Overview
Virtual machines (VMs) and separate boot partitions allow you to run additional operating systems on your computer. This article highlights best practices for backing up virtual machines or separate boot partitions with the CrashPlan app.
Considerations
Common applications that create virtual machines or boot partitions include:
- VMware
- Parallels
- Boot Camp
- VirtualBox
- Hyper-V
The CrashPlan app can back up the files within virtual machines or boot partitions.
The CrashPlan app does not back up Windows UNC file paths
The CrashPlan app does not support Universal Naming Convention (UNC) file paths (for example, //SERVERNAME/shareddir/). File selections must use an absolute path (for example, C:/) to enable backup and restore.
The CrashPlan app does not support Universal Naming Convention (UNC) file paths (for example, //SERVERNAME/shareddir/). File selections must use an absolute path (for example, C:/) to enable backup and restore.
Back up files within a virtual machine or boot partition
Install an instance of the CrashPlan app inside the virtual machine or boot partition. This provides individual file backup and real-time backup support for those files. Alternatively, you could copy files from the virtual machine to an external drive, and back up the external drive from your primary operating system.
Benefits
- This is the most efficient method for backing up your user files.
- All backed up files have real-time versions of changes.
- You can restore any files without restoring the full virtual machine.
Considerations
- Do not back up operating system or application files.
- Installing the CrashPlan app within a virtual machine is not a free installation and requires a CrashPlan for Small Business license.
CrashPlan for Small Business does not back up virtual machines
Virtual machine disk images, exports, and snapshots are excluded from CrashPlan for Small Business backups. For more details on what file types and folders are excluded from CrashPlan for Small Business backups, see What is not backing up (CrashPlan for Small Business).
Virtual machine disk images, exports, and snapshots are excluded from CrashPlan for Small Business backups. For more details on what file types and folders are excluded from CrashPlan for Small Business backups, see What is not backing up (CrashPlan for Small Business).