Enabling XenServer's Quiesced snapshots
Date Added August 29, 2009 |
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A 'quiesced' snapshot is one where the system and application data is prepared prior to the execution of the snapshot to avoid corruption. Microsoft Windows provides this capability via their 'Volume Snapshot Services' (VSS), which in turn Citrix leverages in their special providers. Quiesced snapshot are particularly important when backing up active, transactional systems such as SQL Server or Exchange.
By default, the Citrix XenTools software that you install inside each guest VM does not support quiesced snapshots. One must take an extra step to enable this ability.
Simply execute the batch file "install-XenProvider.cmd" located in the XenTools installation directory (by default its "C:\Program Files\Citrix\XenTools")
From Citrix's Admin guide (emphasis added):
"XenServer supports quiesced snapshots on Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 for both 32-bit and 64- bit variants which have Microsoft VSS installed. Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista are not supported."
For further reading, take a look at Citrix's XenServer 5.5 Admin guide:
http://docs.vmd.citrix.com/XenServer/5.5.0/1.0/en_gb/reference.html#id2584942
