Snapshots are instantaneous captures of a VM disk in a particular moment in time. They can be done manually or automatically and periodically using a set of rules.

Snapshot management is done in the “Storage” screen:

Storage

In the dropdown “Select view” we can choose between displaying a volume or a snapshot list. It is always possible to see the snapshots of a particular volume if we first select it to see its details and then push the “View snapshots” button.

When selecting a volume the following action bar is shown:

Volume options

After requesting confirmation the snapshot is made. It is a slow process and its duration depends on the volume size and on the network usage at that moment. In the snapshots list we can check its state:

• “BackingUp” while in process.
• “BackedUp ” when completed.

When choosing this option a screen appears to configure the snapshot periodicity:

Periodic snapshots parameter menu.

Snapshots can be done with the following periodicity:

• “hourly”: each hour at a specific minute.
• “daily”: each day at a specific hour.
• “weekly”: each week at a specific day and hour.
• “monthly”: each month at a specific day and hour.

All periodicities have a “Keep x snapshots” parameter where x is the snapshots number to hold. If we choose one (recommended) each new snapshot will overwrite the previous.

A new snapshot will be added to the list when we click “Add” and the process can be repeated till the “Done” button id chosen.

A partir de la lista de snapshots, seleccionando una de ellas podremos recuperar un snapshot creando un volumen de tipo “data disk” o creando un “template”.