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I'm using the built-in Windows Server Backup on my Hyper-V host (running Server 2012 R2 Standard) to back up a guest VM named SVR2012 (also running Server 2012 R2 Standard).

Several VHDX files are attached to SVR2012. One is larger than my backup drive but does not need to be included in the Hyper-V host's backup. However, I've not been able to figure out how to excluded this VHDX/volume from the backup.

Backup selections on Hyper-V host:

enter image description here

Since SVR2012's large VHDX is stored on its own separate volume F: on the Hyper-V host, I've tried excluding that volume: enter image description here

However, when I save the backup schedule, this exclusion is missing the next time I edit the schedule.

How can I configure Windows Server Backup to perform an "online" backup of a Hyper-V guest but exclude from the backup one of the guest's volumes/attached VHDX files?

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I say Reinstate Monica
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  • Twisty - Did you every figure out a way around this without having to dismount other non-core OS partitions in the VM so Windows Server Backup only backs up the volumes you need it to (or exclude others)? If you have any suggestions or workaround, I'm very interested in hearing about them. Please let me know. . . Thanks!! – Pimp Juice IT Apr 05 '17 at 16:43
  • @ModeratorImpersonator No, I've not found a workaround, although I'm sure that temporarily unmounting the VHDX to exclude from the backup could be done with a simple script (assuming that wouldn't break anything in the VM). – I say Reinstate Monica Apr 05 '17 at 16:54
  • @ModeratorImpersonator The size of your backup on the backup destination will be the size of the VHDX file *as it appears on the Hyper-V host*, regardless how much data the VHDX contains. I.e., a 100 GB fixed sized VHDX that only contains 5 GB data will consume 100 GB on the backup destination. Same applies to dynamic VHDX files as well. – I say Reinstate Monica Apr 05 '17 at 16:57
  • I should clarify that this applies to backups created with Windows Server Backup, directly from the Hyper-V Host. Backups created in-guest consume space commensurate to the actual data size. – I say Reinstate Monica Apr 05 '17 at 17:08
  • @ModeratorImpersonator Yes, I do full online backups of my VMs and have sized the destination media to be large enough such that all VMs and their max allocated size consume <=80% of the backup destination (the other 20% is for backup versions, i.e. shadow copies). I've stopped doing in-guest backups to fixed VHDXs on the host, which is the backups strategy I had been using that prompted this question. – I say Reinstate Monica Apr 05 '17 at 17:14
  • @ModeratorImpersonator What is the size of the underlying VHDX files on the host server? Is this Server 2012 R2? – I say Reinstate Monica Apr 05 '17 at 21:07
  • Twist - the underlying VHDX files are indeed inflated to the size they are supposed to be and indeed taking up the disk space on the host as it's supposed to so the full 114 GB for "C" and 100(99.9) GB for the "S" drive so those are inflated. However, the Windows Server Backup of the HyperV in copy full image mode is not inflated for the space it takes up on the destination server via UNC path, only the amount of actual space USED in the underling VHDX files is what the backup uses for BOTH "C" and "S"... It all runs from Server 2012 R2 x64 from the Host HyperV server data center edition. – Pimp Juice IT Apr 06 '17 at 02:28
  • @ModeratorImpersonator Very interesting. I don't use network locations as backup targets because you lose the backup versioning. I wonder if that makes a difference. – I say Reinstate Monica Apr 06 '17 at 02:33
  • I think that sounds correct. I read the network backup overwrites the destination so it's like a full image backup every time which is exactly what I need. What would be nice is if you could compress the backup kind of like SQL Server does for it's backup files - at least for data that's compressible. In any case, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me about all this sir!! Thank you!! – Pimp Juice IT Apr 06 '17 at 02:36

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Windows Server Backup is a very basic tool. It just backs up whatever is reported by various installed VSS Writers. It's not going to be able to break apart a VM and deal with only parts of it.

Jake Oshins
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