Hyper-V in a CSV environment

Cluster Shared Volumes are a Windows Server feature introduced with Windows Server 2008R2. CSVs allow a cluster of Hyper-V servers to share a set of disks or volumes. Any host in the cluster can access any of the shared disks, and any of the guests on those disks. This provides failover support because if a host is lost (or a guest’s connection to a host), the guest can be moved or re-routed to another host server in the cluster.

Backing up a CSV environment

BackupAssist can back up Hyper-V hosts and guests in CSV environments using System Protection, File Protection and File Archiving. During the backup process, the guests are copied to an intermediate staging area from where they are backed up into a single image. The staging disk acts as a cache for the backup job.

 Hyper-V CSV options

Restoring to a CSV environment

You can restore Hyper-V guest files using the Hyper-V Advanced add-on, and host files, to a CSV environment. If the restore replaces the existing guest, the CSV settings will be retained and the guest will be added back to the cluster. If the restore does not replace the existing guest, the CSV settings will need to be manually configured to add the guest to the cluster.

Recovering a guest to a CSV environment

You can perform a guest recovery to a CSV environment. When a guest is successfully recovered to the Hyper-V cluster, it will become available on the Hyper-V machine that it was recovered to.