4 include::attributes.txt[]
9 vzdump - Backup Utility for VMs and Containers
15 include::vzdump.1-synopsis.adoc[]
25 include::attributes.txt[]
28 'vzdump' is a utility to make consistent backups of running guest
29 systems. It basically creates an archive of the guest private area,
30 which also includes the guest configuration files. 'vzdump' currently
31 supports LXC containers and QemuServer VMs. There are several ways to
32 provide consistency (option `mode`), depending on the guest type.
34 .Backup `mode` for VMs:
38 This first performns a clean shutdown of the VM to make sure it is
39 stopped. It then starts the VM in suspended mode and uses the qemu
40 backup feature to dump all data. If the VM was running, we start
41 (resume) it immediately after starting the qemu backup task. This
42 keeps the downtime as low as possible.
46 This mode does not really make sense for qemu. Please use snapshot
51 This mode simply starts a qemu live backup task. If the guest agent
52 is enabled (`agent: 1`) and running, it calls 'guest-fsfreeze-freeze'
53 and 'guest-fsfreeze-thaw' to improve consistency.
55 A technical overview of the Proxmox VE live backup for QemuServer can
57 https://git.proxmox.com/?p=pve-qemu-kvm.git;a=blob;f=backup.txt[here].
59 NOTE: Qemu backup provides snapshots on any storage type. It does
60 not require that the underlying storage supports snapshots.
63 .Backup `mode` for Containers:
67 Stop the container for the duration of the backup. This potentially results in
72 This mode uses rsync to copy the container data to a temporary
73 location (see option `--tmpdir`). Then the container is suspended and a second
74 rsync copies changed files. After that, the container is started (resumed)
75 again. This results in minimal downtime, but needs additional space
76 to hold the container copy.
78 When the container is on a local filesystem and the target storage of the backup
79 is an NFS server, you should set `--tmpdir` to reside on a local filesystem too,
80 as this will result in a many fold performance improvement.
81 Use of a local `tmpdir` is also required if you want to backup a local container
82 using ACLs in suspend mode if the backup storage is an NFS server.
86 This mode uses the snapshotting facilities of the underlying
87 storage. A snapshot will be made of the container volume, and the
88 snapshot content will be archived in a tar file.
94 Newer versions of vzdump encode the guest type and the
95 backup time into the filename, for example
97 vzdump-lxc-105-2009_10_09-11_04_43.tar
99 That way it is possible to store several backup in the same
100 directory. The parameter `maxfiles` can be used to specify the
101 maximum number of backups to keep.
106 The resulting archive files can be restored with the following programs.
109 `pct restore`:: Container restore utility
111 `qmrestore`:: QemuServer restore utility
113 For details see the corresponding manual pages.
118 Global configuration is stored in '/etc/vzdump.conf'. The file uses a
119 simple colon separated key/value format. Each line has the following
124 Blank lines in the file are ignored, and lines starting with a '#'
125 character are treated as comments and are also ignored. Values from
126 this file are used as default, and can be overwritten on the command
129 We currently support the following options:
131 include::vzdump.conf.5-opts.adoc[]
134 .Example 'vzdump.conf' Configuration
136 tmpdir: /mnt/fast_local_disk
137 storage: my_backup_storage
145 You can specify a hook script with option `--script`. This script is
146 called at various phases of the backup process, with parameters
147 accordingly set. You can find an example in the documentation
148 directory ('vzdump-hook-script.pl').
153 NOTE: this option is only available for container backups.
155 'vzdump' skips the following files by default (disable with the option
163 You can also manually specify (additional) exclude paths, for example:
165 # vzdump 777 --exclude-path /tmp/ --exclude-path '/var/foo*'
167 (only excludes tmp directories)
169 Configuration files are also stored inside the backup archive
170 (in `./etc/vzdump/`) and will be correctly restored.
175 Simply dump guest 777 - no snapshot, just archive the guest private area and
176 configuration files to the default dump directory (usually
177 '/var/lib/vz/dump/').
181 Use rsync and suspend/resume to create a snapshot (minimal downtime).
183 # vzdump 777 --mode suspend
185 Backup all guest systems and send notification mails to root and admin.
187 # vzdump --all --mode suspend --mailto root --mailto admin
189 Use snapshot mode (no downtime).
191 # vzdump 777 --dumpdir /mnt/backup --mode snapshot
193 Backup more than one guest (selectively)
195 # vzdump 101 102 103 --mailto root
197 Backup all guests excluding 101 and 102
199 # vzdump --mode suspend --exclude 101,102
201 Restore a container to a new CT 600
203 # pct restore 600 /mnt/backup/vzdump-lxc-777.tar
205 Restore a QemuServer VM to VM 601
207 # qmrestore /mnt/backup/vzdump-qemu-888.vma 601
209 Clone an existing container 101 to a new container 300 with a 4GB root
210 file system, using pipes
212 # vzdump 101 --stdout | pct restore --rootfs 4 300 -
216 include::pve-copyright.adoc[]