Back up Portworx Volumes

Applicable to both Classic and Federated modes

Portworx Backup uses in-built Portworx cloudsnap mechanism using Portworx driver to create a backup of Portworx volumes. For more information, see Backup types

Prerequisites

• An application cluster with Portworx volumes added to Portworx Backup
• A configured backup location (object store or NFS)

Back up Portworx volumes

To back up Portworx volumes in your namespace, perform the following steps:

1. Log in to the Portworx Backup web console.

2. From the home page, click the Clusters icon in the left navigation pane.

   
   

3. Choose the application cluster that contains the namespace to be backed up:

   
   

4. Navigate to Applications tab.

   
   

5. Select the namespace(s) or VM(s) that you want to back up. You can create either a namespace backup or a VM backup on this page.

   For a namespace backup, the following options are available:

   • Search by namespace name: filters the namespaces by their names.

   • NAME (column checkbox): selecting the checkbox in the NAME column header selects all the namespaces shown on the current page.

     note

     Portworx Backup allows you to select multiple namespaces of a cluster from different pages and then back up the chosen namespaces in a single click.

   • All resources: this drop-down allows you to select the required resources or all the resources, along with a search option to traverse the list by resource name. After selecting resources, you can select individual resources of a resource group by navigating to Vertical ellipsis > Select Resources (enabled after you select one or more resources) under the Resources column provided at the end of each namespace in the Portworx Backup web console.

     
     
     note

     Portworx Backup web console displays the selected resource count under the RESOURCES column. Resources are not displayed for large resource backups.

   • Filter by labels: filters the namespaces by their pre-defined labels.

   For a VM backup, the following options are available to narrow down the search results:

   • Search by VM name: searches for the VM by its name.

   • Filter by Namespace: filters the VMs by the namespace where the VM resides. It also provides a Select All option to select all the namespaces where the VMs you want to back up reside.

   • Filter by OS: filters the VMs by the OS they are on.

   • Filter by Labels: filters the VMs by pre-applied namespace or resource labels. For more information, see Labels in Portworx Backup.

6. Click Backup.

7. In the Create Backup window, specify the following:

   
   

   • Enter name for Backup: provide a relevant name for your backup

   • Backup location: search for and select the backup location (object store or NFS) to store the backups. Enter a keyword to filter the list by name.

     note

     The Backup location field displays only successfully validated object store or NFS backup locations.

   • Cross Cloud Backup/Restore: this option is disabled by default. Enable this toggle to create a cross-cloud backup, which lets you back up an application in one cloud or storage environment and restore it in another. When enabled, Portworx Backup uses the KDMP driver to copy volume data to the backup location instead of using the built-in Portworx cloudsnap mechanism. For more information, see Create a Cross Cloud Backup.

   • Snapshot Class Mapping: lists the Portworx driver under CSI provisioner field with Volume snapshot class field disabled

     • CSI Provisioner: Portworx driver associated with the applications are listed here. Provisioners can be:

       • Portworx: creates a Portworx cloud snapshot and stores it in the backup location regardless of whether the Offload CSI snapshots to backup location option is selected

       • Volume snapshot class: this field is disabled and displays No snapshot class found for Portworx driver. No VSC mapping is required for Portworx driver.

         For more information, see Backup type matrix.

     • Offload CSI snapshots to backup location: this toggle applies only to non-Portworx CSI volumes. It has no effect on Portworx volumes, which always use the built-in Portworx cloudsnap mechanism regardless of this setting. If your namespace contains only Portworx volumes, you can leave this option unchecked.

   • Backup type: allows you to choose the type of backup required (manual or scheduled backup)

     • On a schedule: can create a manual or scheduled backup

       • Disabled: creates a manual backup immediately after you click Create

       • Enabled: displays Choose a Schedule Policy option

     For more information, see Scheduled backup.

   • Choose a Schedule Policy: associate a schedule policy with your backup to automate the process of backup creation. Portworx Backup supports hourly, weekly, and monthly scheduled backup runs or allows you to create the backup at the specified time.

   • Allow parallel backup: this option is visible for all volume types, but applicable only for Portworx volumes. Select this option to enable Portworx Backup to trigger a new scheduled backup even when the previous scheduled backup is still in progress (uploading snapshots to the cloud). See Parallel backup schedules for more information.

   • Pre-exec rule: select a rule from the drop-down to execute before the backup is created

   • Post-exec rule: select a post rule you want to execute after the backup is created

   • Backup Labels: any labels that you want to add to the backup you are going to create for quick search when required

   • NAMESPACES LIST: Lists all the namespaces selected for backup creation

8. Click Create.

   Portworx Backup creates a backup of Portworx volumes using the built-in Portworx driver.

9. Verify the backup status.

   Portworx Backup uses the cloudsnap mechanism, which is asynchronous: the cloudsnap upload runs in the background after you click Create, so the backup is not complete the moment it appears. The new backup is listed under the Backups tab of the cluster (Clusters > select the cluster > Backups), where its status progresses as the upload proceeds. Wait for the backup status to reach Success before you rely on the backup for restore operations.