{"id":40512,"date":"2020-02-01T16:17:26","date_gmt":"2020-02-01T13:17:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/blog\/blog_prohoster\/pro-bekapy-v-proxmox-ve"},"modified":"2020-02-01T16:17:26","modified_gmt":"2020-02-01T13:17:26","slug":"pro-bekapy-v-proxmox-ve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/en\/blog\/pro-bekapy-v-proxmox-ve","title":{"rendered":"About backups in Proxmox VE","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

\"About
\nIn this article The Magic of Virtualization: An Introduction to Proxmox VE<\/a><\/noindex> We have successfully installed the hypervisor on the server, connected storage to it, ensured basic security, and even created the first virtual machine. Now, let's discuss how to accomplish the most fundamental tasks that must be performed to always have the ability to restore services in case of an outage.<\/p>\n

Proxmox's built-in tools not only allow for data backups, but also for the creation of sets of pre-configured operating system images for rapid deployment. This not only helps when it's necessary to create a new server for any service in seconds, but also minimizes downtime.<\/p>\n

We won't discuss the necessity of creating backups, as this is obvious and has long been an axiom. Instead, let's focus on some less obvious aspects and features.
\n<\/a><\/noindex>
\nFirst, let's review how data is saved during the backup procedure.<\/p>\n

Backup Algorithms<\/h2>\n

\nTo begin with, Proxmox has decent built-in tools for creating backups of virtual machines. It easily saves all the data of the virtual machine and supports two compression mechanisms as well as three methods for creating these backups.<\/p>\n

Let's first examine the compression mechanisms:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. LZO Compression<\/b>. A lossless data compression algorithm developed back in the mid-1990s. The code was written by Markus Oberhumer<\/a><\/noindex> . The main feature of this algorithm is its very fast decompression. Consequently, any backup created using this algorithm can be restored in minimal time when needed.<\/li>\n
  2. GZIP Compression<\/b>. When using this algorithm, the backup is compressed \"on the fly\" by the GNU Zip utility, which employs a powerful Deflate algorithm created by Phil Katz<\/a><\/noindex>. The primary focus is on maximizing data compression, which helps reduce the disk space occupied by backups. The main difference from LZO is that the compression\/decompression processes take a considerable amount of time.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Archiving Modes<\/h2>\n

    \nProxmox offers system administrators three backup methods to choose from. These methods can help address the required tasks by balancing the need for downtime with the reliability of the backup created:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Snapshot Mode<\/b>. This mode can also be referred to as Live backup, as it does not require stopping the virtual machine's operation. Using this mechanism does not interrupt the VM's work, but there are two significant drawbacks \u2014 issues may arise due to file locks by the operating system and the lowest backup creation speed. Backups created using this method should always be tested in a test environment. Otherwise, there is a risk that they may fail during emergency restoration.<\/li>\n
    2. Suspend Mode<\/b>. The virtual machine temporarily \"freezes\" its state until the backup process is completed. The contents of RAM are not erased, allowing work to continue exactly from the point where it was paused. Naturally, this causes server downtime during the information copying process, yet there is no need to power off\/on the virtual machine, which is quite critical for certain services. Especially if the startup of some services is not automatic. Nevertheless, these backups should also be deployed in a test environment for verification.<\/li>\n
    3. Stop Mode<\/b>. The most reliable backup method, requiring the virtual machine to be completely turned off. A command is sent to shut down the VM, once it is stopped, the backup is performed, followed by a command to power the virtual machine back on. The number of errors with this approach is minimal and often reduced to zero. Backups created in this way almost always deploy correctly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      <\/p>\n

      Performing the backup procedure<\/h2>\n

      \nTo create a backup:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Navigate to the required virtual machine.<\/li>\n
      2. We choose the item Failover<\/b>.<\/li>\n
      3. Click the button Backup Now<\/b>. A window will open where you can select the parameters for the future backup.\n

        \"About\n<\/li>\n

      4. As the storage, specify the one that we connected in the previous part<\/a><\/noindex>.<\/li>\n
      5. After selecting the parameters, click the button Failover<\/b> We are waiting for the backup to be created. A message will indicate this. TASK OK<\/b>.\n

        \"About\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The created archives with virtual machine backups will now be available for download from the server. The simplest and most common way to copy is via SFTP. For this, use the popular cross-platform FTP client FileZilla, which supports the SFTP protocol.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. In the field Host<\/b> Enter the IP address of our virtualization server in the field. Username<\/b> Enter root in the field. Password<\/b> \u2014 the one that was chosen during installation, and in the field Port<\/b> specify '22' (or any other port specified for SSH connections).<\/li>\n
        2. Click the button Quick connect<\/b> and, if all data has been entered correctly, you will see all files located on the server in the active panel.<\/li>\n
        3. Go to the directory \/mnt\/storage<\/b>. All created backups will be located in the subdirectory 'dump'. They will be named:\n