1 Review the considerations and prerequisites in Requirements and considerations for VMware backups.
2 Select the vCenter, stand-alone ESX server, resource pool, vApp, navigation group, or virtual machine from the Navigation pane.
3 Select Backup > Schedule Backup and then enter a unique schedule name and description.
4 In the Schedule area, select a backup strategy from the list. Choose from Incremental Forever (recommended), Full with Incrementals, Full with Differentials, or Custom.
Note for custom backup strategy: Select the calendar icon to drag and drop the backup type icons onto the desired days. Select Confirm to save changes or Cancel to exit without saving.
5 Define the frequency at which backups of each type will run using the fields below each backup type.
6 (Optional) Set retention settings as desired. For details see About retention control.
7 Select the virtual machines you wish to protect with this schedule. If you want to add new virtual machines to this schedule, select Auto-include new VMs.
8 If necessary, assign credentials. See Setting VM credentials for application-aware protection for details.
9 Click Save to create and enable the schedule.