# Backups for Red Hat Virtualization

You can perform backups automatically based on the configuration for a hypervisor or VM group, or manually for a VM group or a specific VM.

The first backup of a VM is always a full backup. By default, all subsequent backups are incremental, capturing any changes to VM data since the last backup.

You can recover virtual machine data, even when the most recent backup was incremental.

Backups run based on the following options:

- Initial full backup: When you use Guided setup to set up the Virtualization solution, use the Back up now option to perform a backup for the default VM group.

- Scheduled incremental backups: The backup plan that is assigned to a VM group includes a schedule for ongoing incremental backups. Those backups are performed automatically based on the schedule, without requiring any user action.

- Manual backups: You can perform on-demand backups for a VM group or for a specific VM.

If backups cannot start immediately, the backup jobs are queued.

## What Gets Backed Up

- Virtual machines (powered on or powered off)

- Configuration files for each virtual machine

- Associated VirtIO and VirtIO-SCSI virtual machine disks

  When a virtual machine disk for a Red Hat virtual machine is backed up, the entire disk is read for allocated blocks, for both full and incremental backups.

## What Does Not Get Backed Up

- Proxy virtual machines on which the Virtual Server Agent is installed

- Direct LUN or pass-through disks

- Disks configured through the iSCSI initiator on guest VMs

- IDE disks

- Shared disks

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