Snapshots

This is a quick start guide to managing Snapshots as there is another KB titled Backup and Restore that goes over Snapshots and their useage, backup, and disaster recovery options in greater detail. Please refer to both this article and that one for a full view of Snapshots.

Snapshots can be a useful tool to create restore points in OpenCloud as well as a way to protect important Volumes with replicated snapshots that move between OpenCloud Zones.

There are two distinct types of Snapshots that OpenCloud offers.

The first, and more robust, is a Volume Snapshot. These snapshots target specific Volumes that are attached to an instance. They can be taken while the Instance and Volume are in use and can be replicated between OpenCloud zones to create an off-site backup of a Volume that can be used to create a new Template and new Instance if it is a Boot Volume.

The second is an Instance Snapshot. This type applies to the whole Instance and requires that the specific qemu-agent is installed on the Instance in the OS. This type of snapshot will pause current process threads to save memory to the disk as well.

Creating a Volume Snapshot

1. Before creating a Volume Snapshot, do note that these snapshots are Full backups of the targeted Volumes. This means that they will take up the full amount of storage allotted to the Volume regardless of Provisioning size.
2. Volume Snapshots can be taken while the Instance is running but a Volume Snapshot and an Instance Shapshot cannot be taken at the same time.
3. To create a volume snapshot, first click on Storage and then Volumes on the OpenCloud main page.
4. From the Volumes list, find the Volume that will need a snapshot.
5. An alternative method for finding this volume is to go into the details of the specific Instance that has the volume attached and then select the Volumes tab and click on the Volume name from there.

6. Once in the Volume details screen, click on the Take Snapshot button in the upper right corner.

   

7. A dialog box will open. Fill in the Name of the Snapshot and select whether to replicate this Snapshot to a remote Zone. For backup redundancy, Volume Snapshots can be replicated to geographically diverse Zones to make sure that they are available for use in that other Zone.

8. Async and Quiesce backup options should not be enabled unless the customer knows how to use them or needs them for this Snapshot.
9. Once satisfied, select OK and the Snapshot process will proceed.
10. OpenCloud will confirm once the Snapshot is done. 
11. To view Volume Snapshots, click on Storage and then Volume Snapshots from the main OpenCloud menu.
12. These Volume Snapshots can then be used to create new Volumes or even Templates.

Create an Instance Snapshot

1. Instance Snapshots are a single point-in-time recovery option that captures the data of the entire Instance including Volumes. There is a limit of two Instance Snapshots per Instance.

   Note: Be aware that creating an Instance Snapshot will prevent the expansion of Volumes on the Instance until the Snapshot is deleted.

2. To create an Image Snapshot, first click on Compute and then Instances from the main OpenCloud menu.

3. Select the Instance that needs a Snapshot and click on its name.

4. Once inside the Instance details, click on the Take Instance Shapshot button in the upper right corner.

   

5. A dialog box will open. Name the Snapshot and enter a description.

6. Async and Quiesce backup options should not be enabled unless the customer knows how to use them.
7. Once satisfied, click OK.
8. The Snapshot will then be made IF the OS of the Instance has the qemu-agent installed. If the Snapshot fails, please make sure that the qemu-agent and the VirtIO drivers are installed. Refer to the Managing Instances KB. US Signal provided Instance Templates already have the qemu-agent installed.
9. Once the Snapshot is created, it can be seen by going to Compute and then Instance Snapshots. The Snapshot can then be used to restore the Instance back to when the Snapshot was created.
10. If the Snapshot fails to complete, please refer to the specific error that prevented it from completing. Errored Instance Snapshots will still take up disk space and can be seen in the Instance Snapshots menu. These errored snapshots will need to be deleted to free up the space they take.

Creating a Template from a Snapshot

1. Volume Snapshots can be used to create new Instance Templates to spin up additional Instances. Only Snapshots of the ROOT Disks in Instances can be used as they would contain the OS of the Instance. Snapshots made of Data Drives cannot be used to create additional Templates or Instances.
2. To perform this task, first click on Storage and then Volume Snapshots from the OpenCloud main page.
3. Find the Volume Snapshot to be used and then click on its name.

4. Once inside the Snapshot details page, click on the button that says Create Template in the upper right corner of the details screen.

   

5. Make sure the Volume Snapshot is of a Boot disk. Templates made using non-boot disks will not boot up when used.

6. A dialog box will appear.
7. Create a name for the Template and an optional description.
8. The Template will be created in the specific Zone that the customer domain is in. There should be no need to specify a Domain as all Templates made by this process are immediately added to the Domain.
9. Specify the OS of the Template. For all Windows Templates, Windows PV should be used.
10. If a Linux Template is being made from this Volume, make sure to uncheck the “HVM” option as it can have adverse effects on Linux VMs.
11. Do not select Dynamically Scalable
12. Once finished, select OK and the Template will be created.

Creating a Volume from a Snapshot

1. If the customer needs to create a new Volume from a Volume Snapshot, the process is like creating a new Template. Access the snapshot by going to Storage > Volume Snapshots.
2. Click on the Snapshot name in question to enter its details menu.

3. At the top right of the screen, select Create Volume.

   

4. A dialog box will appear. Name the Volume and assign it to a Zone. This will automatically be filled in with the current Zone that the Customer’s Domain is in.

5. Click on OK and the Volume will be created. It can then be attached to an existing Instance. To perform this task and others, refer to the KB regarding Snapshots and Backups.