Setting the at-risk policy for a virtual machine

Hyper-V virtual machines (VMs) can be at risk of being unprotected because of failed or missed backup operations. You can set a policy for a VM that specifies whether the VM is shown as being at-risk if a backup operation does not occur in a specified time interval.

About this task

By default, each VM uses the policy that is set for the IBM Spectrum Protect™ server. You can use the default policy, set a custom policy, or choose to ignore the policy for one or more VMs that are selected in the cluster or host view in the Data Protection for Microsoft Hyper-V Management Console.

The Status column in the Virtual Machines pane shows the data protection status of each VM in the host or cluster. The following data protection states are possible.

At Risk
The most recent backup operation did not occur within the time limit that is specified by the at-risk policy.
No Backup
The VM is configured for backup operations, but no backup has been run.
Normal
A backup operation occurred within the time limit that is specified by the at-risk policy.
Ignored
The at-risk policy is set to suppress at-risk warnings for the VM.
Deleted
The VM was deleted from the Hyper-V environment, but its backup is available to be restored.
Instant Access
The VM is running in instant access mode. An instant access VM is a temporary copy of a VM backup that is used for operations such as the verification of backup data.

You can assign an at-risk policy only to VMs that have been backed up. If a VM has never been backed up, the set at-risk action is disabled.

Procedure

To use the default at-risk policy, select a custom at-risk policy for selected VMs, or set selected VMs to ignore the at-risk policy, complete the following steps:

  1. Start the Data Protection for Microsoft Hyper-V Management Console
  2. In the navigation pane, click a host or cluster, and click one or more VMs in the VM table.
  3. Click Action > Set At Risk.
  4. Complete one of the following actions in the Set At Risk window.
    Action Step
    To use the default at-risk policy Click Default to accept the default duration of 1 day.
    To suppress at-risk warnings for the VM Click Ignore.
    To set a custom at-risk policy Click Custom and move the slider to set the time interval since the last backup. The default is 6 hours.
  5. To save your setting, click Set at Risk.
  6. To close the window, click Close.

Results

If the at-risk policy is set to Default or Custom for a VM, the At Risk status is shown for the VM if a backup operation did not occur within the time limit that is set by the policy. If the VM has never been backed up, the VM is also considered to be at-risk and the No Backup status is shown.

If the at-risk policy is set to Ignore for a VM, the risk status Ignored is shown for the VM regardless of the status of the backup.