Create Backup Policy

Create Backup Policy is a feature within QuantaStor that allows users to define and manage backup policies for their storage environment.

The purpose of Create Backup Policy in QuantaStor is to simplify the backup process and ensure data protection by providing a centralized and automated way to create, configure, and manage backup tasks. It allows users to define various parameters and settings related to backup operations, such as backup schedules, retention periods, target destinations, and backup types.

By using Create Backup Policy, administrators can easily set up recurring backup tasks according to their organization's specific requirements. All backups are incremental after the initial run and can operate in copy, move, or auto-tier modes. The backup policy also enables administrators to determine how long backups should be retained, ensuring that data is available for recovery within the desired timeframe.

Furthermore, Create Backup Policy allows users to select backup targets, such as local disks, network-attached storage (NAS), or cloud storage services, to store their backup data. This flexibility allows organizations to choose the most suitable backup destination based on factors like cost, performance, and data accessibility.

Overall, the purpose of Create Backup Policy in QuantaStor is to streamline and automate the backup process, providing a comprehensive solution for data protection and disaster recovery within the QuantaStor storage environment.

Backup policies replicate data from any NFS/CIFS share on your network to a specific Network Share on the QuantaStor appliance. It does so by temporarily connecting to the remote appliance via CIFS/NFS and then does a parallelized scan and copy of files that have not yet been backed up. QuantaStor backup policies only do pull based backups and do not push data to other servers or appliances on your network. (If you need something that is push based one could develop a simple cron job that uses rsync or similar tool to do a push style backup to another server.)

Navigation: Storage Management --> Schedules --> Backup Policy --> Create (toolbar)

Multi-source Backup

A single Network Share can be used as a backup target for multiple folders on multiple filers. To do so you'll need to create a new Backup Policy for each share on each filer. You'll also need to make sure that you check the box to store the data into a nested sub-directory of the Network Share on your QuantaStor appliance.

Data Migration / DR Mode

By default the Backup Policies replicate the contents of any remote NAS share into the root directory of the Network Share on the QuantaStor appliance. If you're planning to migrate users to the QuantaStor appliance or use the appliance as a DR failover appliance you will want to name the Network Share on the QuantaStor appliance with the same name as the share from the remote NAS filer.

Parallelized Backup

Found in In the 'File Selection Settings' tab, QuantaStor Backup Policies are designed to be able to backup large NAS filers with millions of files. It can do this efficiently via the parallelized scan process it uses which takes advantage of the scale-out capabilities of some filers. In some cases running multiple backup streams in parallel is not efficient and in those cases you'll want to set the policy to use a single stream or small number of backup streams/processes.

Policy Settings

Backup Modes

• Copy Files: simply copies files to the remote storage.
• Move Files: same as the copy mode but will also remove the local copy of the file immediately when the job is done.
• Auto-tier Files: a variation of the 'move' mode where after a set period of time the local expired files are replaced with 'stubs/links' to the files at the destination which may be NAS or Object storage. When users access files (links) that have been tiered out to the destination/secondary storage. The accessed files are cached locally using available storage. Set the stub creation policy in the ‘Advanced Settings’ section.

Backup Direction

• Inbound Data Transfer (Network Share ← Remote Storage Export): Pulls or backs up data from remote storage to your local system.

• Outbound Data Transfer (Network Share → Remote Storage Export): Pushes or backs up data from your local system to remote storage.

Option: Enable Continuous Data Protection

CDP will queue and copy or move newly created and modified files to be copied to the destination immediately.

Remote Storage Export

• SMB: Connect an SMB share from another server or appliance. You can also use one from the same server, though it’s best if it’s on a different pool.
• NFS: Connect a NFS share from another server or appliance. You can also use one from the same server, though it’s best if it’s on a different pool.
• Cloud Container: Add your preferred cloud storage in Cloud Containers section and use it as backup storage.

For further information see Administrator Guide

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