Modular backup system for virtualization

Backing up of a virtual machine is the act of capturing a static image, that can be subsequently used for restoration in case of the target machine failure. We contribute a pilot implementation of a modular system suitable for virtual machine backup and restoration on the VMware vSphere virtualization stack. The application can be ex- tended with support for other platforms. It supports deduplication and transformation of the backed up data, automatic periodic backups and consolidation of the backups ac- cording to a policy. Moreover, the appliance stores the backed up data into a user-defined location. The software can be extended and modified in all of the above cases. Finally, we provide documentation of the system, suggestions for possible extensions and a guide to implement them.