Perform this task to back up VMs. To perform scheduled backup of VMs, see "Manage backup policies."
The system does not back up permission information, boot priority, and automatic migration settings of VMs.
For VMs that use block devices as disks or use raw disks, online backup, incremental backup, and differential backup are not supported.
VM backup occupies the system resources of the host. Do not back up VMs during peak service periods.
Snapshots do not support changed block tracking (CBT) backup. If you restore a VM with snapshots by using a CBT backup file, the snapshots of the VM will be lost.
To avoid backup failure, do not change the running state of a VM during a CBT backup.
For CBT backup, only CBT full backup and CBT incremental backup are supported in the current software version.
To use CBT backup, make sure the VMs use intelligent disks and single-level image files.
Make sure the space of the temporary directory for backup is more than twice the VM's disk space. If the VM uses multi-level disk images, the VM's disk space is the total capacity of all images.
On the top navigation bar, click VMs. If multiple clusters exist in the system, you must also select a cluster from the left navigation pane.
Select a VM, click More on the VM tile, and then select Backup Now, or select a VM from the navigation pane to enter the VM overview page, click More Actions, and then select Backup Now.
Set the parameters as described in "Parameters," or click Import Backup Policy to select a backup policy to back up VMs in real time. Make sure you have created a backup policy as described in "Manage backup policies."
Basic Info
Backup File Name: Enter the name of the VM backup file.
Files to Retain: Enter the number of backups to reserve. If you do not configure this parameter, the system does not limit the number of backups.
Disk Read Rate Limit: Set the limit on the disk read rate during backup.
Disk Read Write Limit: Set the limit on the disk write rate during backup.
Temp Directory: Enter the temporary directory used during backup. If the directory you specify does not exist, the system automatically creates the directory during backup.
Compress: Set whether to compress the disk image during backup.
Type: Select a backup type.
VM Backup—Backs up the entire VM, including its disk data and configuration files. You can restore the entire VM by using the backup file.
Disk Backup—Backs up only one or multiple disks of the VM and does not back up its configuration files. You can restore only the disks by using the backup file.
CBT Backup: Select whether to enable CBT backup for the VM. CBT backs up only the data that has changed since the last backup, which saves time and system resources.
Backup Type
Location: Select the backup destination.
IP Address: Enter the IP address of the remote server. You must configure this parameter if you select the Remote Server option.
Username: Enter the name for logging in to the remote server. The account must have read and write privileges. This parameter is required if you select Remote Server as the backup destination. If the connection mode is FTP, this account must be the one created on the FTP server. If the connection mode is SCP, this account must be the one created on the OS of the remote server.
Password: Enter the password for logging in to the remote server. You must configure this parameter if you select the Remote Server option.
Directory: Enter the directory for saving the backup file. If the local directory you specify does not exist, the system automatically creates the directory during backup.
Connection Mode: Select the mode for connecting to the remote server. Options include FTP and SCP. If you select FTP, only Server-U, VsFTP, and IIS servers are supported.
Connectivity: Test connectivity between UIS Manager and the backup server.
Backup Mode: Select a backup mode.
Full—Backs up all data and applications before a specific time point for a VM. This mode provides the best data protection.
Incremental—Backs up the data that has changed since the previous full or incremental backup.