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Clone VM

Important

VM cloning is performed from backups, not from snapshots. This is a crucial distinction that affects where and how you can clone your VMs.

Cloning Important

Clone Process

  1. Source: Cloning uses the most recent backup of your VM
  2. Destination: The cloned VM can be created on any node in the cluster
  3. Independence: The cloned VM is completely independent of the original
  4. Configuration: You can modify CPU, RAM, and other settings after the clone process

Cloning Your VM

Prerequisites

  • Your VM must have at least one backup available
  • Sufficient resources (CPU, RAM, storage) on the target node
  • Appropriate permissions for VM management.

Steps to Clone

  1. Locate the Clone Icon: In the backups table, find the 🐑 (Dolly sheep) icon for your VM Clone Steps
  2. Click Clone: This opens the confirmation window Close Steps
  3. Start Cloning: Begin the process Close Steps
  4. Monitor Progress: The clone process may take several minutes depending on VM size

Best Practices

Before Cloning

  • Create a fresh backup of your VM to ensure the clone has the latest data Fresh Backup

After Cloning

  • Change hostname to avoid conflicts Change Hostname Change Hostname
  • Update any hardcoded IP addresses or server names
  • Regenerate SSH keys for security
  • Update network configuration if the cloned VM will run simultaneously with the original

Troubleshooting

  • No internet / No IPv4 on the cloned VM

  • If your VM system uses netplan for networking, it's possible that it will keep hardcoded MAC address of the original VM. In that case, your clone will not get proper IPv4 address. To fix that follow the steps below.

  • Check the MAC address of the cloned VM No Internet2 No Internet1

  • Login to cloned VM via console available in customer panel No Internet
  • Open netplan config file with prefered text editor (if not changed, should be available under /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml) No Internet
  • If MAC address is not the same as in the customer panel, change it to the one that you see in the customer panel.
  • Save config file and apply changes with: "netplan apply" command.

Common Issues

No backup available for cloning - Solution: Create a backup of your VM first, then try cloning again Clone process failed - Contact support if the issue persists

Performance Considerations

  • Clone time depends on VM disk size and network speed between nodes
  • Network impact during cloning may affect other operations
  • Storage I/O on both source and target nodes increases during the process

Use Cases

Development and Testing

  • Clone production VMs to create isolated development environments
  • Test software updates or configuration changes safely
  • Create multiple test instances for load testing

Deployment

  • Use a configured VM as a template for rapid deployment
  • Scale applications by cloning pre-configured instances
  • Migrate VMs between nodes for maintenance or load balancing

Disaster Recovery

  • Clone critical VMs to different nodes for redundancy
  • Create standby instances that can be quickly activated
  • Test disaster recovery procedures without affecting production

Note: Remember that cloned VMs are completely independent copies. Changes made to the original VM after cloning will not affect the clone, and vice versa. If you need synchronized copies, consider using other replication methods or regular backup/restore cycles.