// Module included in the following assemblies:
//
// * virt/backup_restore/virt-managing-vm-snapshots.adoc

:_mod-docs-content-type: PROCEDURE
[id="virt-verifying-online-snapshot-creation-with-snapshot-indications_{context}"]
= Verifying online snapshots by using snapshot indications

[role="_abstract"]
Snapshot indications are contextual information about online virtual machine (VM) snapshot operations. Indications are not available for offline virtual machine (VM) snapshot operations. Indications are helpful in describing details about the online snapshot creation.

.Prerequisites

* You must have attempted to create an online VM snapshot.

.Procedure

. Display the output from the snapshot indications by performing one of the following actions:
* Use the command line to view indicator output in the `status` stanza of the `VirtualMachineSnapshot` object YAML.
* In the web console, click *VirtualMachineSnapshot* -> *Status* in the *Snapshot details* screen.

. Verify the status of your online VM snapshot by viewing the values of the `status.indications` parameter:
* `Online` indicates that the VM was running during online snapshot creation.
* `GuestAgent` indicates that the QEMU guest agent was active and successfully quiesced the guest file system for the online snapshot. This results in an application-consistent snapshot, preserving data integrity as if the applications had been gracefully shut down.
* `NoGuestAgent` indicates that the QEMU guest agent was not installed, or not ready to quiesce the file system during the online snapshot. This results in a crash-consistent snapshot, which captures the VM's state like an abrupt power-off. As a result, application consistency is not guaranteed, which causes a risk of data issues for critical applications. For higher reliability, install and run the guest agent, or retry the snapshot.
* `QuiesceFailed` indicates that an attempt to quiesce the file system failed during the online snapshot process. This means that the snapshot was created, but it is not necessarily application-consistent. To achieve proper consistency, retry the snapshot.
