Backing up virtual machines in Citrix XenServer



    QuorumSoft Alike - Citrix XenServer virtual machine backup / restore software. The program consists of an installer, which can be downloaded only after registration on the manufacturer’s website . When downloading complete with the installer, there is a free license to backup from 1 XenServer host. The free license is limited to creating three cyclically rewritable backups of each virtual machine in Alike storage, as well as any three scheduled tasks . You can install backup only on a Windows platform. The developer guarantees high-quality operation of the product on XP, 2K3, 2K8 systems. Also, for its operation, you will need the .NET Framework of at least version 3.

    Features of the program:
    • Data Block Level Deduplication Function
    • Friendly user interface
    • Full integration with XenServer 5.5 or later
    • Support for Xen pools and its storages
    • Storage level snapshot support
    • Ability to select a separate storage for data storage
    • Email notifications of the status of scheduled tasks
    • Flexible custom scheduler
    • Support for their work 64-bit OS
    • Support for CIFS / iSCSI / local disk backup storage
    • Citrix Leaf Coalesce Automation

    Main modes of operation:

    1. Deduplicated Backup - creating a compressed copy of a virtual machine. With further backups of this type, only changes are recorded;
    2. Restore - Restore a virtual machine from Alike storage (DB);
    3. Replication of virtual machines (Replication VM) - creating a full copy of a virtual machine by exporting its snapshot (Snapshot).

    Additional operating modes (Maintenance modes):

    1. Storage optimization (Alike storage optimization) - Allows you to reduce the space occupied by backups due to data compression;
    2. Branch merging (author) (Leaf Coalesce) - Allows you to free up free space on the XenServer storage after a Snapshot.

    Interface and operation:

    The program window, conditionally, can be divided into 2 parts - the navigation menu for task groups and the workspace. The interface is intuitive and informative.




    Jobs (Creating, Editing, and Deleting Tasks)


    Explorer (Backup Management)




    Activity ( Program Logs)


    Settings

    2 programs Shedule and Vaulter are responsible for the operation of the program in the system. The first versions of the program were rather unstable and the Shedule service constantly “fell out”, which forced it to be launched manually, since there is corresponding functionality in the program interface for this.



    Summary:

    Having a free edition of the program makes it an excellent choice for those who have only 1 virtualization server running Citrix XenServer. For those who have 2 or more servers and VMs “scattered” between them, a commercial license is suitable, which unlocks the limits of the free version at a cost of $ 899 for each server served.

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