Perform this task to back up VMs in real time. You can select any of the following backup types to back up your VMs as needed:
By file location:
Local backup—Back up data to the local directory.
Remote backup—Back up data to the remote server.
By data size:
VM backup—Back up the entire VM, including data on all disks and VM configuration files. You can restore the VM by using the backup file.
Disk backup—Back up only data on the VM. You can restore the data on the VM by using the backup file.
By backup method:
Full backup—Back up all data and applications before a specific time. The entire VM can be restored. This method provides the best protection at the expense of large storage space.
Incremental backup—Backs up the data that has changed since the previous full or incremental backup. This method does not back up duplicated data and consumes a short time, but the data recovery process is complicated. The first incremental backup is a full backup.
Differential backup—Backs up the data that has changed since the previous full backup. Compared with incremental backup, this method backs up duplicated data but the data recovery process is simple. The first differential backup is a full backup.
For more information about periodic VM backup, see "Manage VM backup files."
You can view backup files in the VM's backup history after backup. For detailed information about this task, see "View the backup history of a VM." You can restore the VM by using a backup file. For detailed information about this task, see "Import a VM to a host."
Before performing scheduled VM backup, make sure a backup policy has been configured for the system. For detailed information about backup policy configuration, see "Manage backup policies."
The system does not back up permission information, boot priority, automatic migration settings, and GPU 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.
A VM supports CBT backup only when its disks use a single-level image and are in QCOW2 format.
From the left navigation pane, select Data Center >Virtualization > Cluster name > Host name > VM name.
Click More, and click Back Up Now.
To perform scheduled backup, do the following:
Click Import Backup Policy, and select a backup policy.
Click OK.
Configure parameters as needed.
Click OK to back up the VM.
To perform manual backup, do the following:
Configure basic parameters as needed, and then click Next.
Configure backup location, directory and type.
Click OK to back up the VM.
Basic settings:
Backup File Name: Enter the name of the VM backup file.
Backups to Save: Enter the number of reserved backup files. The value range for this parameter is 1 to 30. If you do not configure this parameter, the system does not limit the number of backup files.
Disk Read Rate Limit: Set the limit on the disk read rate during backup.
Disk Write Rate Limit: Set the limit on the disk write rate during backup.
Temp Directory: Enter the temporary directory used during backup. During the backup, the system saves backup data to the temporary directory. The default temp directory is /vms/vmbackuptmp. If the directory you specify does not exist, the system automatically creates the directory during backup.
Compression: Configure whether to compress disk images 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 disk data by using the backup file.
Backup settings:
Backup Location: Select a backup destination. Options include Local Directory and Remote Server.
IP: Enter the IP address of the remote server. You must configure this parameter if you select the Remote Server option.
Username: Enter the username for logging in to the remote server. Make sure the account has read and write access to the server. If you select the FTP mode, this account must be the one created on the FTP server. If you select the SCP mode, 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.
Backup Directory: Specify the directory to store the backup file. If the 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.
Connection Test: Test only the connectivity between Space Console and the remote server.
Backup Type: Select a backup type.
Full—Backs up all data and applications before a specific point in time 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.