Deploy VM from Snapshot

[hstan77]

ISSUE TYPE

• Feature Idea

COMPONENT NAME

To allow deploy VM from Disk Snapshot instead of convert to Template then only deploy from template. 

CLOUDSTACK VERSION

Cloudstack 4.14

CONFIGURATION

OS / ENVIRONMENT

SUMMARY

There is no way to deploy a VM from Snapshot, work around is convert to template and Deploy from template .
This create additional complexity for user to operate the VM. There is doesn't need keep the Snapshot as Template.

I would suggest able to directly create VM from Snapshot (Disk Snapshot)

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

EXPECTED RESULTS

ACTUAL RESULTS

[DaanHoogland]

@hstan77 how would you propose this is implemented?

• is the snapshot than marked to not be deletable?
• is the call secretly making a template under the hood?
• is the snapshot copied as some other entity type?

can you add some more thoughts?

[hstan77]

Hi

I am proposing this is by standing at the use point of view, in terms of usability and convenience .

Currently , when a user want to restore the VM from Snapshot (probably system crash, or primary storage crash or other reasons) and they have to restore it from secondary storage disk snapshot. But in order to do this, the only way is to convert the Disk Snapshot to Template then build from template , this is additional step need to do.

The meaning of word "Template" probably doesn't not means for backup and restore purpose.

How do this implement : -
Senario 1: During New Instances Creation

• it propose to be done when create instances
• Currently when create instances, user can only choose from template or iso. I would suggest allow choose from the user Disk Snapshot.

Senario 2: Restore from Disk Snapshot

• Allow restore from Disk snapshot (currently only restore from VMSnapshot)

Currently the work around is convert it to template, but to me , that is aldy additonal step, and need to keep to same copy of image. (disk snapshot image, and tempalte after convert), which it can be avoid.

[DaanHoogland]

@andrijapanicsb @PaulAngus care to comment?

[weizhouapache]

@hstan77 restore volume snapshot for kvm/qcow2 has been implemented by #732
does not it work ?

[andrijapanicsb]

Deploying a NEW VM from some other VM's snapshots is the subject, right?

(not that my opinion counts...), but I'm against the proposed workflow, as this means we could now do tons of other workflows and complicate things indefinitely - we barely have existing flows working properly and being broken from time to time and many of those are working for just some hypervisors... let's just avoid making more mess.

Again, as a "convenience" definitively a +1, but to avoid making a mess --> -1 this idea.
(again, not that my vote counts, just sharing my opinion)

[hstan77]

@weizhouapache I will check the #732 , But so far, did not see in the GUI have this features .

@andrijapanicsb May be there is additional effort need to do on this additional features, but i do not agree this will create mess after implemented

Although both Convert VMSnapshot to Template and Create VM from Template, and directly Create VM from Snapshot has the same end result, but from meaning of both is totally different, and it serve for different intentions . The layman ro common understand of template is not a snapshot and vice versa. We can still have features of convert to template, but the purpose has been different .

Without this workflow, we cannot claim we have the feature to restore the VM from Snapshot, but we only can say we have a work around to fulfil this requirement .

I checked Gogole Cloud, Azure , AWS and even the OpenStack, It has this work flow. Except we want to re-define the meaning of "Create instance from Snapshot" , or provide a work around, or have a work-flow that is industry standard.

[weizhouapache]

@hstan77 I tested with 4.14.0, it works.

[hstan77]

@weizhouapache Thanks for the info.

[DaanHoogland]

@hstan77 is the scenario where you first have to create a template and deploy from that good enough to you, and a proper alternative to your request?

[hstan77]

Yes, this is the alternative is work for me. But my intention is only to make the UI more easy for end user where end user can finish the job in one step instead of two.

…

On Fri, Jan 29, 2021 at 8:45 PM dahn ***@***.***> wrote: @hstan77 <https://github.com/hstan77> is the scenario where you first have to create a template and deploy from that good enough to you, and a proper alternative to your request? — You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#4492 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ARFNGAXEATYWC7MLMFSHUK3S4KUWTANCNFSM4T5QTC6Q> .

-- Regards, Hean Seng

[DaanHoogland]

ok, but as @andrijapanicsb described, the undelying workflow should still involve a template creation. so this is really a UI feature than;
You are asking to unify the createTemplateFromSnapshot and deployTemplate steps into one, correct?