KVM Backup Solution: Snapshot Software for a Virtual Machine
KVM backup is a typical part of a Linux server backup.
KVM backup is a necessity for many Linux servers, so Handy Backup Development Team plans to make a dedicated KVM plug-in. Please help us developing it according to your needs!
Download for Free
Version 8.5.8 , built on October 31, 2024. 118 MB
30-day full-featured trial period
What Is KVM Backup?
KVM backup is a necessary part of a Linux server backup. Handy Backup actively develops its Linux branch, including plans for making a dedicated tool for KVM live backup. This feature will backup KVM virtual machine (including copying "hot" VM in use), allowing any KVM backup strategy that users want.
Features of a KVM Backup Solution
As for already developed virtual machine backup tools, KVM backup software will allow some crucial features and functions to backup KVM virtual machine instances with maximum of efficiency, depending on virtual drive model. New KVM backup feature will inherit all features of Handy Backup (see below).
Advantages of Handy Backup as KVM Backup Software
Hot KVM Snapshot Backup
As mentioned before, Handy Backup often allows "live" backup of running virtual machines. Therefore, a new feature will have a capability for KVM backup running VM without stopping the instance backed up.
Built-in Schedule
To maximize automation and allow building up any particular strategy, Handy Backup will allow scheduling a KVM image backup task to start and repeat by any pre-defined time and/or system event.
Running a Task Sequence
Besides scheduling, Handy Backup has another tool of effective KVM VM backup automation: the feature of starting any command (e.g. a KVM backup script) before and/or after a running task.
How to Backup KVM Virtual Machines in Handy Backup?
In addition to a dedicated plug-in, Handy Backup provides a complete set of functions and features making it an efficient KVM backup solution. Among these features are some crucial options listed below:
- Partial backup: incremental, differential and mixed full/differential or full/incremental;
- Keeping a pre-defined quantity of versions for the same backup set;
- Encryption (BlowFish) and compression (ZIP) built-in features;
- Network-based KVM backup software, working in heterogeneous networks*;
- Informing and reporting a user about all operations (including emailing reports).
* Theoretically, Handy Backup can save a KVM image backup just now, without any dedicated plug-in, using a network backup solution. To save a KVM backup instance, a user can select either a Computer plug-in for pre-located raw file, or a Disk Image for a LVM partition.
Recommended Solution
from $299 per license
Handy Backup Server Network
The unified solution for centralized backup, the Server Network edition allows saving any data from remote Windows and Linux machines in plain and heterogeneous networks. Try a 30-day free trial edition with all functions and plug-ins!
KVM Backup and Different Virtual Drive Models
For now, there are the three basic models of virtual drives used for making KVM image backup.
- LVM: uses separate partitions as KVM virtual drives. If you are planning KVM backup virtual machine based on LVM, you are actually backing up a disk or partition image.
- RAW: uses simple files as KVM disk images. In this form, you can make a KVM snapshot backup just by saving a copy of a raw file.
- QCOW2: a special format for QEMU hypervisor, allowing much control for KVM VMs and also containing a built-in tool for a simple KVM backup script.
Often, methods and simplicity of KVM backup is not a primary issue for choosing one of the drive image formats described above. However, each of these storage types requires a different approach for using the KVM backup solution.
Please Help Us to Develop a KVM Backup Plug-in for You!
If you want to have most convenient, most efficient KVM backup software plug-in for Handy Backup as quickly as possible, please send us a letter with your wishes and opinions about necessary functionality and prerequisites for such tool. We are glad to listen for every user’s opinion about our products!
To help us developing the KVM backup plug-in as soon as possible, please send us this form with your comments. We can significantly reduce the time for developing a new plug-in when we will know more about user needs and wants.