Backup VM manually

[andvm]

Hi,

Which files I need to copy to have the latest data and be able to recover it if I need to backup a VM manually ?

Thanks

[continuum]

You must have all delta.vmdk and all flat.vmdk - the actual data is inside this 2 types.
Everytjhing else can be recreated if necessary.Normally you also want

- all vmdk-text files
- the vmx-file
- the vmsd-file - in case there is more than one snapshot.
It also makes sense to copy a few logs - for future troubleshooting.

[SavkoorSuhas · Accepted solution]

All the VM files are necessary. If you are not using a backup solution then you can download the VM folder to local machine or export the VM to OVF template. However, please note, for these operations the VM has to be powered OFF, which is why a backup solution is recommended to perform this task without downtime.

Suhas

[andvm]

Hi,

Choose to export to OVF Template "Folder of files (OVF)" to backup to NAS (appreciate VM needs to be off if done this way but for now it satisfies requirements).

Thanks!