The save operation preserves the exact state of the virtual machine’s memory. The operation is slightly similar to hibernating a computer. The virtual machine is off, but it can be quickly restored to its previously saved running condition. The operation does not make a copy of any portion of the virtual machine’s virtual disk.
When saved, the virtual machine is paused, its current memory state saved to a location you specify, and then the virtual machine is stopped. The amount of time to save the virtual machine depends on the amount of memory allocated. When saved, a virtual machine’s memory is returned to the pool of memory available on the host.
The restore operation is used to return a saved virtual machine to its original running state.
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After using the save operation, do not boot, start, or run a virtual machine that you intend to restore. If the virtual machine is at any time restarted before it is restored, the saved memory state file becomes invalid and should not be used to restore. |
The restore operation loads a virtual machine’s previously saved memory state file and starts the virtual machine. The virtual machine does not boot the operating system but resumes at the point that it was previously saved. The operation is slightly similar to coming out of hibernation.
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After using the save operation, do not boot, start, or run the virtual machine you intend to restore. If the virtual machine is at any time restarted before it is restored, the saved memory state file becomes invalid and should not be used to restore. |
Procedure 10.3. Restore a Virtual Machine’s Current State (Virtual Machine Manager)
Make sure the virtual machine to be restored has not been started since you ran the save operation.
Run the Virtual Machine Manager.
Select the hypervisor that should restore the virtual machine. On the
local machine, this is localhost
.
In Virtual Machine Manager, click
+ from the drop-down menu.Specify the previously saved file.
Click
.The virtual machine and the guest operating system are restored to the previously saved state.
A virtual machine’s state can be displayed in Virtual Machine Manager or by viewing the results of the xm list command, which abbreviates the state using a single character.
r - running - The virtual machine is currently running and consuming allocated resources.
b - blocked - The virtual machine’s processor is not running and not able to run. It is either waiting for I/O or has stopped working.
p - paused - The virtual machine is paused. It does not interact with the hypervisor but still maintains its allocated resources, such as memory.
s - shutdown - The guest operating system is in the process of being shutdown, rebooted, or suspended, and the virtual machine is being stopped.
c - crashed - The virtual machine has crashed and is not running.
d - dying - The virtual machine is in the process of shutting down or crashing.