NAKIVO v6.1 beta is now open!

It's no secret that I quite enjoy the simplicity of installing the NAKIVO Backup & Replication appliance in a home lab. Getting your most precious VMs protected easily and effectively takes under 10 minutes to install and configure, kicking off your first backup job. See also:

• NAKIVO Backup & Replication 6.0 VMware appliance is an easy choice for VM backups, can be installed directly on a Western Digital or Synology NAS!
  Mar 22 2016 by Paul Braren at TinkerTry

I was recently reading about a feature that I've wanted for my home lab for a long time. I haven't had a chance to try it yet:

• Staging (Seeding) VM Replication

as I continue to test simple and easy and affordable off-site backups.

I couldn't help but notice the recent NAKIVO announcement that they've opened their beta program for v6.1 to everybody, and wanted to let home lab enthusiasts know about this.

Here's one of the new features that caught my eye:

Hot Add: The new Hot Add feature enables writing VM data directly from/to the VM datastore, bypassing the network. NAKIVO Backup & Replication v6.1 Beta automatically uses Hot Add in order to offload production LAN from the data protection traffic and to increase the data transfer speed.

Also good that NAKIVO gives you a $20 Amazon Gift card for you to take just a few minutes of your time and give it a go, details below. But remember, you only have until July 15th for this perk.

• What’s New in v6.1 Beta

Admittedly, the refreshed UI that arrived with v6 means my slightly older v5.7-based deep dive video looks a little different:

See also at TinkerTry

• Announcing NAKIVO Backup & Replication v5.8 - virtual appliance, Windows service, or installed on an Intel-based Western Digital NAS
  Oct 12 2015

• NAKIVO Backup & Replication 5.7 fully supports vSphere 6, vSAN, and VVol, an easy choice for home labs
  Jul 09 2015

• NAKIVO Backup & Replication 5.5 released, NFR available to VCP and vExperts through Mar 31 2015
  Mar 19 2015

• Superguide: Home virtualization lab backup software, some special deals for VMware VCPs and vExperts
  Nov 26 2014

Full Disclosure: "TinkerTry.com, LLC" is registered as a NAKIVO Bronze Partner, mostly to help get notified of latest news and code releases. I get no special early-access, anybody can sign up for the betas. All TinkerTry site advertising goes through middle-man BuySellAds. NAKIVO does know if you found their affiliate link from my site, which means the possibility of reseller commissions if you eventually upgrade to one of their paid offerings. Here's their pricing.