Name

Description

($err, $snapshotHandle) = VMCreateSnapshot($vmHandle,
                                           $name,
                                           $description,
                                           $options,
                                           $propertyListHandle);

This function saves a copy of the virtual machine state as a snapshot object.

Parameters

vmHandle

Identifies a virtual machine. Call VMOpen() to create a virtual machine handle.

name

A user-defined name for the snapshot; need not be unique.

description

A user-defined description for the snapshot.

options

Flags to specify how the snapshot should be created. Any combination of the following or 0 to exclude memory:

• VIX_SNAPSHOT_INCLUDE_MEMORY - Captures the full state of a running virtual machine, including the memory.

propertyListHandle

Must be VIX_INVALID_HANDLE.

Return Value

$snapshotHandle. A handle to the newly created snapshot.

Remarks

• This function creates a child snapshot of the current snapshot.
• If a virtual machine is suspended, you cannot snapshot it more than once.
• If a powered-on virtual machine gets a snapshot created with option 0 (exclude memory), the power state is not saved, so reverting to the snapshot sets powered-off state.
• The 'name' and 'description' parameters can be set but not retrieved using the VIX API.
• VMware Server supports only a single snapshot for each virtual machine. The following considerations apply to VMware Server:
  • If you call this function a second time for the same virtual machine without first deleting the snapshot, the second call will overwrite the previous snapshot.
  • A virtual machine imported to VMware Server from another VMware product might have more than one snapshot at the time it is imported. In that case, you can use this function to add a new snapshot to the series.
• Starting in VMware Workstation 6.5, snapshot operations are allowed on virtual machines that are part of a team. Previously, this operation failed with error code VIX_PROPERTY_VM_IN_VMTEAM. Team members snapshot independently so they can have different and inconsistent snapshot states.
• This function is not supported when using the VIX_SERVICEPROVIDER_VMWARE_PLAYER host type.
• If the virtual machine is open and powered off in the UI, this function now closes the virtual machine in the UI before creating the snapshot.

Side Effects

Requirements

use VMware::Vix::Simple;
use VMware::Vix::API::Constants;

Example

my $err = VIX_OK;
my $hostHandle = VIX_INVALID_HANDLE;
my $vmHandle = VIX_INVALID_HANDLE;
my $snapshotHandle = VIX_INVALID_HANDLE;

($err, $hostHandle) = HostConnect(VIX_API_VERSION,
                                  VIX_SERVICEPROVIDER_VMWARE_WORKSTATION,
                                  undef, # hostName
                                  0, # hostPort
                                  undef, # userName
                                  undef, # password
                                  0, # options
                                  VIX_INVALID_HANDLE); # propertyListHandle

die "HostConnect() failed, $err ", GetErrorText($err), "\n" if $err != VIX_OK;

($err, $vmHandle) = VMOpen($hostHandle,
                           "c:\\Virtual Machines\\vm1\\win2000.vmx");
die "VMOpen() failed, $err ", GetErrorText($err), "\n" if $err != VIX_OK;

$err = VMPowerOn($vmHandle,
                 VIX_VMPOWEROP_LAUNCH_GUI, # powerOnOptions
                 VIX_INVALID_HANDLE);  # propertyListHandle
die "VMPowerOn() failed, $err ", GetErrorText($err), "\n" if $err != VIX_OK;

# Create snapshot in powered-on state.
$(err, $snapshotHandle) = VMCreateSnapshot($vmHandle,
                                           undef, # name
                                           undef, # description
                                           VIX_SNAPSHOT_INCLUDE_MEMORY, # options
                                           VIX_INVALID_HANDLE);