Release Notes

42 Dell Virtual Storage Manager: Installation Considerations and Local Data Protection | 2079-BP-V-VSM
6.5.3 Rollback restore
Note: This method rolls back the entire datastore, and affects all VMs on the datastore including new VMs that might
not be part of an older snapshot. VSM provides a warning if these impacts exist.
When all of the information in a snapshot needs to be rolled back to the point when it was created, use rollback
restore. This reverts every single object in the snapshot including every VM and every volume.
1. Select the point in time to recover from and click the Rollback Restore icon in the menu bar.
2. Inventory: After the restore is complete, the Job Details list additional user intervention needed as well as any
information or warnings.
6.6 Creating clones from snapshots
Creating clones in any environment is useful for a number of reasons. Clones allow quick deployment for multiple sets
of virtual machines to test configurations and they can be used to create identical environments. VSM has the
capability to clone running virtual machine environments and create clones from previous snapshots. This allows the
administrator to bring online copies of virtual machines from a prior point in time. This can be helpful for
troubleshooting or a side-by-side comparison of machines.
Another use of clones is the ability to test new software without impacting existing production machines. An
administrator typically takes a snapshot of a set of virtual machines before upgrading software. If the upgrade results in
an outage, or the software is incompatible, the administrator can roll back to the snapshot. This can be disruptive since
the environment is unavailable during the restore. Creating brand new machines to test the software upgrade very
rarely introduces the same issues that might come up with existing software builds. Another option for an
administrator is bringing a clone of the virtual environment online, isolating it from the production environment, and
then running the upgrades and testing the cloned environment. This way, if anything negative occurs, the production
environment is never impacted.
Clones can also be used to create identical environments for testing and development. When combined with the PS
Series Thin Clone feature, clones result in significant space savings. By taking a clone of several virtual machines
residing on a datastore volume, the volume can be converted into a Thin Clone template and several space-efficient
copies of these VMs can be spun off and given to various developers and test environments. For information on
leveraging Thin Clones in your environment, refer to the document, Dell EqualLogic PS Series Template Volumes and
Thin Clones: How and When to Use Them.
It is very important to note that no matter what the reason is for utilizing clones, they are an exact match of the
existing virtual machine. This means that the hostname, IP address, and application namespace are identical.
Therefore, it is vital that whenever a cloned virtual environment is brought online, that it is segmented from the
production environment to avoid conflict. This can be done with isolated virtual switches, networking changes, or other
methods.