Partial success in VM backups
The partial success for VM Backup feature improves the fault tolerance and granularity of VM-based backups in Portworx Backup. Prior to this enhancement, any failure during execution rules (PreExec or PostExec) for a single VM would result in the entire backup being marked as failed. This feature introduces per-VM level handling for execution rules and status reporting, enabling partial success in multi-VM backup workflows.
Partial Success of VM backups
-
The VM backups are configured to take file system consistent backup through auto enabled freeze/thaw rules executed at per VM level during per VM volume backup.
-
Isolation of rule execution is per VM to reduce the impact of long freeze/unfreeze cycles
-
Execution rule failures (
PreExec/PostExec) are tracked per VM -
If PreExec rule of a VM Fails or if Volume Backup of that VM fails only that VM is marked failed. The backup continues with other VMs
This feature improves backup resilience and observability by allowing VM-specific success/failure states in multi-VM backup operations. It reduces unnecessary backup failures due to isolated issues and improves rule execution efficiency.
Backup Outcome Criteria for VM Backups
This table outlines how Portworx Backup determines the overall backup outcome; Partial Success or Failed for VM-based backups involving single or multiple VMs with multiple volumes. The outcome depends on the success or failure of volume backups and the resource metadata backup. A backup is considered:
Partial Success: If at least one volume across the VM(s) is successfully backed up, even if others fail.
Failed: If all volumes across all VMs fail, or if the resource metadata backup fails, regardless of volume success.
| VM Backup Configuration | Failure Scenario | Outcome | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single VM with multiple volumes | Any one volume fails | Partial Success | Backup of all other volumes succeeded |
| Single VM with multiple volumes | All volumes fail | Failed | No volume succeeded |
| Single or multiple VMs | All volumes succeed, but resource backup fails | Failed | Resource backup is critical; failure marks the entire backup as failed |
| Multiple VMs, each with multiple volumes | One volume fails in any one VM | Partial Success | Backup of all other volumes across VMs succeeded |
| Multiple VMs, each with multiple volumes | One volume fails in every VM | Partial Success | Backup of all other volumes in each VM succeeded |
| Multiple VMs, each with multiple volumes | All volumes fail in one or more VMs, but at least one VM has all volumes succeeded | Partial Success | All volumes in at least one VM are backed up successfully |
| Multiple VMs, each with one or more volumes | All volumes in all VMs fail | Failed | No volume succeeded |