# Backups for Proxmox VMs

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 backup process identifies and transfers only the allocated blocks—sections of the disk that actively contain data—to the backup storage. This method improves efficiency of backups and reduces storage usage.

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 VM 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

- VMs (Windows and Linux, powered on or powered off)

- VM templates

## Considerations

- Streaming, file system and application consistent, and crash consistent backups of the VMs are supported.

- Proxmox node (host) must have the Virtual Server Agent package installed. The server will act as an access node for Proxmox VMs. For more information, see System Requirements for Proxmox VE Access Nodes.

- The VM storage can be local to the access node or can be shared or clustered and accessible from all the Proxmox nodes.

### Backups for Thick LVM Storage

- Starting with Proxmox VE 9.0, Commvault supports native snapshots for thick LVM storage when:

  - VM disk format is QCOW2.

  - The Allow Snapshots as Volume Chain checkbox is enabled in the storage configuration.

- For Proxmox VE 8.x environments, only RAW format disks are supported. All the disks on the VM should be in RAW format for backups to be successful. The QEMU version of the VM must be < 10.

- For Proxmox VE 8.x or 9.x environments that use RAW format disks, the staging directory must be configured in the VM group. For more information about configuring the staging directory, see Managing VM Group Content for Proxmox.

- If thick LVM storage is shared across nodes, then Commvault can only back up VMs from the node where the VM is currently hosted. To avoid backup failures, install the Virtual Server Agent (VSA) on all nodes in the Proxmox cluster.

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