VMware vSphere SDKs and Tools 8.0

8.0 7.0 6.7 6.5

Datasets Backup and Restore

The DataSets facility allows programs to read and write key-value entries related to a virtual machine. This section describes how to back up and restore DataSets files.
There may be one or two DataSets files in a VM directory. If either is present, one has file name suffix
.dsd
 while the other has
.dsv
 suffix. The former is durable (included in snapshots and clones) while the latter is variable (omitted from snapshots and clones). If either is present, there are corresponding entries in the VM's
.vmx
 file:
dataSetsMgr.diskStoreFile = 
filename
.dsd
dataSetsMgr.vmStoreFile = 
filename
.dsv
The
.dsd
 file should be saved by backup and restored along with the VM. The
.dsv
 file should not be preserved, but backup software must account for it. There might be other files with extension
.dsd-journal
 or
.dsv-journal
. These should not be backed up. If they exist in the VM directory at restore time, they should be removed.
To back up Datasets files, follow these steps:
  1. For each virtual machine whose VM directory includes a
    .dsd
     file, make a separate copy of the
    .dsd
     file, associated with the VM backup.
  2. Do not save copies of any existing
    .dsv
     files during backup
  3. Back up each virtual machine using standard methods (see Low Level Backup Procedures).
To restore DataSets files, follow these steps:
  1. Restore the virtual machine using standard methods (see Low Level Restore Procedures).
  2. If at the time of the restore the VM directory includes a
    .dsv
     file and/or a
    .dsv-journal
     file, remove them. Also, delete any
    dataSetsMgr.vmStoreFile
     entries in the
    .vmx
     file.
  3. For each VM for which a
    .dsd
     file was saved at the time of the backup, write the saved
    .dsd
     file into the VM directory.
    • If a file of the same name exists in the directory before restore, the saved
      .dsd
       file should overwrite it.
    • If a
      .dsd
       file with a different name exists in the VM directory before restore, then remove that
      .dsd
       file. Also, modify the
      .vmx
       file so its
      dataSetsMgr.diskStoreFile
       entry reflects the name of the restored
      .dsd
       file.
    • If no
      .dsd
       file exists in the VM directory before restore, then add to the
      .vmx
       file a
      dataSetsMgr.diskStoreFile
       entry for the restored
      .dsd
       file.
    • Finally, if there is a
      .dsd-journal
       file in the VM directory, remove it.
  4. For each VM for which a
    .dsd
     file was
    not
     saved at the time of backup:
    • If at the time of the restore the VM directory includes a
      .dsd
       file and/or a
      .dsd-journal
       file, remove them. Also, delete the
      dataSetsMgr.diskStoreFile
       entry in the
      .vmx
       file.

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