Before backups can occur, you must configure a backup file server. After you configure a backup file server, you can start a backup at any time or schedule recurring backups. Administrators can choose to connect to the SFTP backup server using an SSH private key or a password-based authentication.
Prerequisites
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Verify that the SFTP server is running the supported OS and the supported SFTP software. The following table displays the supported and tested software for backup, although other software versions might work.
Currently supported OS
Specifically tested version
SFTP software version
CentOS
8.4
OpenSSH_8.0p1
7.9 or 7.7
OpenSSH_7.4p1
RHEL
8.4
OpenSSH_8.0p1
7.9 or 7.7
OpenSSH_7.4p1
Ubuntu
20.04
OpenSSH_8.2p1
18.04
OpenSSH_7.6p1
Windows
Windows Server 2019 Standard
OpenSSH_for_Windows_8.1p1
Verify that the SFTP server is ready for use and is running SSH and SFTP, using the following commands:
$ ssh backup_user@sftp_server
$ sftp backup_user@sftp_server
Verify the required hashed ECDSA host key is present on the backup server. See Find the SSH Fingerprint of a Remote Server.
Ensure that the directory path where you want to store your backups exists and that you have read/write permissions to that directory. You cannot use the root directory (/).
If you are using the SSH private key option, ensure:
The SFTP backup server configuration includes an SSH public key linked to one of the users (in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys in a Linux server).
To complete the NSX Manager configuration, you have the corresponding private key.
You verify that you are storing the private key in a place other than the configuration.
If you have multiple NSX deployments, you must use a different directory for storing the backup of each deployment.
If your NSX Manager or your Global Manager appliance has the DNS server access set to "publish_fqdns": true, you must configure that setting on the new NSX Manager or new Global Manager appliance before restore. Follow instructions at "Configuring NSX Manager for Access by the DNS Server" in the NSX Installation Guide.
Procedure
Results
The Backup and Restore page refreshes with the newly configured SFTP server updated.
What to do next
After you successfully configure a backup file server, you can click Start Backup to manually start a backup immediately. Or, to schedule recurring automatic backups see Start or Schedule Backups. To see a list of available backups if you cannot access an NSX Manager or Global Manager appliance, see Listing Available Backups for details.