Snapshots

Snapshots can be taken of a specific volume or a VM instance which can include a boot volume and multiple data volumes. The snapshot takes a copy of the volume or a VM instance at a specific time, and then subsequent snapshots create a change log thus allowing for restoration of a single volume or an entire VM instance. Volume snapshots can also be used to create images.

Creating Snapshots of VM Instances

1. Navigate to the Compute > Instances view.

2. From the displayed list, select the VM instance for which the snapshot is to be created and click More.

3. In the More menu, select Snapshot.

4. In the displayed Create Snapshot window, enter a name for the new snapshot or accept the default name consisting of the original VM instance name and the date-time stamp of the snapshot creation.

5. Enter the description of the snapshot.

6. Click OK. A new snapshot is created. It is displayed in the Compute > Snapshots view.

Recover VM Instances from Snapshots

1. Navigate to the Compute > Snapshots view.

2. From the displayed list, select a VM instance snapshot.

3. From the top toolbar, click Restore.

4. In the Restore Instance > Compute tab, enter the following:

   • Name - the display name for the VM instance.

   • Instance Type - defines the amount of compute resource of the VM instance (CPU and RAM).

   • Key Pair - set of security credentials for ensuring the identity of the user connecting to the VM instance.

   • Options:

     • Power Up - launches the VM instance post-creation.

   • High Availability - check this option to ensure the instance is restarted in the event of a failure.

   • Protect from Deletion - check this option to protect the instance from accidental deletion.

5. In the Restore Instance > Storage tab, enter the following:

   • Boot Volume - size of boot volume in GB.

   • Volume Type - from the dropdown list, select the volume type that will be used for the boot volume of the VM instance.

6. In the Restore Instance > Networking tab, select from the following options:

   • Same Network + IP - the recovered VM instance will have the same IP as that in the snapshot.

   • Same Network - the recovered VM instance will be on same network as that in snapshot, but with different IP.

   • Manual - select any network.

7. In the Restore Instance > Config tab, enter the following:

   • Tags - attach one or more tags to this VM instance.

   • Add - to enter metadata key and value pairs.

8. Click Finish.

Other VM Instance Snapshot Operations

The following other operations are available from top toolbar in Compute > Snapshots view.

• Modify - create updated snapshot.

• Delete - delete a snapshot.

• Copy - copy a snapshot.

Volume Snapshot Operations

The following operations are available for volume snapshots from the Storage > Snapshots view. Select a snapshot from the displayed list. The following operations are available from the top toolbar.

• Create - create updated snapshot.

• Rename - rename existing snapshot.

• Create Volume - restore volume from a snapshot.

• Create Image - create image from a snapshot.

• Delete - delete a snapshot.