Backups for OCI

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You can perform backups automatically based on the configuration for a hypervisor or VM group, or manually for a VM group or a specific instance.

The first backup of an instance is always a full backup. By default, all subsequent backups are incremental, capturing any changes to instance data since the last backup.

You can recover instance data, even when the most recent backup was incremental.

Backups run based on the following options:

  • Initial full backup: When you use Guided setup to set up the Virtualization solution, use the Back up now option to perform a backup for the default VM group.

  • Scheduled incremental backups: The server backup plan that is assigned to a VM group includes a schedule for ongoing incremental backups. Those backups are performed automatically based on the schedule, without requiring any user action.

  • Manual backups: You can perform on-demand backups for a VM group or for a specific instance.

If backups cannot start immediately, the backup jobs are queued.

Note:

  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure allows the creation of sub-compartments up to six levels deep. You can back up and restore instances that are under those sub-compartments (as well as under the root compartment) for OCI regions.

  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure incremental backups utilize Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) validation in order to determine which blocks have changed since the last backup. Due to this validation process, incremental backups may take as long to run as full backups.

  • Backups and restores require the target instance and the access node to be located in the same AD.

Backup Flow

  1. Create snapshots for volumes.

  2. Create temporary replica volumes from snapshots.

  3. Attach volumes to proxy.

    Note: The maximum number of attachments is 32 for both Linux and Windows.

  4. Back up volumes and instance metadata.

  5. Detach and delete temporary volumes.