managing checkpoints

Question

Where do you manage checkpoints(snapshots) for a vm?

Answer 1

Hello Paula,

Thank you for posting question on Microsoft Windows Forum!

Based on your query of how to manage checkpoints(snapshots) for a VM. Well! In modern virtualization environments, checkpoints are managed through the management console or command-line tools associated with your specific hypervisor.

• For Microsoft Hyper-V. In the Hyper-V ecosystem, you can open Hyper-V Manager. Click on the host server in the left pane, then select the specific virtual machine in the center pane. In the bottom-center pane, you will see a section dedicated to Checkpoints. Right-click a checkpoint here to Apply, Rename, Delete, or Delete Checkpoint Subtree.
• For VMware vSphere / ESXi. In the VMware ecosystem, vSphere Client (vCenter / ESXi Host Client). Right-click the Virtual Machine in the inventory tree. Navigate to Snapshots in the context menu. Select Manage Snapshots to open the Snapshot Manager interface.
• For Microsoft Azure. Managed under Disks or Backup. You typically create a Snapshot resource of the OS disk itself, or use Azure Backup for managed, point-in-time recovery points.

Please note: For production environment. Whether using Hyper-V or VMware, checkpoints/snapshots should never be used as a permanent backup solution. They rely on differential disks; keeping them long-term or letting them grow too large causes performance degradation and risks severe data corruption if the chain breaks. Aim to delete or merge them within 24 to 72 hours.

Hope the above information is helpful! If it is. Free feel to hit "Accept Answer" for benefitting others in community having the same query too.

Answer 2

Checkpoints (snapshots) for a Hyper‑V virtual machine are managed in Hyper‑V Manager or via PowerShell.

In Hyper‑V Manager:

• Select the host, then select the virtual machine.
• Use the Checkpoints pane for that VM to:
  • Create a checkpoint: right‑click the VM > Checkpoint.
  • Apply (revert to) a checkpoint: right‑click a checkpoint under Checkpoints > Apply.
  • Rename a checkpoint: right‑click the checkpoint > Rename.
  • Delete a checkpoint: right‑click the checkpoint > Delete or Delete Checkpoint Subtree.
  • Export a checkpoint: right‑click the checkpoint > Export.
• To configure checkpoint behavior and storage location: right‑click the VM > Settings > Management > Checkpoints (and Checkpoint File Location).

Via PowerShell, checkpoints are managed with cmdlets such as:

• Create: Checkpoint-VM -Name <VMName>
• List: Get-VMCheckpoint -VMName <VMName>
• Apply: Restore-VMCheckpoint -Name <checkpoint name> -VMName <VMName>
• Rename: Rename-VMCheckpoint -VMName <VMName> -Name <checkpoint name> -NewName <new checkpoint name>
• Delete: Remove-VMCheckpoint -VMName <virtual machine name> -Name <checkpoint name>
• Export: Export-VMCheckpoint -VMName <virtual machine name> -Name <checkpoint name> -Path <path for export>
• Configure type: Set-VM -Name <vmname> -CheckpointType <Standard|Production|ProductionOnly>

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References:

• Using checkpoints to revert virtual machines to a previous state
• Hyper-V snapshots, checkpoints, and differencing disks (AVHDX) troubleshooting guidance
• Configure virtual machine settings in the VMM compute fabric