Virtualization Host Backup

When performing backups at the virtualization host level, two options are available: 

• Offline backups. This approach requires turning off the VM or placing it in a saved state before copying files. After the copy process is complete, the VM can be started again. This approach involves downtime for each VM, but it provides a simple method for implementing complete backups.
• Online backups. This approach uses System Center Data Protection Manager, which takes a snapshot using Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), while the VM is running. Using this method avoids downtime but may affect performance momentarily.