How to Backup VMware Virtual Machine

Virtual machines are of utmost importance in business operations, making it imperative for all users to take necessary measures to back them up. This article aims to present various practical approaches for backing up VMware virtual machines.

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Updated by Gap on Nov 20, 2023

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Why Backup VMware Virtual Machine

In recent years, virtual machines have gained significant attention as many businesses shift towards cloud-based solutions. Among the various types and models of virtual machines, VMware stands out due to its excellent scalability and performance, seamless compatibility, integration with various operating systems, hardware, and applications, and user-friendly management.
As virtual machines play a crucial role in business operations, backing them up is a necessary measure for all users. This is not only to prevent data loss due to accidental misoperations but also to protect against cyber-attacks and ransomware threats. Regular backups also help improve daily regulatory compliance and system performance. Therefore, organizations should carefully plan their backup strategies, choose appropriate tools and technologies, and monitor the performance of their backup processes.

Backup VMware Virtual Machine with EaseUS Todo Backup

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By installing EaseUS Todo Backup on a virtual machine, you gain access to a comprehensive backup solution right on your VMware Virtual machine. The software allows you to back up various types of data, from the entire system to individual files or specific partitions, all based on your specific needs and preferences - just like you would on a physical machine.

To create a backup task, just click New Task in the left side, choose the backup content and the destination. Then click Proceed.
new backup task
One of the standout features of this software is its flexible scheduling options. You can set backups to run at specific times, ensuring your data is consistently protected without manually start the process each time.
schedule

Moreover, in the event of system failures, EaseUS Todo Backup provides a quick disaster recovery solution. It also supports selective file restoration, permitting you to retrieve specific files from your backups when needed. This level of control and convenience makes it a reliable choice for backing up your virtual machine.
recovery vm

Take a Snapshot for VMware Virtual Machine

A VMware snapshot is a copy of the virtual machine's disk file (VMDK) at a given point in time. Snapshots provide a change log for the virtual disk and are used to restore a VM to a particular point in time when a failure or system error occurs. Snapshots alone do not provide backup.
1. In VMware Workstation, choose VM Snapshot Take Snapshot.
take snapshot
2. Enter a name for the snapshot. A description for the snapshot is optional. Click Take Snapshot and wait for the process to be done.
snapshot name

3. After the snapshot is completed, you can see it in Snapshot Manager and choose to revert it.
revert snapshot

Use the Build-in Clone Feature in VMware

1. There is a build-in Clone feature in VMware Virtual machine to make a clone of the virtual machine. It can be located in VM > Manage. Click Next in Clone Virtual Machine Wizard to continue.
clone in vm
clone wizard
2. Here are 2 options, to clone from the current state in the virtual machine, or choose from the existing snapshots.
clone source
3. Then decide whether the cloned virtual machine is linked to original machine, or create a complete independent copy of the original one.
clone type
4. Input the name of new virtual machine and location, click Finish to start the clone process.
clone name
5. When the whole process completed, you will see this cloned virtual machine in the list.
clone complete

Conclusion

You have two options for backing up your virtual machines: you can use EaseUS Todo Backup, a backup software, or you can utilize the snapshot feature in VMWare. The key difference between backups and snapshots lies in their nature. Backups are standalone files that are self-contained, meaning they can restore a virtual machine without relying on any other files. On the other hand, snapshots rely on multiple dependent files for the restoration of a virtual machine. After all, using EaseUS Todo Backup as a daily backup solution for virtual machines is highly recommended.

Backup VMware Virtual Machine FAQs

1. What is the difference between backup and snapshot in VMware?
Snapshot copies the state of a system at a certain point in time, preserving a virtual picture of your server's file system and settings. Unlike a backup, which performs a full copy of your data, a snapshot only copies the settings and metadata required to restore your data in the event of a disruption.

2. What are the Pros and cons of snapshots?
Snapshot pros:
Quick creation: Easily take a VM snapshot with minimal impact on the production server.
Instant rollback: Restore a machine to a previous point in time almost instantly.
Reduced TCO: Minimize the total cost of ownership (TOC) by eliminating the need for native Windows backup tools.
Snapshot cons:
Large storage consumption: Snapshots can take up large storage space if kept for too long. Based on the volume of data you generate, it is recommended to keep a snapshot for one to three days.
Short-term retention: In addition to large storage consumption, snapshots impact network performance if stored for more than a few days. This prevents long-term data retention.
Single point of failure: If anything happens to your production server, you risk losing all your data since source disk and delta disk files are stored in the same location.
Dependency on source data: The delta files created after you take a snapshot are directly dependent on the source machine. If the original file is deleted then you can no longer recreate the VM.

3. Can you backup a running VM?
VMware stores each VM as a VM file (typically a VMDK file). EaseUS Todo Backup can backup these files to protect entire VMs in a one easy step. Unlike operating system backups that can take a long time and consume significant system resources, the backup for a VMDK file is a quick and simple operation.

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Updated by Gap

Gap has been working as an experienced data backup and security engineer at EaseUS for over 10 years, focusing on working with clients to assess needs and implemented procedures and tasks for appropriate backup solutions.

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Product Reviews

TrustScore 4.7 | 47 reviews
  • Taking everything into consideration, we can say that EaseUS Todo Backup Home can offer you a little extra sense of security with a set of advanced tools. The interface provides quick adaptation, every process guiding you all the way through so you don't get stuck or further damage your system rather than keeping it safe.

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  • EaseUS Todo Backup Free lets you create backups of your important files or your entire computer through its streamlined interface. Just choose the backup type you'd like to get started, and let the program do the reset.

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  • EaseUS includes all the features I expect from backup software like versioning, incremental backups, and scheduling. For more advanced users, EaseUS allows you to install a pre-boot environment onto your hard drive so you can use it to restore files without burning a CD or putting it on an external USB drive.

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