Resource recovery for checkpoint-based high-availability in a virtualized environment

A data processing system provides checkpoint high-available for an application in a virtualized environment with reduced network demands. An application executes on a primary host machine comprising a first virtual machine. A virtualization module receives a designation from the application of a portion of the memory of the first virtual machine as purgeable memory, where the purgeable memory can be reconstructed by the application when the purgeable memory is unavailable. Changes are tracked to a processor state and to a remaining portion that is not purgeable memory and the changes are periodically forwarded at checkpoints to a secondary host machine. In response to an occurrence of a failure condition on the first virtual machine, the secondary host machine is signaled to continue execution of the application by using the forwarded changes to the remaining portion of the memory and by reconstructing the purgeable memory.