Manually Creating a Snapshot for a VM

At any time, you can tell CloudAdvisor to request that the virtualization manager associated with a VM create a snapshot for that VM. After the snapshot is complete, CloudAdvisor automatically creates a corresponding DiscoveryPoint for that snapshot.

Unlike snapshots created through a Snapshot Schedule, manually-created snapshots can be locked. If you lock a snapshot, CloudAdvisor will not automatically tell the VM's virtualization manager to delete the snapshot, and it will not automatically delete the corresponding DiscoveryPoint even after the end of the retention period is reached. This means that files deleted in the snapshot can be restored until you manually unlock the DiscoveryPoint and either delete the snapshot or let CloudAdvisor delete it automatically.

1. Select the VM for which you want CloudAdvisor to request a snapshot and create a DiscoveryPoint. The VM must be associated with a virtualization manager.

   • From the Home tab, select Inventory > VMs and click on the name of the VM.
   • From the Manage Virtualization Managers tab, click the name of a virtualization manager then click the name of a VM in the Inventory tile on the Virtualization Manager Details tab.
2. Select Actions > Create Snapshot.
3. Optionally specify a description for the snapshot.

4. Choose a Lock Status for the snapshot.

   • Unlock (the default) leaves the snapshot, and the corresponding DiscoveryPoint, unlocked. The snapshot will be automatically deleted after DiscoveryPoint processing is complete. The DiscoveryPoint will be deleted after the retention period defined in the Insight Profile assigned to the VM.
   • Lock specifies that the snapshot, and the corresponding DiscoveryPoint, are locked cannot be deleted. If you select this option, you need to manually unlock the snapshot before you can remove it or its corresponding DiscoveryPoint.

5. Click Create.

   As soon as the snapshot has been created, CloudAdvisor analyzes the snapshot and creates a DiscoveryPoint for the VM.