Backing Up a Database

If you Enable Automated Backups for a database, VMware Data Services Manager initiates backup of the database automatically and saves it to the local and cloud storage.

In addition to the automated backups, VMware Data Services Manager also allows you to back up a data-protected database manually, on-demand.

The backup window that you configure for a database determines at what time VMware Data Services Manager initiates the daily backup, and how long backups are retained on local and cloud storage.

When a database is created with automated backups enabled, the first full backup of the database takes place immediately after it is provisioned.

The first backup is a full backup - it contains all service data in the database. For a database that has automated backups enabled, subsequent backups of the same database are incremental or full depending on the local retention period configured for the database.

The amount of time that it will take VMware Data Services Manager to back up a database depends on its size and whether the backup is full or incremental.

Privileges of User Roles and Backup VMs

Based on user role, the privileges to view the backup VMs differ as follows:

• When the owner of a VM is an Organization User, all backups of this VM can be seen listed in the Database Backups view by the Provider Administrator, the Organization Administrator, and the Organization User.
• When the owner of a VM is an Organization Administrator, all backups of this VM can be seen listed in the Database Backups view only by the Provider Administrator and the Organization Administrator.
• When the owner of a VM is a Provider Administrator, all backups of this VM can be seen listed in the Database Backups view only by the Provider Administrator.
• When the Namespace associated with a VM is also associated with a Provider organization, Provider Administrator can take backups of such VMs that are created by Organization Users or Organization Administrators.
• An Organization Administrator can take backups of only such VMs that are created by Organization Users or Organization Administrators of the organization.
• An Organization User can take backups of only such VMs that are created by it.

About Backup Chains and Backup Status

When you configure Backup Configuration, the number of days that you enter for Local Backup Retention, specifies the length of the backup cycle. If you choose 7 days (the minimum value), the first backup is a full backup followed by 6 days of incremental backups. On the 8th day, the cycle resets; VMware Data Services Manager takes a second full backup which is followed by 6 days of incremental backups.

Each full backup followed by N days of incremental backups until the next full backup forms a backup chain. Each incremental backup in a chain is dependent on the previous incremental backup, and ultimately dependent on the most recent full backup.

All backups in the current backup chain represent the most current state of the service data. VMware Data Services Manager considers these backups to be ACTIVE. Older, completed backup chains have an AVAILABLE status. While you are permitted to delete backups with AVAILABLE and ACTIVE status, it is not recommended.

About Backup Properties

If you configure Enable Automated Backups for a database when you create the database, you can specify the backup window and retention policies for the database.

Backup window and retention properties include:

Property Name	Description
Daily Backup Time	The time of day to back up the database. This is in the local time zone of the database server.
Local Backup Retention	The number of days to retain a backup on local storage.
Cloud Backup Retention	The number of days to retain a backup on cloud storage.

Syncing Cloud Backup with Local Backup

Cloud Backup of a database can fail due to server failure, connection issues, and so on. In such cases the cloud backup of the database is behind the local backup and is not synched with the local backup.

Note: To allow syncing of cloud backup of a database with its local backup, the Cloud Backup Retention of the database should be configured as more than zero.

Perform the following steps, to sync the cloud backup of the database with its local backup:

1. Select Database Backups from the left navigation pane.

   This action displays the Database Backups view, a table that lists the provisioned Database Backups.

2. Examine the Database backups listed in the table, identify the Database Backup whose cloud backup you wish to synch with the local backup, and click the three dots in the Actions column of the Database Backup, and select Resync Cloud Backup from the pop-up menu.

   Note: The **Resync Cloud Backup** option in the pop-up menu appears only for the Database backups that have local backups (denoted by L in the Availability column) and no cloud backup (denoted by absence of C in the Availability column).

3. Monitor the progress of the task in the Operations tab or in the Recent Operations pane at the bottom of the UI to follow the progress of the operation, RESYNC CLOUD BACKUP.

   If the task fails, click the operation, RESYNC CLOUD BACKUP, and then click the Error Info tab to examine the error information.

Enabling Automated Backups After Database Provisioning

If Enable Automated Backups was deactivated when you created a database, you can choose to enable it at any time after provisioning.

Note: Once you enable automated backups for a database, you cannot deactivate them, but you can take on-demand manual backups. You also cannot change the daily backup time or the local and cloud retention periods when the automated backups is deactivated.

Procedure

Perform the following procedure to enable automated daily backups for a database:

1. Select Databases from the left navigation pane.

   This action displays the Databases view, a table that lists the provisioned databases.

2. Examine the databases listed in the table, identify the database whose backup policies you wish to update, and navigate to that table row.

3. Click the database VM Name.

   The database information Details tab displays.

4. Select the Backup tab.

   This action displays backup information for the database, including the backup policy, and the daily backup time, backup retention periods, and backup files when data protection is enabled.

5. Locate the Backup Policy, and click EDIT.

   The Backup Policy dialog displays.

6. If Enable Automated Backups is OFF, toggle the value to ON and then enter the daily backup time and the number of days to retain local and cloud backups.

   Note: If automated backups is ON, you can only modify the daily backup time, and the number of days to retain local and cloud backups.

7. Click SAVE.

   VMware Data Services Manager generates a management operation of type MODIFY BACKUP CONFIG, and automatically takes a full local and cloud backup of the database.

8. Monitor the progress of the task in the Operations tab or in the Operations view:

   1. Locate the MODIFY BACKUP CONFIG operation type and click it.
   2. Select the State History tab to view the subtasks of the operation and their status.
   3. If the operation fails, select the Error Info tab to examine the returned error information.

9. You can similarly monitor and examine the BACKUP DB operation details.

Initiating an On-Demand Backup

You can manually initiate a backup of a database at any time after you provision it. An on-demand backup may either be a full backup or an incremental backup, depending on:

• Whether you have enabled automated backups for the database
• When you initiate a manual backup for the database that has automated backups backups enabled

When you manually initiate a backup, a backup file of a database for which you have enabled automated backups is bound to the same retention policies as a backup file generated from an automated backup.

If you choose to deactivate Enable Automated Backups while creating a database, you can only create on-demand backups of the database. Such backups are always full backups that can be deleted immediately if required, without any dependencies. You can also perform restore operation on such manual backups. However, such manual backups cannot be used for PITR functionality, are not purged automatically, and need to be deleted manually.

Prerequisites

On-demand backup is available only for a database that has its status as ONLINE. You cannot initiate an on-demand backup of a database that has its status as INIT. To initiate an on-demand backup, after provisioning a database, wait until the status of the database turns to ONLINE from INIT.

Procedure

Perform the following procedure to initiate an on-demand backup of a database:

1. Select Databases from the left navigation pane.

   This action displays the Databases view, a table that lists the provisioned databases.

2. Examine the databases listed in the table, identify the database that you want to back up now, and navigate to that table row.

3. Click the database VM Name.

   The database information Details tab displays.

4. Select the Backup tab.

   This action displays backup information for the database, including the backup policy, and the daily backup time, backup retention periods, and backup files when data protection is enabled.

5. Locate the Backup Files section of the pane, and click BACKUP NOW in the upper right corner.

   The Backup Database form displays.

6. Enter the file name of the backup in the field Backup Name, and then click BACKUP.

   VMware Data Services Manager generates a management operation of type BACKUP DB, and takes an incremental local and cloud backup of the database.

7. Monitor the progress of the task in the Operations tab or in the Operations view:

   1. Locate the BACKUP DB operation type and click it.
   2. Select the State History tab to view the subtasks of the operation and their status.
   3. If the operation fails, select the Error Info tab to examine the returned error information.

8. If the backup operation completes successfully, there is an entry in the Backup Files table of the database information Backup tab for the database. This backup has an Active Status.

Deleting a Backup File

You can manually delete any backup at any time. When you delete a backup file, VMware Data Services Manager deletes the file from both local and cloud storage.

Note: Deleting a backup file is a permanent operation. You cannot recover a deleted backup.

Procedure

Perform the following procedure to delete a backup file for a database:

1. Select Databases from the left navigation pane.

   This action displays the Databases view, a table that lists the provisioned databases.

2. Examine the databases listed in the table, identify the database for which you want to manage the backup files, and navigate to that table row.

3. Click the database VM Name.

   The database information Details tab displays.

4. Select the Backup tab.

   This action displays backup information for the database, including the backup policy, and the daily backup time, backup retention periods, and backup files when data protection is enabled.

5. Locate the Backup Files section of the pane.

6. Examine the backups listed in the table, identify the backup file that you want to delete, and navigate to that table row.

7. Click the three dots in the Actions colum, and select Delete from the pop-up menu.

   The Delete Backup dialog displays.

8. If you are certain that you want to delete the backup file, click CONFIRM and ignore the warning message that is displayed.

   The Delete Backup dialog displays the list of backup files that will be deleted.

   Note: If you delete any backup file other than the last backup, that backup file is deleted along with the backup files created after that backup file.

9. If you are certain that you want to delete the backup file(s) listed in the Delete Backup dialog box and ignore the warning message, click CONFIRM again.

   VMware Data Services Manager generates a management operation of type DELETE BACKUP.

10. Monitor the progress of the task in the Operations tab (available when you click a database row from the Databases view) or in the Operations (available when you click Operations from the left navigation pane) view:

    1. Locate the DELETE BACKUP operation type and click it.
    2. Select the State History tab to view the subtasks of the operation and their status.
    3. If the operation fails, select the Error Info tab to examine the returned error information.

11. If the operation completes successfully, the row in the Backup Files table is removed.

Migrating Existing Database Backups to New Storages and Networks

VMware Data Services Manager enables you to change the default resources of Local Storage, Cloud Storage, VM Datastore, or Application Network for a Namespace. After these changes are applied, the new databases are created using the new default resources of the Namespace. However, the old backups, restores, and clones of databases continue to use the old default resources of the Namespace.

After changing the default resources of a Namespace, you must update the database that uses the Namespace. Also, you should migrate the existing backups, clones, and restores of the database to the new default resources of the Namespace, for example, a new storage or network.

Procedure

After changing the default resources of a Namespace with which a database is provisioned to new local and cloud storages, perform the following steps to migrate databases to the new default storages and networks of the Namespace:

1. Migrate the existing backups of the databases manually to the new default resources of the Namespace.

2. Click the database in the Databases view of the Databases pane.

   The Details tab of the database appears.

3. Click the Backup tab, and then click the UPDATE button in the Active Database Backup Storage section.