Create New Virtual Machine from HYPER-V CheckPoint

When you create a new Virtual Machine and prepare it for the production enviroment it's so easy. The difficult part start when you must support and monitoring the Virtual Machine to avoid downtimes. Sometimes we must proceed with updates or actions that we aren't 100% sure how stable will be the Virtual Machine after these tasks. Here we can use CheckPoints which are very helpfull in this situations. 

Weeks ago i realize that you can export the  CheckPoint of the Virtual Machine and create new one from it. As i understand it's a Very helpfull tip because you can do your changes in your Server and you can create your New VM the time exactly before apply any change in your Production enviroment. Without use resources from your Production Server  you can keep actual your VM Clone until verify that any change that you have done will not create any problem.

So i will explain below how can do it.  

Create CheckPoint and Export the VM

• Open HYPER-V Manager
• Right click in the VM that you want to checkpoint and Select Checkpoint.

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• Now you can see the CheckPoint in the sections of CheckPoints.
• Select the VM in the CheckPoints with right click and Click Export.

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• Select the path that you want to save the VM and click Export.

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• Depends the size of the VM wait to finish the Export.

• After finish successfull you can open the path that you save the VM just to verify.
• If you don't need the CheckPoint Go in HYPER-V Manager - - > right click in the CheckPoint and select Delete. Unless click Apply to restore your VM in previous state before any change that you have done from the time that you create the CheckPoint.
• Now if you want to Import the VM with the name of the CheckPoint something like Windows10(12/17/2015 3:05) then you can continue with the steps in Import Virtual Machine after Exporting from CheckPoint. Unless follow the last 2 steps to change the name of the VM.

Change Virtual Machine Name Before Import

• Browse in the path that saved the Exported VM files and find the xml configuration file. Usually located in the folder Virtual Machines and the file name will be like 81EE9880-AE69-4792-92E6-FF7856C3A418.xml. Not the same but has the same type.

• Open it and find the section <name type=string> name of your VM </name> and change the name of the VM.

Import Virtual Machine after Exporting from CheckPoint

• From the HYPER-V Manager go in the right side and select Import Virtual Machine.

• Click Next in the first Screen.

• Locate and Select the folder that exported the VM.Click Next

• Select the Virtual Machine to import.You can see only one VM

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• Leave the default options and click Next.

• Clcik Finish to Start the Import.

• Wait to finish you will see the new Virtual Machine in your HYPER-V Manager.

As we know that CheckPoints are very helpfull you can expand this feature to give us more. 

You can do it, test it and come back with your comments and questions to share it in our blog. 

Have a nice weekend!!!!