Backing up a virtual machine using a snapshot with memory

1. A method for backing up a virtual machine using a snapshot with memory, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a virtual machine to be backed up, wherein the virtual machine reads from a source virtual disk;

creating a non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine that captures a state of the virtual machine;

creating a linked clone of the virtual machine and reverting the linked clone back to the state of the virtual machine using the non-quiesced snapshot with memory, wherein the linked clone reads from the source virtual disk of the virtual machine to be backed up and stores changes to one or more dedicated unique virtual disks of the linked clone, wherein the linked clone is a copy of the virtual machine;

shutting down the linked clone of the virtual machine such that the linked clone is in a consistent state; and

reading data from one or more dedicated unique virtual disks associated with the linked clone and saving the data in a backup archive file, wherein the virtual machine may be restored to a consistent state using the data in the backup archive file.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

after the one or more virtual disks associated with the linked clone are read, deleting the linked clone of the virtual machine and the non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein creation of the non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine causes the linked clone to be created in a powered on state and to have a same state as the virtual machine.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shutdown is initiated via an application programming interface.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein creation of the non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine causes the linked clone to continue running after creation and the non-quiesced snapshot with memory includes the state of the virtual machine at the time the non-quiesced snapshot with memory is taken.

6. A computer program product residing on a computer readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for backing up a virtual machine using a snapshot with memory, the operations comprising:

receiving a selection of a virtual machine to be backed up, wherein the virtual machine reads from a source virtual disk;

creating a non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine that captures a state of the virtual machine;

creating a linked clone of the virtual machine and reverting the linked clone back to the state of the virtual machine using the non-quiesced snapshot with memory, wherein the linked clone is a copy of the virtual machine, wherein the linked clone reads from the source virtual disk of the virtual machine to be backed up and stores changes to one or more dedicated unique virtual disks of the linked clone;

shutting down the linked clone of the virtual machine such that the linked clone is in a consistent state; and

reading data from one or more virtual disks associated with the linked clone and saving the data in a backup archive file, wherein the virtual machine may be restored to a consistent state using the data in the backup archive file.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein the operations further comprise:

after the one or more virtual disks associated with the linked clone are read, deleting the linked clone of the virtual machine and the non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine.

8. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein creation of the non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine causes the linked clone to be created in a powered on state and to have a same state as the virtual machine.

9. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein the shutdown is initiated via an application programming interface.

10. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein creation of the non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine causes the linked clone to continue running after creation and the non-quiesced snapshot with memory includes the state of the virtual machine at the time the non-quiesced snapshot with memory is taken.

11. A computing system for backing up a virtual machine using a snapshot with memory, the computing system comprising one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

receive a selection of a virtual machine to be backed up, wherein the virtual machine reads from a source virtual disk;

create a non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine that captures a state of the virtual machine;

create a linked clone of the virtual machine and revert the linked clone back to the state of the virtual machine using the non-quiesced snapshot with memory, wherein the linked clone reads from the source virtual disk of the virtual machine to be backed up and stores changes to one or more dedicated unique virtual disks of the linked clone;

shut down the linked clone of the virtual machine such that the linked clone is in a consistent state; and

read data from one or more dedicated unique virtual disks associated with the linked clone and saving the data in a backup archive file, wherein the virtual machine may be restored to a consistent state using the data in the backup archive file.

12. The computing system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

after the one or more virtual disks associated with the linked clone are read, deleting the linked clone of the virtual machine and the non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine.

13. The computing system of claim 11 , wherein creation of the non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine causes the linked clone to be created in a powered on state and to have a same state as the virtual machine.

14. The computing system of claim 11 , wherein the shutdown is initiated via an application programming interface.

15. The computing system of claim 11 , wherein creation of the non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the virtual machine causes the linked clone to continue running after creation and the non-quiesced snapshot with memory includes the state of the virtual machine at the time the non-quiesced snapshot with memory is taken.

16. A system for backing up a virtual machine using a snapshot with memory, the system comprising:

a virtualization host device hosting one or more virtual machines having one or more associated virtual disks on which data of the one or more virtual machines are stored;

a backup agent which receives an indication of at least one of the one or more virtual machines to be backed up in a backup archive file and executes operations to create the backup;

a non-quiesced snapshot with memory of the at least one virtual machine that captures a state of the virtual machine;

a linked clone of the at least one virtual machine that reverts the back to the state of the virtual machine using the non-quiesced snapshot with memory, wherein the linked clone reads from the source virtual disk of the virtual machine to be backed up and stores changes to one or more dedicated unique virtual disks of the linked clone, wherein the linked clone is a copy of the at least one virtual machine; and

one or more application programming interfaces through which the backup agent shuts down the linked clone of the virtual machine, reads data from one or more dedicated unique virtual disks associated with the linked clone, and saves the data in the backup archive file.