Cloud Backup for AVS: A Reliable and Cost-Effective Solution for Protecting Your VMs and Datastores on Azure NetApp Files

If you are using Azure VMware Solution (AVS) to run your VMware workloads on Azure, you might be wondering how to back up and restore your virtual machines (VMs) and datastores on Azure NetApp Files. Azure NetApp Files is an enterprise-class, high-performance file storage service that supports the most demanding enterprise file-workloads in the cloud, such as databases, SAP, and high-performance computing applications. However, as with any cloud service, you need to have a backup strategy in place to protect your data from accidental deletion, corruption, or disaster.

Fortunately, Microsoft has recently launched a preview of Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines, a native backup and recovery solution for VMs and datastores on Azure NetApp Files for AVS. Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines is a plug-in installed in the AVS and enables you to back up and restore your data to the cloud using the familiar vSphere client interface. Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines features:

• Simple deployment via AVS run command from Azure portal
• Integration into the vSphere client for easy operations
• VM-consistent consistent backups of VMs
• Flexible backup policies with retention settings
• Encryption of backup data at rest and in transit
• Support for cross-region replication of backup data for disaster recovery

In this blog post we will install Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines, create backup policies, and back up and restore your VMs and datastores on Azure NetApp Files.

How to Install Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines

Before you install Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines, you need to have some prerequisites in place:

• Deploy an AVS private cloud and a dedicated virtual network connected via ExpressRoute gateway. The virtual network gateway should be configured with the Ultra performance or ErGw3Az SKU and have FastPath enabled.
• Create an NFSv3 volume for Azure NetApp Files in the same virtual network created in the previous step. Verify connectivity from the private cloud to the Azure NetApp Files volume by pinging the attached target IP.
• Verify that your subscription is registered to the ANFAvsDataStore feature in the Microsoft.NetApp namespace. If not, register it using the Azure CLI.
• Create an Azure AD app and service principal within your Azure AD tenant and assign to the application a role in your Azure subscription. You can use the built-in role of “contributor” or you can create a custom role with only the required permissions.

Once you have these prerequisites ready, you can install Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines by following these steps:

1. Sign in to your AVS private cloud.
2. Select Run command > Packages > NetApp.CBS.AVS > Install-NetAppCBSA.
3. Provide the required values, then select Run.
4. Check Notifications or the Run Execution Status tab to see the progress.

For more information about the installation process, see Install Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines.

How to Create Backup Policies

You need to create backup policies before you can use Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines to back up your VMs and datastores on Azure NetApp Files. A backup policy defines how often and how long you want to keep your backups. You can create multiple backup policies based on your business requirements and assign them to different VMs or datastores.

To create a backup policy, follow these steps:

1. In the left navigation of the vCenter web client page, select Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines > Policies.
2. On the Policies page, select Create to initiate the wizard.
3. On the New Backup Policy page, select the vCenter Server that will use the policy, then enter the policy name and a description.
4. Specify the retention settings. The maximum retention value is 255 backups. If the “Backups to keep” option is selected during the backup operation, Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines retains backups within the specified retention count and delete the backups that exceed the retention count.
5. Specify the schedule settings. You can choose from daily, weekly, monthly, or custom schedules. You can also specify multiple schedules within a policy.
6. Review your policy settings and select Finish.

For more information about creating backup policies, see Back up Azure NetApp Files datastores and VMs using Cloud Backup.

How to Back Up and Restore Your VMs and Datastores on Azure NetApp Files

After you have created your backup policies, you can use them to back up your VMs and datastores on Azure NetApp Files. You can also perform ad hoc backups without using a policy. To back up your VMs and datastores, follow these steps:

1. In the left navigation of the vCenter web client page, select Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines > Resource Groups.
2. On the Resource Groups page, select Create to initiate the wizard.
3. On the New Resource Group page, select the vCenter Server that will use the resource group, then enter the resource group name and a description.
4. Select the backup policy that you want to apply to the resource group. You can also select “No policy” if you want to perform ad hoc backups only.
5. Select the VMs or datastores that you want to include in the resource group. You can select multiple VMs or datastores within a resource group.
6. Review your resource group settings and select Finish.

To perform a backup operation, follow these steps:

1. In the left navigation of the vCenter web client page, select Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines > Resource Groups.
2. On the Resource Groups page, select the resource group that you want to back up, then select Backup Now from the Actions menu.
3. On the Backup Now page, select the backup type: VM-consistent or crash consistent. A VM-consistent backup ensures that the VM is quiesced before taking a snapshot, while a crash consistent backup takes a snapshot without quiescing the VM.
4. Select the retention option: Backups to keep or Retain until. The Backups to keep option retains backups within the retention count specified in the policy and deletes the backups that exceed the retention count. The Retain until option retains backups until the specified date and time and deletes them after that.
5. Review your backup settings and select Finish.

To restore your VMs or datastores from a backup, follow these steps:

1. In the left navigation of the vCenter web client page, select Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines > Backups.
2. On the Backups page, select the backup that you want to restore, then select Restore from the Actions menu.
3. On the Restore page, select the restore type: Full or Granular. A full restore restores the entire VM or datastore from the backup, while a granular restore restores individual files, folders, or disks from the backup.
4. Select the restore destination: Original or Alternate. The original destination restores the VM or datastore to its original location, while the alternate destination restores it to a different location.
5. Review your restore settings and select Finish.

For more information about backing up and restoring your VMs and datastores, see Back up Azure NetApp Files datastores and VMs using Cloud Backup.

Conclusion

Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines is a reliable and cost-effective solution for protecting your VMs and datastores on Azure NetApp Files for AVS. It enables you to leverage the power and scalability of Azure storage to back up and restore your data with ease and efficiency. You can also use Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines to replicate your data across regions for disaster recovery purposes.

If you are interested in trying out Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines, you can sign up for the preview here. You can also provide your feedback and suggestions here.