VM snapshots
Why are VM snapshots important?
TrendMiner backups only include data which is stored in the TrendMiner databases. This is the most crucial data such as user's saved work (views, dashboards, analysis, ...)
Some data is not stored in databases but in files on the file system and on the infrastructure layer. For example:
Tag indexes
Configuration of TrendMiner services
Specific parameters related to configuration of the setup
...
In case something goes wrong, e.g. during an upgrade, a TrendMiner backup contains the most crucial data for recovering. To make sure this backup remains accessible it is advised to store it offline (outside of the TrendMiner appliance).
Nevertheless, if severe issues arise on an infrastructure level, recovering from an incident can take a significant amount of time and effort. And for example the loss of tag indexes could lead to the requirement of re-indexing all tags which can take months in some cases.
By taking a VM snapshot downtime can be limited significantly, even in the worst case scenario's. For this reason taking a VM snapshots is mandatory before every update or major adjustment to the system.
How to create a VM snapshot?
Prerequisite: access to the hypervisor is required. This might require specific permissions imposed by your company.
To learn how to create and restore a snapshot we refer to the official documentation of the supported hypervisors: VMWare and Hyper-V.