse, Hi! Everything depends on your needs. But to make it easy and choose between one of the Microsoft 365 suites and a standalone email solution, answer the following questions: What is the size of your business? (if you have a small business with a simple structure, Exchange Online might satisfy your needs.) How collaborative is your working environment? (If your type of company requires a lot of communication and interactions between the team member, definitely consider one of the Microsoft 365 plans.) What is the nature of your business? (If you require data management tools or storage solutions, for instance, Microsoft 365 might be just a perfect fit to help your business in more ways than just offering email hosting.) What is your budget? (If you want to keep the cost as low as possible, then Exchange Online alone is cheaper. However, the difference between the most affordable plans is one dollar per user per month.) If you want to dive deeper into the topic, check this blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/exchange-online-vs-microsoft-office-365-for-business-email-hosting/

@Xavier.rob, Hi! First of all, yes, an administrator can set a host profile and copy the settings to other profiles. As for the workflow, it would look as follows: Configure an ESXi host that you use as a reference. Extract the configuration from your ESXi host to the host profile Deploy new ESXi hosts you want to have the shared configuration Import host profile's configuration to new ESXi host Customize the configuration (hostnames, IP addresses that have to be unique for every host). To find the detailed description of each step, check this blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/how-to-create-and-set-up-vmware-vsphere-host-profiles/

@Yosmar, Hi! To fix the VM consolidation needed status, do the following: Go to VMware vSphere Client. Click the VM name > Snapshots > Consolidate. You will see a confirmation message: "This operation consolidates all redundant redo logs on your virtual machine. Are you sure you want to continue?" Click Yes to consolidate VM disk files. Note: If you are worried that you can lose your data during disk consolidation, back up your VMware VM. Wait until the task is completed. You can see the progress at the bottom of your VMware vSphere Client. If the VM is running, VM performance can degrade during this operation. The needed time depends on the virtual machine size, the number of snapshots and your VM load. After the VMware disk consolidation is finished, the error message will disappear. However, it might happen that you'll get another error message. Check the guide on how to solve the potential errors in this blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/fix-vmware-error-virtual-machine-disks-consolidation-needed/ Let me know if you need any further help.

@Pavels Ruhmans, It may depend on the repository type. In the "Incremental with Full" Repository, the recovery points may be deleted by retention policy only in chains consisting of one full backup and all its increments. Another required condition to delete the "Full+it's increments" chain is that there should be enough recovery points in other "Full+it's increments" chains to fully suit the retention policy. Thus, for the "Incremental With Full" Repository type, the retention policy shows the minimum number of recovery points that should be present in a backup. Also, if backups are immutable, they cannot be removed until immutability expires. Please send our support team a Support Bundle with the main database included so that our engineers can investigate your configuration: https://helpcenter.nakivo.com/User-Guide/Content/Settings/Support-Bundles.htm Let me know if have any additional questions.

@Mario, Thanks a lot for sharing! Happy holidays to you as well *Rudolf's emoji*

Hi, @Hakim! To import contacts to Outlook Online, do the following: Open Outlook Online in your browser. Open the Menu and click People to see your contacts. Click Contacts > Your contacts. Tap on Manage in the right corner and choose Import contacts. Now, choose the CSV contacts file and upload it. Click Import. Try to use UTF-8 encoding for better compatibility. Once the upload is completed, you will see the message saying "Looking good ". Click Close. You are done. If you want to use other import methods, check our blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/how-to-import-contacts-to-outlook-365/

Hi, @Hakim! Yes, you can connect pretty much any USB device to VMware VMs by using the USB passthrough feature. It is available starting with ESXi 4.1. For the USB passthrough functioning, you need 3 main components: the arbitrator, physical USB device and USB controller. The arbitrator is an ESXi server service that scans physical USB devices. The arbitrator is enabled on ESXi by default. A USB controller has physical USB ports connected. There is also a virtual USB controller created especially for a VM running on a hypervisor. A virtual USB controller interacts with a physical one. A physical USB device. Note: Not more than 20 USB devices can be connected to one virtual machine or ESXi host. You can check all the system requirements and the procedure of connecting a USB device to a virtual machine in our blog post https://www.nakivo.com/blog/how-to-use-usb-devices-with-a-vmware-vsphere-virtual-machine/ Let me know if you get any questions along the way.