Backup and Recovery of Virtual Servers
There are several different backup/recovery options depending on several aspects of the virtual server (VM):
- virtual server type
- guest operating system (OS)
- storage placement
- application/workload
- specific customer requirements
Important Note
To confirm which methods apply to a specific VM, or to request a restore, contact your primary/secondary server admins (ITS-EI-MAS customers), ITS-EI-MAS-Specialized for co-managed customers, or ITS-EI-TPS Systems and Storage for customer-managed (co-location) customers.
Backup/Recovery Methods
Depending on the factors above, the following backup/recovery options may be available. Restrictions on each option are detailed in subsequent sections.
- NetApp NAS volume snapshots (NetApp)
- array-level point-in-time snapshot of volumes containing virtual disk images
- crash-consistent (server apps or I/O are not suspended)
- recovery is replacement of the current VM disk(s) with the copy from the snapshot
- snapshots are replicated to another data center for additional protection
- standard schedule/retention
- daily at noon - retained for 6 days
- daily at midnight - retained for 14 days
- Sunday at midnight - retained for 5 weeks
- Backup and Restore Service (Veeam)
- support for image, volume, or file-level backup via VMware integration or backup agent
- application-aware processing options available depending upon operating system and type of application
- file-level recovery (some file systems may be excluded - see your ITS-EI-MAS/TPS contact for details)
- active content (e.g. database files) may not be usefully recoverable without additional steps
- backups are replicated to another on-premises data center upon completion
- standard retention/schedule
- daily backups between 6pm and 6am
- 30 days stored on-premises
- support for image, volume, or file-level backup via VMware integration or backup agent
- VM snapshot
- not a traditional backup -- useful for rollback in case of problems with planned/scheduled work on the VM
- not crash-consistent unless VM is shut down first
- manually created by ITS-EI-MAS/TPS staff on customer request
- limited retention (recommend <2 weeks)
Availability of Methods
Virtual Server Type
The type of virtual server can limit which backup/recovery options are available.
- ITS-Managed (ITS-EI-MAS, Public or University Internal data classification)
- no restrictions based on type
- ITS-Secure (ITS-EI-MAS, Restricted or Critical data classification)
- no NetApp snapshots available
- Co-Managed
- no restrictions based on type
- Customer Managed (Co-Location)
- only NetApp snapshots available from ITS
- customer is otherwise responsible for any backups and restores
Guest Operating System & Application/Workload
The OS and application or workload in the VM can impact which options are available.
- Any OS
- work with your ITS-EI-MAS/TPS contact to plan for particular backup/recovery needs (e.g. database or other active content, very large disks or file counts, data to be excluded, etc.)
- Microsoft Windows
- NetApp snapshots and Veeam backups should not be relied on for SQL Server -- work with the ITS EI TPS Data and Monitoring team for reliable SQL Server backups
- Linux (Ubuntu/RHEL)
- NetApp snapshots and Veeam backups should not be directly relied on for active content backups, e.g. MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, etc. -- work with your ITS-EI-MAS/TPS contact to accommodate these needs
- Linux (Other)
- work with your TPS contact to identify options and limitations
- Other (e.g. virtual appliances)
- work with your TPS contact to identify options and limitations
Storage Placement
The underlying storage where the VM and its disks are placed affect which backup/recovery options are available. A VM might consume multiple types of underlying storage. Contact your ITS-EI-MAS/TPS contact for storage details of a particular VM.
- NetApp NAS
- not available on ITS-Secure VMs
- certain NetApp volumes are configured without snapshots
- Pure SAN
- not available on Co-Managed or Customer Managed (Co-Location) VM types
- Veeam must be used if backups are needed
- NetApp E-Series iSCSI (connected in-guest)
- Veeam backup agent must be used if backups are needed