alextray
New Techie
When using Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtualization platform, backing up your virtual machines is of critical importance.
To keep your VM data safe, you should be aware of the different methods of Hyper-V VM backup and which ones can best meet your needs. There are two different approaches to Hyper-V VM backup: guest-level and host-level. The guest-level method resembles physical machine backup, working at the VM level with the help of agents installed on each one. Host-level backup offers more advantages, working at the hypervisor level and backing up entire VMs, including their configurations, which makes recovery easier.
Guest-level VM backup is similar to a physical host backup. Special agent-based software is installed on the guest operating system (OS) to perform the backup process. Almost all backup products for Windows use Microsoft’s Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS – also known as Volume Snapshot Service). VSS is a technology developed for making application-aware backup copies of your data with snapshots. Special components of VSS called VSS writers are used for this process. In Linux, LVM (Logical Volume Manager) snapshots can be used for a similar purpose.
Host-level backup methods are preferred for Hyper-V VM backup. Host-level backup methods work on the hypervisor level rather than the level of the guest virtual machine, and can back up VMs regardless of the operating system running in them. Virtual machines can be backed up completely, including the virtual disk files (indicated by the VHD format in Hyper-V) and configuration files in which the VM settings such as CPU, memory, network etc. are stored. There are two types of host-level backup methods – the Saved State Method and Child VM Snapshot Method.
To keep your VM data safe, you should be aware of the different methods of Hyper-V VM backup and which ones can best meet your needs. There are two different approaches to Hyper-V VM backup: guest-level and host-level. The guest-level method resembles physical machine backup, working at the VM level with the help of agents installed on each one. Host-level backup offers more advantages, working at the hypervisor level and backing up entire VMs, including their configurations, which makes recovery easier.
Guest-level VM backup is similar to a physical host backup. Special agent-based software is installed on the guest operating system (OS) to perform the backup process. Almost all backup products for Windows use Microsoft’s Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS – also known as Volume Snapshot Service). VSS is a technology developed for making application-aware backup copies of your data with snapshots. Special components of VSS called VSS writers are used for this process. In Linux, LVM (Logical Volume Manager) snapshots can be used for a similar purpose.
Host-level backup methods are preferred for Hyper-V VM backup. Host-level backup methods work on the hypervisor level rather than the level of the guest virtual machine, and can back up VMs regardless of the operating system running in them. Virtual machines can be backed up completely, including the virtual disk files (indicated by the VHD format in Hyper-V) and configuration files in which the VM settings such as CPU, memory, network etc. are stored. There are two types of host-level backup methods – the Saved State Method and Child VM Snapshot Method.
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