Hi folks:
I've got a question about the best way to make an automated weekly backup of a WinXP guest running under VM Workstation 6 to a backup site, such that it could be brought up without changes at the backup site using VMPlayer. I'm concerned about the WinXP product activation causing an issue. My original intention was to create a script that once a week would shutdown the XP guest at the primary site, make a copy of the entire folder containing the guest, and then copy that folder to the backup site. I'm concerned about the WinXP activation issue and the MAC address, which I understand could change when if I run the VM at another site. I've also seen messages from VMWare before when I've tried to just copy a VM to another folder giving me grief about having moved the VM. In this instance since the backup copy would run at the backup site I don't care if the machine names are the same, or the MAC addresses are the same, because the primary and backup would never be running in the same local network at the same time. In fact, I want all those things to be the same so that I don't have any issues about the WinXP activation being triggred. Also, if the XP guest were ever used at the backup site, that guest VM would have to be copied back to the primary site and take the place of the "original" guest, because it would now have the most current data in it. It's OK if that process were manual since it wouldn't be done on a regular basis, but there would have to be a way to do it without causing any of the above issues in the other direction.
Does anyone have experience with the best way to make an exact backup of an XP guest so that it can run under VMPlayer without upsetting either VMPlayer (by using a guest that's been "moved" from it's original location), or by upsetting WinXP activation? Whatever I need to do I want to get it done and tested prior to activating the copy of XP I just installed.
Suggestions appreciated.
Thanks,
mudtoe
