You can use snapshots to back up and restore disks of cloud computers. If you want to perform operations that may affect the stability of cloud computers, such as modifying registries and key system files, we recommend that you create snapshots in advance. If a system error occurs, you can use the snapshots to restore the disks. This topic describes how to use snapshots.
Background information
A snapshot is a stateful data file of a disk at a specific point in time. You can use snapshots to back up and restore data.
The snapshot feature is in public preview, during which you can use the feature for free. After the public preview ends, you are charged for using the feature based on billing rules. The end of the public preview will be announced in advance. We recommend that you stay tuned to our latest updates and announcements.
Snapshots can be manually or automatically created.
Manual snapshot creation: You can create a snapshot at a specific point in time based on your business requirements. When you create a snapshot, you can specify a disk scope. If you grant the local administrator permissions to an end user, the end user can create, restore, and delete snapshots in Elastic Desktop Service (EDS).
Automatic snapshot creation: By default, the system automatically creates snapshots for the system disk and data disk of each cloud computer. The snapshots are retained for only three days and automatically deleted after three days. You can also create an automatic snapshot policy based on your business requirements. The system automatically creates snapshots for cloud computers in the following scenarios:
For cloud computers with which an automatic snapshot policy is associated, the system automatically creates snapshots based on the points in time specified in the policy.
Before the administrator updates cloud computers or custom images, the system automatically creates snapshots. This way, the system can automatically roll back if the update fails. If the update succeeds, the system disk snapshots of the original cloud computers are deleted but the data disk snapshots are retained.
When you change the image of a cloud computer, the system automatically creates a snapshot if the image is a custom image that has been deleted. After the image is changed, the system automatically deletes the snapshot.
Before an end user updates a cloud computer on the Alibaba Cloud Workspace client, the system automatically creates a snapshot, which can be used to perform automatic rollback if the update fails. The system can create up to three snapshots for a cloud computer. The snapshots can be retained for only three days and are automatically deleted after three days.
Points in time when snapshots are automatically created:
If no automatic snapshot policy is associated:
Cloud computers that were created at and after 12:00 (UTC+8) on August 19, 2024 in all regions: 22:00 to 06:00 the next day.
Cloud computers that were created after 17:42 (UTC+8) on June 7, 2024 and before 12:00 (UTC+8) on August 19, 2024 in the China (Hangzhou) region: 02:00 every day.
Cloud computers other than the preceding ones: 01:00 every day.
If you no longer require automatic snapshot creation, turn off System Snapshot on the Snapshot Management tab of the Snapshots page.
NoteThe feature is in invitational preview. If you want to use this feature, submit a ticket.
If a cloud computer is associated with an automatic snapshot policy, the system automatically creates snapshots based on the points in time specified in the policy.
Prerequisites
Before you create a snapshot for a cloud computer, the cloud computer must be in the Running or Stopped state.
Before you restore data from a snapshot, the cloud computer must be in the Stopped state.
Manually create a snapshot
Log on to the EDS console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.
On the Cloud Computers page, find the cloud computer that you want to manage and create a snapshot for the cloud computer by using one of the following methods:
Click the ⋮ icon in the Actions column and select Create Snapshot.
Click the ID of the cloud computer in the Cloud Computer ID/Name column. On the page that appears, click the Snapshots tab. On the Snapshots tab, click Create Snapshot.
In the Create Snapshot panel, configure the parameters and click Create Snapshot. The following table describes the parameters.
Parameter
Description
Disk
The disk that you want to back up. Valid values: System Disk and Data Disk, Only System Disk, and Only Data Disk.
Snapshot Name
The name of the snapshot. Enter a name that meets requirements.
Description
The snapshot description. Enter a description that meets requirements.
On the Snapshots tab, you can view the snapshot creation progress. After the status of the snapshot changes from In Progress to Succeeded, the snapshot is created.
Create an automatic snapshot policy and associate it with cloud computers
After you create an automatic snapshot policy, you can associate the policy with cloud computers. Then, the system creates snapshots for the cloud computers at specified points in time.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.
On the Snapshots page, click the Automatic Snapshot Policy tab. On the Automatic Snapshot Policy tab, click Create Policy.
In the Create Policy panel, configure the parameters and click OK. The following table describes the parameters.
Parameter
Description
Policy Name
The name of the policy. Enter a name that meets requirements.
Repeat Date
Select days in a week on which you want the system to create snapshots.
Created At
Enter or select points in time (UTC+8) at which the system automatically creates snapshots in a day.
Retention Period
The period of time for which snapshots are retained. Valid values: 1 to 180. Unit: days.
If the system creates up to 30 snapshots for a cloud computer, the system deletes the earliest snapshot to retain the latest snapshot.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.
On the Cloud Computers page, find the cloud computer with which you want to associate an automatic snapshot policy, click the ⋮ icon in the Actions column, and then select Change Automatic Snapshot Policy.
In the Change Automatic Snapshot Policy panel, enable the automatic snapshot policy feature, select a policy, and then click OK.
In the message that appears, click OK.
After you associate the policy with the cloud computer, you can click the ID of the cloud computer. On the page that appears, you can view the policy in the Basic Information section.
Restore data
When data on a cloud computer is lost due to system errors or incorrect operations, you can use snapshots to restore data to a specific point in time.
Restoration cannot be undone. Proceed with caution. After you restore data on a disk, the disk data is restored to the status at the point in time when the snapshot was created. Data that is generated between the snapshot creation time and the current time is lost. Before you restore a disk from a snapshot, make sure that you back up important data. You can create a snapshot as a backup, or back up data to another disk for subsequent restoration.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.
On the Cloud Computers page, find the cloud computer whose data you want to restore and click its ID.
On the Snapshots tab, find the snapshot that you want to use and click Restore Cloud Computer in the Actions column.
If the cloud computer is not stopped, a message appears. In the message, click OK. After the cloud computer is stopped, proceed as prompted.
In the Restore Cloud Computer panel, confirm the snapshot information and click Restore Cloud Computer.
ImportantYou can restore the data of a single disk each time. Do not perform other operations on the disk during the restoration. After the restoration is complete, the data of the disk is restored to the status at the point in time when the snapshot was created.
After you restore the disk data, you will receive a message to view the data restoration status.
Delete a snapshot
You can delete the snapshots that you no longer require. You can delete snapshots that are manually and automatically created. The system deletes automatically created snapshots after the snapshots reach the specified retention period.
When you delete snapshots, check region-specific snapshots and determine whether to delete the snapshots based on your business requirements. After a snapshot is deleted, you cannot perform operations that require the data in the snapshot. Proceed with caution.
You can delete a snapshot on the following console pages:
Cloud Computers page
On the Cloud Computers page, find the cloud computer whose snapshot you want to delete and click its ID.
On the page that appears, click the Snapshots tab. On the Snapshots tab, find the snapshot that you want to delete and click Delete in the Actions column. In the message that appears, click Confirm.
Snapshots page
On the Snapshots page, find the snapshot that you want to delete and click Delete in the Actions column. In the message that appears, click Confirm.
What to do next
If a snapshot is created based on a system disk, you can create an image from the snapshot. For more information, see Create an image.