Feature Request: BackupMode FastStop

[taubi]

Is it possible to implement such a BackupMode?

via qm send "STOP" to VM
via qm wait for status "STOP"
Make snapshot of VM
via QM send "START" to VM
backup the snapshot via vzdump
destroy snapshot

Pro: complete and consistent image with a short downtime of the vm (i think nearly the same time as a normal restart)


Maybe there are existing scripts to do such a backup? If yes, can someone share such a script please?


with best regards from Linz/Austria

 

[tom]

currently the system works with LVM snapshots, creates a consistent backup when the VM/CT is online.

in future, the system can do live backups without LVM (work in progress, KVM only).

 

[taubi]

I agree that the backup itself will be consistent, but when you have a windows server with a running database on it, the data on the virtual harddisk is not consistent.
The best way to get an consitent state is to shutdown the vm.
To reduce the timeout i want to use a script or so that the vm will be started while the backup is still running.

The only way to get consistent backup of such a vm is to include the ram into the backup.

Maybe this will be done already so a normal snapshot backup will be always consistent.


with best regards from Linz/Austria

 

[dietmar]

I agree that the backup itself will be consistent, but when you have a windows server with a running database on it, the data on the virtual harddisk is not consistent.

What kind of database do you talk about? Any database engine supporting transactions will be consistent.

 

[taubi]

You are wright, a good database should have transaction logs, but windows registry doesn't have it.

So, i think, it will be the best to take a snapshot and a windows system state backup during the week and a stop-mode backup at weekend and maybe a additional full windows backup.

If someone have to be on the safe side, make a database dump and later include it to the windows system state backup.

If a good and uptodate setup-documentation of the VM exist, this should be good enough for backup concept.


And remember: the best backup concept is useless, if a restore concept doesn't exist or this concept has never been checked.


with best regards from Linz/Austria

 

[dietmar]

You are wright, a good database should have transaction logs, but windows registry doesn't have it.

Really? They store such important data without transactions? Well, maybe that data is more or less 'read-only' (writes are rare), so this is not a problem?