[ovirt-users] Backup solution using the API

[Nir Soffer]

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Blaster" <Blaster at 556nato.com>
> To: "Thomas Keppler (PEBA)" <thomas.keppler at kit.edu>, users at ovirt.org
> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 8:06:58 PM
> Subject: Re: [ovirt-users] Backup solution using the API
> 
> On 11/27/2014 9:12 AM, Keppler, Thomas (PEBA) wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> Now, before I go into any more hassle, has somebody else of you done a
> live-backup solution for oVirt? Are there any recommendations? Thanks for
> any help provided!
> 
> 
> I've been looking for a similar scheme for the last year. It was not (really)
> possible in the past as there wasn't any way to destroy a snapshot w/o
> shutting down the VM. Is this still the case, or are snap shots fully
> implemented now?
> 
> Basically, I'd like to:
> Tell VM to flush it's buffers
> suspend VM
> take snap shot of boot virtual disk
> resume VM

You don't need to suspend the vm, qemu can create live snapshot. When the
snapshot is done, you don't care about future io, it will simply not 
included in the backup.

> backup the virtual boot disk from the Hypervisor using standard commands
> (tar, cp, whatever)

You can by attaching the snapshot to another vm

> destroy the snapshot

You can in ovirt 3.5.1 - we do not depend any more on future libvirt features.
Adam, can you confirm?

> 
> This would at least give some BMR capabilities of your VMs.
> 
> Ideally, I'd also like to be able to create a snapshot from within the VM, do

You can do this "within" the vm by using the engine REST API. But this can
be fragile - for example, if the vm pauses, your backup tool within the vm
will never complete :-)

> a yum update, see if I like it or not, if I do, then destroy the snap shot.

Possible in 3.5.1 using REST API

> If I don't, I want to promote the snapshot and boot from that, then destroy
> the "original".

Same

Nir