Virtualization – a logical backup!
April 17, 2025Let’s be honest – in many cases, the IT landscapes of especially bigger companies are administrative monsters. IT virtualization then can be the first step to a safer, easier and more manageable work environment, supposed that all virtual structures rely on a stable programming foundation.
Virtualization via virtual machines
When it comes to virtualized work environments, many companies trust in virtual machines (VMs). Naturally, VM setups and administration involve several methods and best practices to ensure a functioning and safe environment for more efficiency and secure backup strategies. All in all, there is a number of options when selecting an appropriate VM method.
Selective Disk Backup & Restore for virtualization
This VM virtualization method allows you to choose specific disks to back up and restore, which can be useful for managing storage and costs. For example, Azure offers features to exclude certain disks from the backup operation and restore only the included disks.
Snapshots based on Hypervisors for virtualization
Using a hypervisor, such as VMware’s ESXi, you can take snapshots of VMs which capture the entire state of the VM at a specific point in time. These snapshots can be used for quick rollbacks in case of issues. Consequently, through hypervisor virtualization, you can easily “go back to normal“.
Virtualization with Virtual Hard Disk Creation (VHD)
On platforms like Windows 10, you can create virtual hard disks (VHDs) using Disk Management. These VHDs can be used to store backups and can be easily mounted or unmounted as needed.
Virtualization with Changed Block Tracking (CBT)
CBT is a feature in VMware that helps in taking efficient backups by tracking changes to VM disk blocks since the last backup. This allows for incremental backups, which are faster and consume less storage. So, with this virtualization feature, you can avoid duplicate operations and data blocks on the target VM.
Virtualization via Docker and similar cloud platforms
Basically, the virtualization of your IT landscape does not necessarily require an extensive VM system. In some cases it makes more sense to rely on virtual cloud environments like Docker, which simulate a “physical“ environment. Here’s how the Docker environment functions and how it simplifies data backup management.
Docker Volumes
For persistent data storage, you can opt for Docker volumes. These volumes store data outside the container’s filesystem and can be backed up separately. If you rely on named volumes, you can refer to Docker’s documentation on how to back up, restore, or migrate data volumes.
Docker Save and Load
If you want to back up Docker images, you can use the docker save command to create a tar archive of your images. Later, you can use the docker load command to restore the images from the tar archive.
Docker Export and Import
In order to back up a container, you can export the container’s filesystem as a tar archive using the docker export command. In the next step, you can create a new Docker image from that tar archive with the docker import command.
Data Volume Containers
To prevent data volumes from becoming dangling (unreferenced by any container), you can create a data volume container that references the volume. This ensures that the volume’s data remains accessible even if you delete the original container.
Backup Scripts
As a helpful feature, there are scripts available that can automate the backup process for Docker projects, including volumes, images, configurations, and more. Applying them, you can further accelerate and simplify virtualization processes via Docker and prevent typically “human“ errors in your daily data business.
Cloud Storage
You can push images you want to keep to Docker Hub or another registry. Make sure to set the repository’s visibility to “private” if the images contain sensitive information.By relying on these virtualization methods, you can effectively back up your Docker containers and their data. And, as you know, a functioning backup is crucial for disaster recovery and maintaining the integrity of your applications.
Docker alternatives for virtualization
Instead of using the evergreen solution Docker for IT landscape virtualization, you can also consider trying some similar alternatives. The following cloud-based systems also simulate a physical IT environment.
Podman
Often considered the closest alternative to Docker, Podman is a daemonless container engine that allows you to run containers as root or in rootless mode. It is compatible with Docker images and commands.
LXC/LXD
Linux Containers (LXC) and Linux Container Daemon (LXD) provide a lightweight virtualization method to run multiple isolated Linux systems on a single host. All in all, LXD offers a user-friendly experience with additional features like live migration.
Kubernetes
While developers mainly rely on Kubernetes container orchestration, this environment can also manage containerized applications across a cluster of machines. It works well with Docker but can also use other container runtimes.
OpenShift
Built on top of Kubernetes, OpenShift provides additional features for enterprise environments, including developer tools and integrated CI/CD pipelines.
Amazon ECS
Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) is a fully managed container orchestration service that integrates seamlessly with other AWS services. It supports Docker and other container runtimes.
Buildah
Generally, Buildah is a tool that facilitates building Open Container Initiative (OCI) container images. You can also apply it alongside Podman to replace Docker’s build functionality.
Which virtualization tools, environment and methods should you choose then for your backup adventure? As you might guess, there is no general answer to this question. Indeed, there can`t be because tool choices always depend on your technical requirements and personal user preferences and experience. One thing is sure, though: The more extensive and complex the environment, the more automatized virtualization processes should exist and function as planned.
General virtualization advice for data backups
In the last paragraphs, you learned some basic facts about virtualization environment and tools in order to create safe data backups and extra storage locations. Now take a look at some practical advice referring to safety and strategical aspects. You might need these hints on your journey.
3-2-1 Backup Rule
Have you heard about the “3-2-1 backup rule” yet? This is a widely recommended strategy that suggests having three copies of your data on two different media, with one copy being offsite. Integrating this procedure in your routines ensures redundancy and protection against various types of failures.
Application-aware backups
Application-aware backups recognize the applications running on the VM and can ensure that application data is consistent and recoverable. This special functionality is particularly important for databases and other transactional systems.
Virtualization as cloud-based backups
Leveraging cloud storage can provide an offsite location for storing backups, adding another layer of protection and facilitating disaster recovery.
Ransomware protection for IT environment virtualization
Whatever virtualization path you choose: It’s crucial to secure your backups against ransomware attacks. This includes using immutable backup storage, air-gapping, and regular testing of backup integrity.
In fact, there is no “one-fits-all” on the market. Each method has its own set of advantages and considerations, and often a combination of these methods is used to achieve a robust backup strategy. It’s important to evaluate your organization’s needs, including Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO), to determine the best approach for backing up your virtualized data and disks.
However, when things go wrong, also virtual und logical disks or systems need data recovery. Now we are curious: Tell us about your experience! Which virtualization methods are your “favourites” and which ones definitely failed in your daily business?
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