What a snapshot is
A snapshot is a copy of the contents of a Cloud Server or Cloud VPS at a specific point in time. An image of the disks is created, allowing you to restore the data and system configurations that were present when the snapshot was created.
Networks and computing resources are not saved in the snapshot.
The procedure described in this guide applies to:
- OpenStack Cloud Server;
- VMware Cloud Server;
- Cloud VPS.
Creating and maintaining a snapshot is free of charge and does not incur any additional costs.
A snapshot can also be created using
scheduled operations.
What you need to know about snapshots
- Only one snapshot can be created at a time.
- To create a snapshot, the disks must have at least 10% free space.
- The snapshot is retained for 48 hours after creation, after which it is automatically removed.
- While the snapshot is active, only the RAM and vCPU values can be changed.
- While the snapshot is active, the Cloud Server cannot be archived.
- To restore the snapshot, the Cloud Server or Cloud VPS must be switched off.
- After the restore operation, the snapshot is deleted.
If you have an OpenStack Cloud VPS migrated from a VMware Cloud VPS, you cannot use
scheduled operations to schedule snapshots. You can still create a snapshot manually.
Why create a snapshot
Creating a snapshot is useful before performing operations that could change the data or configuration of the Cloud Server or Cloud VPS, for example:
- installing new software;
- updating existing software;
- changing system or service configurations;
- working on critical files or data.
How to create a snapshot
- Go to the details page of the Cloud Server or Cloud VPS for which you want to create the snapshot;
- select Snapshots below the machine name;
- go to CREATE SNAPSHOT;
- when the operation is complete, the snapshot is displayed with its creation date and expiry date.
How to restore a snapshot
- Go to the details page of the Cloud Server or Cloud VPS for which you want to restore the snapshot;
- switch off the machine;
- select Snapshots below the machine name;
- go to RESTORE;
- in the Restore Snapshot window, confirm the operation and go to OK, CONFIRM;
- when the operation is complete, you can switch the Cloud Server or Cloud VPS back on. It will be restored to the state it was in when the snapshot was created;
- when the restore operation is complete, the snapshot is deleted and you can create a new one.
How to remove a snapshot
- Go to the details page of the Cloud Server or Cloud VPS for which you want to remove the snapshot;
- select Snapshots below the machine name;
- go to REMOVE;
- in the Remove Snapshot window, confirm the operation and go to OK, REMOVE;
- when the operation is complete, the snapshot is no longer available.