Hyper-V Virtual Machine Snapshot Management Script

Managing Hyper-V virtual machines efficiently is crucial for maintaining a productive environment. In this post, we’ll share a useful PowerShell script that helps to create, list, and remove snapshots of Hyper-V virtual machines. This script can simplify your VM management tasks and enhance the way you handle backups and recovery points.
Before we begin, ensure you have the necessary permissions to run these commands in your Hyper-V environment.
Step 1: Create a Snapshot
This part of the script will create a snapshot for a specified virtual machine.

$VMName = 'YourVirtualMachineName'
$SnapshotName = 'Snapshot_' + (Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd_HHmmss')
Checkpoint-VM -Name $VMName -SnapshotName $SnapshotName
Write-Host "Snapshot '$SnapshotName' created for VM '$VMName'"

In this code, replace ‘YourVirtualMachineName’ with the name of your virtual machine. The script generates a timestamped name for the snapshot and creates it using the `Checkpoint-VM` cmdlet.
Step 2: List Snapshots
Next, we will retrieve and list all snapshots associated with the specified virtual machine.

$Snapshots = Get-VMCheckpoint -VMName $VMName
if ($Snapshots) {
    $Snapshots | ForEach-Object {
        Write-Host "Snapshot Name: $($_.Name) - Created on: $($_.CreationTime)"
    }
} else {
    Write-Host "No snapshots found for VM '$VMName'."
}

This section checks for existing snapshots and displays their names along with their creation timestamps. If no snapshots exist, it notifies the user accordingly.
Step 3: Remove a Snapshot
In this final step, we will remove a specified snapshot.

$SnapshotToRemove = 'Snapshot_YourNameToRemove'
Remove-VMCheckpoint -VMName $VMName -Name $SnapshotToRemove
Write-Host "Snapshot '$SnapshotToRemove' removed successfully from VM '$VMName'."

Make sure to replace ‘Snapshot_YourNameToRemove’ with the actual name of the snapshot you want to remove. This part of the script uses the `Remove-VMCheckpoint` cmdlet to delete the specified snapshot.
By utilizing this PowerShell script, you can effectively manage your Hyper-V snapshots, which is essential for backup and recovery operations. For more scripts and tools to enhance your server management, check out ServerEngine at https://serverengine.co, your trusted solution for server optimization and automation!