A virtual machine is an application domain (like – Servers) or operating system which is installed on software and there is no dedicated hardware. You will experience the working of a virtual system the same as a real one. The application is actually imitating the working of the dedicated hardware. The name of the software which makes this possible is Hypervisor. A Hypervisor is a software which creates and runs virtual machines. It reproduces the OS client or server’s CPU, memory, hard drive, network, and all the required hardware resources. A hypervisor can reproduce multiple virtual machines on a single host machine. Check more details on Backup windows server.
Advantages of using Virtual machines
- With every virtual machine running on a host machine, the cost of the hardware resources is saved.
- Virtual machines operate with absolute efficiency which is not possible with the physical hardware.
- The maintenance cost is reduced for the hardware components of the machine.
- The power and cooling demand for some hardware components are reduced.
- You can use a virtual machine for various different purposes like – backups, disaster recovery system, system administrator work, etc.
There are many more advantages to virtual machines. As we have seen the advantages, one deduction from this context is clear, the virtual machine is very important for business and personal use. So, it becomes important for any business to implement, manage, and protect virtual machines.
Managing a virtual machine is quite a task and the system administrator has to make most of the management decisions. There are many advantages of using a VM but it also adds risk to the host system. If you run several machines on a single host and the hardware platform of the host machine fails. This would mean the data of all those machines is gone. Therefore, the proper managing of the system is needed. Also, protection of the data and the system is of paramount importance. One of the best ways to ensure the safety of the data is through VM backups.
Why backups are important?
The data loss during an attack or corruption or anything can be prevented. In the case of a server crash, you can implement the backed-up server on a new virtual machine. It makes migration easier if you have created a backup. The process is cost-effective and permanent data loss is prevented. You can save the backup file on an external pen-drive, on a cloud platform, tape drive etc.
If you want to have excellent results, backups should be created on a regular basis. You would want to include the most important data in your backups. You can ignore system log files, error files, etc but do not forget to include online data source files. Online data source files include the data on the servers, emails, and files on a local network. Also, include the files on the database system like – tables, views, triggers etc.
You can create a backup of your virtual machine; you just have to follow some tips mentioned below:
- Perform backups at the host level, not guest level (VM level): Host-level backup ensures that entire virtual machine; this includes virtual disks, devices, memory, network card, etc are captured. This backup is performed at the hypervisor level. You can recover a complete VM from this data. The guest-level data is similar to physical machine backup. Only the data on the virtual disks is captured for the backup. Running a host-level backup is easy, quick, and captures the whole machine. Also, it is useful in the case of large Hyper-V virtual infrastructures.
- Snapshots are not backups: VM snapshots capture the state of the virtual machine at that particular time. You can revert to this state if you want to. Also, you can create multiple snapshots of the VM. There is a problem with these snapshots, if you revert to the previous snapshot, you cannot come back in the present. The current state is lost. You can keep going back but coming forward is not possible. Since the snapshots consume disk space storing too many snapshots can harm your virtual machines.
- Scheduling is important: The process of backup involves two or three stages. All of these stages consume a lot of resources. If you create a backup in virtual mode then resource starvation is bound to happen. But if you create a backup at the virtualization level, it will reduce the resource usage while capturing data. To avoid bottlenecks, schedule the backups when you are less likely to use the host machine. Bottlenecks will affect both the host and the guest.
- Storing a copy remotely and verification: Always keep one copy remotely saved. If you keep all your eggs in one basket then in the case of calamity all the eggs will be broken. Even keeping a backup on the same server or connected media can be harmful. Keep at least one copy on the cloud or a pen-drive. After this comes the verification part. Check if the backup copy is working or not.
- Monitor the process: Backing up a VM is a resource-intensive process. So, you have to keep an eye on the resource monitor regularly. If you see an error message, address it immediately. If there are more resources, the process is faster and better. Backup servers are not only transferring the data but also performing tasks like deduplication, compression, etc.
Nowadays, backup creation is a necessary task. There are many software companies which provide all the backup solutions. The #1 virtual machine backup solution company is NAKIVO Inc. NAKIVO Backup and Replication can perform a quick backup of VMware, Hyper-V, and Nutanix AHV virtual environments. The process is fully automated and protected using policy-based data protection. The software is available for Windows and Linux variables. NAKIVO Backup and Replication is an all-in-one solution designed to back up, replicate and recover VMs and cloud instances. With some cool features and the team working tirelessly for the benefit of the customer, you can trust NAKIVO Backup and Replication.
