Creating a Snapshot

Create a snapshot to save an image of a virtual machine (VM) at a particular point in time. If you export the snapshot as described in Exporting a Snapshot, you can use the exported files to import the VM to another system or back to the same everRun system to restore or duplicate the original VM. For an overview of snapshots, see Managing Snapshots.

You can create a snapshot of a VM whether the VM is running or shut down; however, if you want to create an application-consistent snapshot, where supported applications quiesce or freeze their operations to ensure data consistency, you must prepare your guest operating system as described in one of the following topics:

• Installing the QEMU Guest Agent for Application-Consistent Snapshots (Windows-based VMs)
• Installing the QEMU Guest Agent for Application-Consistent Snapshots (Linux-based VMs)

The number of snapshots you can create depends on the amount of storage space you have allocated in the volume container for each VM volume, as described in Sizing Volume Containers. If necessary, you can expand a volume container as described in Expanding a Volume Container on the everRun System.

To create a snapshot

1. Log on to the everRun system with the everRun Availability Console.
2. On the Physical Machines page (see The Physical Machines Page), verify that both PMs are in the running state and that neither PM is in maintenance mode or in the process of synchronizing.
3. On the Virtual Machines page, select a VM.
4. With the VM selected, click the Snapshot button in the bottom pane.

5. In the Snapshot Virtual Machine dialog box, optionally type a Snapshot Name and Description for the snapshot.

   The default Snapshot Name for each new snapshot is the name of the VM, but you can type a more descriptive name. (The snapshot name does not need to be unique.)

6. Click Create Snapshot. The snapshot begins, and the dialog box closes automatically.

Creating a snapshot typically takes a few seconds, but it may take longer depending on the level of VM activity and the amount of time that has passed since the previous snapshot. You can determine the status of a snapshot by checking the State column on the Snapshots page:

• A broken icon () indicates that a snapshot is still in progress, or that is written to only one node in the everRun system.
• A normal icon () indicates that a snapshot is complete.

If you want to export a completed snapshot, see Exporting a Snapshot.

Related Topics

Managing Snapshots

Creating and Migrating Virtual Machines

Managing the Operation of a Virtual Machine