ML
    • Recent
    • Categories
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Groups
    • Register
    • Login

    Any Hypervisor vDisk backup

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved IT Discussion
    29 Posts 5 Posters 3.8k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • scottalanmillerS
      scottalanmiller @Dashrender
      last edited by

      @Dashrender said:

      I think it's the storage pool that the VM host uses to hold the VM's disks that are running on that machine, Am I right?

      Not the pool but the disk image itself.

      DashrenderD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • scottalanmillerS
        scottalanmiller @Dashrender
        last edited by

        @Dashrender said:

        The Snapshot (and I'm over simplifying this) basically creates a VHD that you can backup that has no locked portions in it so the backup process can read the entire thing.

        Good way to look at it.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • DashrenderD
          Dashrender @scottalanmiller
          last edited by

          @scottalanmiller said:

          @Dashrender said:

          I think it's the storage pool that the VM host uses to hold the VM's disks that are running on that machine, Am I right?

          Not the pool but the disk image itself.

          I don't follow - what image? to me image implies something that is static, unchanging.

          scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • DustinB3403D
            DustinB3403
            last edited by DustinB3403

            Well @Dashrender / @scottalanmiller I tested on a non-critical VM.

            Running a full NAUBackup for the test, I deleted the vDISK (the hard drive under the actual VM) the same place you can add additional disk or remove them.

            Deleting this vDisk, and then importing the backup.xva file back into Xen completely rebuilt a NEW VM to a fully functional state.

            Now I am being very clear as far as the process I used at least with NAUBackup, deleting the primary VM or the vDISK, and importing the backup.xva builds a completely new VM. So in effect, it builds an Image that can be used to recover with.

            At this point, you might be able to remount the other vDISK from the damaged VM (and all disk under it) into the new VM, but I have no scenario to test with at this point. I'll probably test this tomorrow at some point as an learning experience.

            scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • scottalanmillerS
              scottalanmiller @Dashrender
              last edited by

              @Dashrender said:

              @scottalanmiller said:

              @Dashrender said:

              I think it's the storage pool that the VM host uses to hold the VM's disks that are running on that machine, Am I right?

              Not the pool but the disk image itself.

              I don't follow - what image? to me image implies something that is static, unchanging.

              At any moment in time the vDisk or VHD is an image. It will change moment to moment but is never "in the process or changing". Any time that it is observed it is static. I know that that sounds strange, but it is a little like the infamous cat. We don't know the state of things, but if we observe it we will know.

              DashrenderD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • scottalanmillerS
                scottalanmiller @DustinB3403
                last edited by

                @DustinB3403 said:

                Well @Dashrender / @scottalanmiller I tested on a non-critical VM.

                Running a full NAUBackup for the test, I deleted the vDISK (the hard drive under the actual VM) the same place you can add additional disk or remove them.

                Deleting this vDisk, and then importing the backup.xva file back into Xen completely rebuilt a NEW VM to a fully functional state.

                Now I am being very clear as far as the process I used at least with NAUBackup, deleting the primary VM or the vDISK, and importing the backup.xva builds a completely new VM. So in effect, it builds an Image that can be used to recover with.

                At this point, you might be able to remount the other vDISK from the damaged VM (and all disk under it) into the new VM, but I have no scenario to test with at this point. I'll probably test this tomorrow at some point as an learning experience.

                Awesome, so full backup, working as intended. Good deal.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • DustinB3403D
                  DustinB3403
                  last edited by DustinB3403

                  Oh yeah, to add when I imported it named the VM "Backup_VMName" in the VM list.

                  Just rename it and go. As good as it could get.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • DashrenderD
                    Dashrender @scottalanmiller
                    last edited by

                    @scottalanmiller said:

                    At any moment in time the vDisk or VHD is an image. It will change moment to moment but is never "in the process or changing". Any time that it is observed it is static. I know that that sounds strange, but it is a little like the infamous cat. We don't know the state of things, but if we observe it we will know.

                    AWWW - I wasn't seeing it correctly, the vDisk belongs to the VM, not the hypervisor, gotcha!

                    JaredBuschJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • JaredBuschJ
                      JaredBusch @Dashrender
                      last edited by

                      @Dashrender said:

                      AWWW - I wasn't seeing it correctly, the vDisk belongs to the VM, not the hypervisor, gotcha!

                      No long winded explanations required.

                      He is using the term vDisk to reference the file that in Hyper-V is the .VHD/.VHDX. Don't know the ext in other systems without looking.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • DustinB3403D
                        DustinB3403
                        last edited by

                        Jared on this Host we aren't running Hyper-V but Xenserver, but yes vDISK would be the VHD/VHDX (in hyper-v) or OVA (in Xen)

                        JaredBuschJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • JaredBuschJ
                          JaredBusch @DustinB3403
                          last edited by

                          @DustinB3403 said:

                          Jared on this Host we aren't running Hyper-V but Xenserver, but yes vDISK would be the VHD/VHDX (in hyper-v) or OVA (in Xen)

                          I know you're using sin but I was using the term that @Dashrender was familiar with

                          DashrenderD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • DashrenderD
                            Dashrender @JaredBusch
                            last edited by

                            @JaredBusch said:

                            @DustinB3403 said:

                            Jared on this Host we aren't running Hyper-V but Xenserver, but yes vDISK would be the VHD/VHDX (in hyper-v) or OVA (in Xen)

                            I know you're using sin but I was using the term that @Dashrender was familiar with

                            Thanks! 🙂

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • 1
                            • 2
                            • 2 / 2
                            • First post
                              Last post