> Documentation > Backup and Restore Agents > Virtualization > Virtual Server Agent > Google Cloud Platform

Backups

The Virtual Server Agent (VSA) proxy on a Google Cloud Platform service account can perform crash consistent backups for all instances.

What Gets Backed Up

The following data is backed up by the Virtual Server Agent:

  • Instances (powered on or powered off)

  • Configuration files for each instance

  • Instance disks

What Does Not Get Backed Up

The following data is not backed up by the Virtual Server Agent:

  • Images

  • Instances that are encrypted with a customer-managed encryption key or a customer-supplied encryption key

  • Local solid-state drive (SSD) scratch disks

    When local SSD scratch disks reside on an instance with other supported disks, during the backup operation, the SSD scratch disks are skipped. The other disks are included in the backup.

  • Regional persistent disks (standard and SSD)

    When regional persistent disks (standard and SSD) reside on an instance with other supported disks, during the backup operation, the regional persistent disks (standard and SSD) are skipped. The other disks are included in the backup.

Backup Types

You can perform the following types of backups, either immediately or on a schedule. The first backup of an instance is always a full backup, regardless of the selected backup type.

  • Full backups: Back up the entire instance. This is the most comprehensive backup.

  • Incremental backups: Back up instance data that has changed since the most recent backup.

  • Synthetic Full backups: Consolidate instance data from the most recent full backup with subsequent incremental backups.

Backup Process

A backup operation for Google Cloud Platform includes the following stages:

  1. Create snapshots of all disks that are associated with the source instance.

    The snapshots are created in the source instance project.

  2. Create disks from the snapshots.

    For environments with multiple projects, the disks are created in the project that is associated with the VSA proxy.

  3. Delete the snapshots that were created in stage 1.

  4. Attach the created disks to the VSA proxy.

  5. Populate the config file, and then save it.

  6. Read each attached disk and back up disk data.

  7. Delete the disks that were created as part of the backup process.

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