Patent ID: 8234469

Claim:
A method for creating a backup of a first virtual machine running on a first host computer in a network of host computers, comprising: generating a second virtual machine running on a second host computer in the network of host computers, the second virtual machine being a copy of the first virtual machine, said generating comprising: generating the second virtual machine in a suspended state on the second host computer; transferring a copy of memory and non-memory state information associated with the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine, said transferring comprising; while the first virtual machine is running, transferring a complete copy of the memory state information to the second virtual machine, and iteratively identifying items of the memory state information that were modified after copies of the items were transferred to the second virtual machine and retransferring copies of the identified items to the second virtual machine until the number of identified items falls below a predetermined threshold; placing the first virtual machine in a suspended state; while the first virtual machine is in the suspended state, transferring a copy of the non-memory state information to the second virtual machine; and retransferring to the second virtual machine copies of any remaining identified items of memory state information that were modified after copies of the items were transferred to the second virtual machine; and placing the first virtual machine back in a running state; creating a virtual disk for the second virtual machine, said creating the virtual disk for the second virtual machine comprising obtaining a copy of a virtual disk associated with the first virtual machine; and placing the second virtual machine in a running state; obtaining a snapshot of the virtual disk associated with the second virtual machine; and creating a first backup based on at least the snapshot of the virtual disk associated with the second virtual machine.