After you implement the Advanced Load Balancing for VMware Cloud Foundationvalidated solution, backing up the newly added components ensures that you can keep your environment operational if a data loss or failure occurs.

Note:

Only the Controller cluster configuration is required to be backed up.

For validated data protection solutions, refer to VMware Cloud Foundation Validated Solutions main page.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that you implemented a backup solution to take configuration backups for the Controllers to a target in a separate fault domain.

  • Verify that the backup target has sufficient disk space to store the backups.

  • Deploy the NSX Advanced Load Balancer on the Advanced Load Balancing for VMware Cloud Foundation.

  • Setup a remote backup server with SCP enabled for transport.

  • The Controller cluster will utilize SCP protocol to transfer backups.

  • Create a directory on the remote backup server to host backups.

Note:

  • Remote backup of the NSX Advanced Load Balancer is currently supported over the SCP protocol.

  • Only the Controller configuration needs to be backed up.

  • VM based backups for the NSX Advanced Load Balancer solution are not required.

You implement backups to prepare for:

  • A critical failure of the Controllers

  • An upgrade of the NSX Advanced Load Balancer solution

  • A certificate update of the Controller clusters portal

You take the following backup types:

  • Scheduled backups, which ensure that at any given point in time, you can restore from a recent backup.

  • Manual backups before a system update, which ensure that if the operation is unsuccessful, you can restore to a point in time immediately before the operation.

  • Manual backups after a recovery of a failed part of the system.

To back up NSX Advanced Load Balancer, you create configuration backups of the Controller by using your backup solution which supports SCP based transfers.

  • Log in to the Controller and setup the SCP-compatible backup solution endpoint.

  • On the Controller create a backup schedule take periodic backups daily.

Procedure

  1. Setup remote backup user credentials on the Controller cluster.

    1. In a web browser, log in to the Controller cluster VIP by using https://sfo-m01-avic01.sfo.rainpole.io/.

    2. Navigate to Administration > User Credentials and click on CREATE.

    3. Specify the following information to create a SSH user and click on GENERATE & SAVE.

    Setting

    Value

    Name

    SSH Username (Set this up on the Backup Server as well)

    Credential Type

    SSH

    Authentication

    SSH Key

    Keys

    Generate SSH Key Value Pair

  2. Setup the remote backup server to use the created backup user credentials.

    1. Run curl -ks https://sfo-m01-avic01.sfo.rainpole.io/api/linux_host_install?username=<SSH USERNAME> | sudo bash on the Backup server.

      1. A Linux user will be created if it does not exist on the Backup server.

  3. Configure backups schedule on the Controller cluster.

  4. In a web browser, log in to the Controller cluster VIP by using https://sfo-m01-avic01.sfo.rainpole.io/.

  5. Navigate to Administration > System > Configuration Backup and click on the pencil icon.

  6. Specify the following information and click on Save.

    Setting

    Value

    Enable Configuration Backup

    selected

    Frequency

    1

    Frequency Unit

    Day(s)

    Backup Passphrase

    <COMPLEX_PASSWORD>

    Remote Server

    selected

    Server Address

    Remote backup server FQDN or IP address

    Directory

    Directory on remote backup server to store backup

    User Credentials

    Previously created user credentials
Table 1. Design Decisions for Data Protection of Advanced Load Balancing for VMware Cloud Foundation

Design ID

Design Decision

Design Justification

Design Implication

AVI-CTLR-036

Create a backup schedule to take periodic backups at least every 24 hours.

Backed up configuration will aid in rebuilding and recovering the NSX Advanced Load Balancerconfiguration from catastrophic failires.

Backup server should support SCP as the transport protocol.