Backup Virtual machines with Workstation 9

[cbassett03]

I have a few VMs that I've created (which I want to use as a base machine for program testing).  So, what I want to do is back up these machines since they are "fresh" installs and fully updated, because I want to be able to restore them if needed for if one gets corrupted during software testing.

Can I just copy the Virtual Machines folder to an external hard drive, or is there a tool I need to use to make a backup copy of my virtual machines to another hard drive for storage and recovery.  I want to get them off my machines so also if my hard drive crashes on my workstation machine, I can simply restore them later.

[WoodyZ]

A Virtual Machine is nothing more then a set of files on the Host's hard drive and as such can be backed up in any normal manner as other files.  Although the VM's should be shutdown, not suspended, and at a minimum the VM's Tab in the Workstation GUI closed, or VMware Workstation itself closed.  However you choose to backup the files just keep them all together, whether you just make a simple copy of the folder containing the files that comprise the VM or compressing them into an archive.

Message was edited by: WoodyZ

Always do full, not incremental or differential, backups of the files that comprise the VM!

[MelissaWK]

If you want live backup, granular backup / restore and deduplication features, try BackupChain.

Especially if you are dealing with larger VMs it's far more efficient to use a specialized backup tool; however, for tiny VMs I guess you can do as WoodyZ recommends and shut down the VM without losing much time. It's also important to have VMware tools installed and always up-to-date if you choose the live backup option

Hope this helps!