Snapshot in Nuvion
Overview
Snapshots are features that allow capturing the state of a Virtual Machine (VM) or a volume at a specific point in time.
This capture acts as a reference that can be used later to restore the environment, create new volumes, or generate custom images.
In Nuvion, snapshots are mainly used to facilitate processes of recovery, environment replication, and creation of new machines from previously defined states.
This feature is widely used in scenarios such as:
- Quick recovery after failures
- Creation of test environments
- Infrastructure cloning
- Machine standardization
Snapshots allow recording the disk state at a given moment, enabling environment restoration or reuse of this state in new resources within the infrastructure.
What is a snapshot
A snapshot represents a record of the complete state of a disk at a specific moment. It captures all data existing at that instant, allowing the environment to be restored exactly as it was at the time of creation.
Unlike traditional backups, snapshots are mainly designed for quick recovery and operations within the infrastructure itself.
Snapshots are ideal for creating restore points before performing updates, configuration changes, or major deployments.
Types of snapshots in Nuvion
In Nuvion, snapshots can be created from two types of resources.
Virtual Machine (VM) snapshot
When a snapshot is created from a VM, it records the state of the disk used by the machine.
This allows restoring the VM later or using this state as a base for new resources.
This type of snapshot is useful for:
- Testing before updates
- Environment recovery
- Machine cloning
Volume snapshot
Snapshots can also be created from independent volumes. These volumes can be used both for data storage and as an operating system disk (boot).
From a volume snapshot, it is possible to:
- Restore the original volume
- Create new volumes with the same content
- Use the volume in the creation of new machines
- Attach the volume to existing VMs
How snapshots can be used
Snapshots in Nuvion enable different operations within the infrastructure.
Among the main uses are:
Restore a volume or VM
It is possible to restore a resource exactly to the state recorded at the time the snapshot was created.
During this process, it is important to consider that:
- snapshots created after the restored point are automatically removed
- only snapshots prior to the restored point remain available
When restoring a snapshot, all snapshots created after that point will be automatically removed. Make sure no important data will be lost before performing the restoration.
This behavior is part of the system's standard operation and cannot be changed.
Create new volumes from a snapshot
Another possibility is to create a new volume using a snapshot as a base. This allows completely replicating the content of an existing disk.
This new volume can be used for:
- creating new machines
- attaching to already existing VMs
- data replication between environments
Create custom images
Snapshots can also be used to generate custom images.
From a snapshot, it is possible to create an image that can later be used to launch new machines already configured with a previously prepared environment.
This feature is useful for:
- environment standardization
- infrastructure automation
- machine template creation
Creating custom images from snapshots facilitates infrastructure standardization, allowing new machines to be created already configured with pre-installed software and dependencies.
Difference between snapshot and backup
Although snapshots and backups have similar objectives, they have different characteristics.
| Snapshot | Backup |
|---|---|
| Record of disk state at a specific moment | Data copy focused on protection |
| Used for quick recovery | Used for long-term protection |
| Usually kept within the same infrastructure | Can be stored in external locations |
Snapshots do not replace backups. They should be used as a complement to data protection strategies.
Best practices
To use snapshots efficiently, some recommendations are important:
- create snapshots before important changes in the environment
- use snapshots for testing and updates
- remove snapshots that are no longer needed
- maintain complementary backup policies for data protection
Snapshots are powerful tools for quick recovery and environment replication, but should not replace complete backup strategies.
Conclusion
The use of snapshots in Nuvion allows recording the state of machines and volumes, enabling quick restoration, environment replication, and creation of custom images.
This feature facilitates infrastructure management and increases operational security, especially in scenarios that require testing, updates, or environment recovery.