virtualbox.org

Hi,

I have a Linux VM runnig which acts as file server in my home network.
Now I want to export (backup) this VM via the 'Appliance export' feature.
But now VBox also exports my file data harddisk (Second harddisk with ~500GB) which I don't want to be backed up (at least not this way ;o) ).
I only want to export the first (system) harddisk.

So, my Question is: Is there a possibility to simple exclude some harddisk from the 'Appliance export'?

Kind regards

mibo wrote:So, my Question is: Is there a possibility to simple exclude some harddisk from the 'Appliance export'?

I think the only way to accomplish this currently is to detach the harddisk before exporting and re-attaching it afterwards.

Leak wrote:I think the only way to accomplish this currently is to detach the harddisk before exporting and re-attaching it afterwards.

This was also my 'simple solution'.
But unfortunately I want to handle my 'backup' with a simple script/cron job and for me this solution includes a lot of xml parsing (to get correct uuid for harddisk to detach) and ugly detach/attach.

Perhaps I do after all only backup my primary harddisk with clonehd and copy the VM xml.
And if I have to restore the backup I configure the VM manually.

mibo wrote:Perhaps I do after all only backup my primary harddisk with clonehd and copy the VM xml.
And if I have to restore the backup I configure the VM manually.

As long as you backup the machine folder for your VM and the boot harddisks VDI file you can just restore it back (and register the VM's .vbox file via "Machine > Add...") and while it'll complain that it can't find the data harddisks VDI file you can just detach it then or replace it with a new one.

I don't think exporting as an appliance is meant to be for making a backup first and foremost (it doesn't do snapshots, for one) - rather it's for interoperability with other VM software or to transfer and/or share VMs.