> Expert > Backup and Restore Agents > Virtualization > Virtual Server Agent > Microsoft Azure > Configuration

Changed Block Tracking for Microsoft Azure

Changed Block Tracking (CBT) is a mechanism that enhances the backup performance of Azure virtual disks. It is enabled by default. With CBT, Azure API detects the changed blocks (changed page range information) on Azure virtual disks by comparing the binary large object (BLOB) snapshots. With this comparison, CBT for Azure provides better backup performance than traditional cyclic redundancy check (CRC) backups.

When you create a new subclient, CBT is enabled by default. Existing subclients continue to use the traditional CRC backup method unless you enable CBT for the subclients.

You can use CBT with unmanaged and managed disks.

How It Works

  • Azure virtual disks are stored as page BLOBs. With CBT enabled, the Azure API detects the changed blocks (changed page range information) on the Azure virtual disks by comparing the current page BLOB snapshot against the base BLOB snapshot (which was obtained during the previous CBT-enabled backup operation). Only the changed blocks that the Azure API detects are backed up and written to backup media. After the incremental backup operation is complete, the base BLOB snapshot that was used for comparison is deleted. The current operation's snapshot is used as the base BLOB snapshot for the next CBT-enabled incremental backup operation.

  • Changed blocks that are backed up during the backup copy jobs amount to only 1 MB. In previous releases, the changed blocks that are backed up could total 4 MB. With this reduction, the system backs up less incremental data, which further enhances the backup performance of Azure virtual disks. This change takes effect only after you run a full backup for the subclient with the CBT option enabled.

  • CBT is supported only in the regions that are supported by Microsoft.

  • If the CBT snapshot is deleted in Azure, then the next backup job is converted to a full backup.

    For streaming backups, snapshots that are 15 days old are automatically deleted. This cleanup is helpful when backups are disabled, when a VM is removed from backup content, and when the backup job type changed from streaming to snap.

Enabling or Disabling Changed Block Tracking for Microsoft Azure

Loading...