There are a number of ways to backup a Xen environment allowing for quick recovery of both the host system and the virtual machines. These include:
• File backup of the host system with the virtual machine’s data excluded (VMs backed up at the VM operating system level)
• File and bare metal backup of the virtual machines at the VM operating system level
• File backup of the host system including all virtual machines
• Microsoft SQL database and Microsoft Exchange information store backup on the virtual machine
Each backup option has advantages and disadvantages.
• Scenario 1: Protecting Xen host only (recommended method)
• Scenario 2: Protecting Xen virtual machines only
• Scenario 3: Protecting Xen host and virtual machines together