Virtual Machine Backup: A Necessity for Server Admins
Virtual machine backup, restoration, retrieval, and
disaster recovery are the common terms used when describing the
process and purpose of backing up data on a regular basis. With
the advent of virtual machines, backing up virtual machines has
gained an even greater critical stance due to the complexity of
the virtual machine’s properties.
Virtual machine's (VM) main purpose is to
provide a clear independent platform. Virtual machines allow the
execution of standard, hardware-independent software just like a
physical computer; however, hardware access is virtualized.
Virtual hardware access can be either pass-through (the emulator
simply connects a physical device to a virtual machine) or
emulated (the host simulates the behavior of a real device).
Virtual machines can be divided into
two categories based on their usage: system virtual machines and
process virtual machines.
System virtual machines provide complete
system support of the execution of a complete operating system.
Process virtual machines
or application virtual machines are designed to
run a single program which is actually a single process.
Each virtual machine is independent of one another. The
benefits of virtual machines include but are not limited to:
isolation, ease of testing, and mobility.
Isolation of Virtual Machines
Should one virtual machine come under
attack from a virus or just become obsolete, the IT
administrator will still have other virtual machines to work
with. This separation of virtual machines ensures that files are
not destroyed, manipulated, or lost. In this situation the
business can continue without interruption. In addition, the IT
administrator may wish to back up virtual machine number one to
virtual machine number two. The duplicated content can be spread
out among virtual machines ensuring the security of the
data.
Ease of Testing in Virtual Machines
The independent platforms of virtual
machines allow the IT administrator to test one machine without
interrupting the work of other VMs. This is a great
advantage as updates and newer software versions may need to be
installed on one particular machine or the software programmer
may wish to test one updated software on a particular virtual
machine without having to interrupt the network.
Virtual Machine Mobility
Virtual machines allow great flexibility
and mobility of files. A virtual machine can be set up in any
location on the network. This adds to the replicating ability of
the data files as many of the same files can be located on
different virtual machines. Virtual machines are very easy to
setup and use. It does not take much work for the IT
administrator to set up virtual machines, thus they can help
reduce overhead costs as server purchases and maintenance can be
reduced in the long-term.
With these added benefits does come
additional work when addressing backup software and virtual
machines. Virtual machines are not immune to viruses or
breakdown and will need backups to protect data.
The administrator will need a virtual machine backup software that
allows a number of virtual machines to be backed up. The backup system environment
must be such that the number of virtual
machines doesn't impact overall performance beyond a reasonable
level. With the added number of virtual machines,
the administrator must keep track of the number of backup of the
virtual machines made simultaneously as this can cause resource
shortages during operation.
With the advanced
virtual machine backup features found in BackupChain
software, you can create, restore, and monitor all your virtual
machine backups at a mere instance.