Choose restore-point consistency before capturing an Azure VM

Source facts

Microsoft documents application-consistent VM restore points as the default when consistencyMode is omitted. For crash-consistent capture, the request explicitly sets consistencyMode to crashConsistent. The guide states that crash consistency is unsupported for Azure Boost and directs those workloads to application-consistent restore points. Microsoft Learn

Applicability

This applies when a team defines an Azure VM restore-point capture request and must agree the consistency requirement with the application owner.

DSE recommendation

DSE recommends documenting the intended consistency mode before scheduling the capture. Ask the application owner to identify the recovery checks that will demonstrate a usable result, and verify the documented support conditions for the VM. Review the actual request field instead of inferring the mode from a job name. Record any excluded disks and require an explicit owner decision about the resulting recovery boundary.

Verification

Inspect the submitted request and resulting restore-point information together. Compare the selected mode with the approved application requirement, then use a controlled recovery test to evaluate the captured workload. Record capture success and recovery acceptance as separate observations, keeping an untested or failed recovery outcome visible in the backup review.

Official references

• Microsoft: Use virtual machine restore points – Azure Virtual Machines | Microsoft Learn