[Users] Backing up ploop-based containers: meaning of the 'dump' directory

[Kir Kolyshkin]

On 09/03/2013 07:34 AM, Toke Høiland-Jørgensen wrote:
> Hi
>
> I'm putting together a backup solution for ploop-based openvz
> containers, using `vzctl snapshot` and then backup up the
> /vz/private/$CTID directory. However, whenever a snapshot is created,
> the directory /vz/private/$CTID/dump is created with a file named after
> the snapshot UUID (as far as I can tell). It disappears again once the
> snapshot is removed.
>
> What is the purpose of this directory, and is it safe to exclude it from
> the backup?

This is a running container (i.e. its running processes, not file 
system) snapshot,
so you can restore the full running container state later. Container is 
suspended
and its in-memory image is written to that file.

If you don't want it, use --skip-suspend, like it is outlined at 
https://openvz.org/Ploop/backup
Note that the other file created in CT config -- if you only need 
filesystem, you can use
--skip-config to not create a copy of CT config.

Kir.