[NTLUG:Discuss] Backing up live VMWare VM's (on the cheap)

[David Stanaway]

Since you are using a linux host, you could try doing an LVM snapshot 
and backing up that. If you wanted a definite consisten backup, there 
should be a way to pause the VM and sync it to disk before you do the 
LVM snapshot then unpause (Thus making your pause window as short as 
possible).



David Simmons wrote:
> Guys,
>
> Was hoping to poll the group and see if anyone has a good
> solution for VMWare Virtual Machine Backups on live servers....without
> using Vmware's Consolidated Backup program (i.e. - doing it on the
> cheap).
>
> Setup - running the free VMWare Server (not ESXi) on
> CentOS and have a duplicate machine waiting to receive the backup files
> (and be a new host if original host goes down).
>
> I think I can
> do something like this:
>
> 1)  Run  'vmrun snapshot
> /path/to/vmx' 
> 2)  Copy all files (original and snapshot) from
> first server to storage area on second)
> 3)  Issue 'vmrun
> revertToSnapshot /path/to/vmx'   or 'vmrun deleteSnapshot
> /path/to/vmx'
> 4)  Sleep safely knowing things are backed-up
>
> I'm pulling this mindset from:
>
> http://searchvmware.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid179_gci1276253,00.html
>
> but I have the following questions:
>
> A)  which
> option do I use with vmrun in step 3)
> B)  is this a good way
> (without using something like VCB) to do this?
> C)  Are there
> better methods (without having to suspend the running servers)?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
>  - dave
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.ntlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
>