Cloud Parallel File Storage (CPFS) is typically used to process and store large amounts of data. It provides high throughput, high concurrency, and high availability. CPFS is widely used in scenarios that require processing large datasets, such as cloud computing, high-performance computing (HPC), data analytics, and media processing. This topic outlines the Cloud Backup feature for backing up CPFS, including Cloud Parallel File Storage, CPFS for Lingjun, and other large-scale file systems. This overview covers the benefits, working principles, procedures, and billing of this feature.
Introduction
The CPFS backup feature is an efficient and cost-effective data protection solution provided by Cloud Backup for CPFS file systems. Cloud Backup supports various file systems, such as Cloud Parallel File Storage, CPFS for Lingjun, and GlusterFS. It provides advanced data protection capabilities, including concurrent scanning on multiple nodes, storage API integration, data deduplication, and compression. This solution is simple to configure, offers excellent performance, and is cost-effective. If files in a file system are accidentally deleted, you can restore the data from a Cloud Backup vault to ensure data security.
Key benefits
Simple configurations
You can deploy lightweight backup clients on physical servers, virtual machines, or ECS instances. No specific hardware is required. Scheduled backup policies are intuitive and easy to configure.
Excellent backup performance
Cloud Backup supports concurrent backups of a file system from multiple clients. This greatly improves backup efficiency.
Source-side deduplication and compression
The Cloud Backup client compresses and deduplicates file data at the source. This reduces bandwidth usage for uploads and lowers storage consumption for backups.
Backup lock to prevent accidental or malicious deletion
Cloud Backup provides a backup lock feature for backup vaults. This prevents backup data from being deleted by any account or method before the configured retention period expires.
Cross-region or cross-account backup
You can use the cross-region backup feature to quickly replicate critical data to different regions or accounts. This provides multi-layered disaster recovery protection across regions and accounts.
How it works
You must first install and activate a Cloud Backup client on a physical server, virtual machine, or ECS instance. Then, you can log on to the Cloud Backup console to add the CPFS data source and use the client to back up specified files on the target file system.
When a backup job runs, the Cloud Backup client scans the specified file system folders to identify files for backup. The client then performs data reduction operations, such as data deduplication and compression, and uploads the incremental data to the backup vault to complete the backup. If multiple clients are installed, they can back up CPFS data in parallel to improve backup performance.
Cloud Backup uses a forever incremental backup mechanism. After the first full backup, each subsequent backup job uploads only the data that has changed since the last backup. A complete full backup is synthesized in the cloud. This minimizes network and storage consumption.
When you delete any backup, only the data segments unique to that backup are deleted. Other backups are not affected.
Deleting a full backup does not affect subsequent data restoration. This is because deleting a full backup only removes the data segments exclusive to that backup. Data segments referenced by other backups are not deleted.
Deleting an intermediate backup does not affect subsequent incremental backups or recovery points. This is because Cloud Backup uses a forever incremental backup method. The first backup is a full backup, and each subsequent backup contains only the data that has changed since the previous backup.
For backing up local systems to the cloud, Cloud Backup supports connections to Alibaba Cloud over the Internet, a VPN, or a leased line. For backups over the Internet, the server where the client is installed only needs to access the Internet. You do not need to expose the server's IP address to the Internet.
Procedure
The procedure to back up a CPFS file system in the Cloud Backup console is as follows:
Activating Cloud Backup is free of charge. Cloud Backup charges for storage capacity. For more information about billing, see Billing methods and billable items.
The backup client establishes communication and management services between backup nodes (physical servers, virtual machines, or ECS instances) and Cloud Backup.
You can add CPFS as a data source in the Cloud Backup console.
You can create a backup plan in which you set the backup vault, source path, backup cycle, and retention period. Cloud Backup then starts the plan and continuously backs up the file system.
ImportantAfter a backup plan is created, the first backup job is a full backup. Subsequent jobs are incremental backups by default.
If your selected region supports backup policies, you can create a backup plan only by associating it with a backup policy. Cloud Backup then periodically backs up the file system according to that policy.
In the navigation pane on the left, click Policy Center to view the regions that support backup policies. For more information, see Create a new backup policy.
If files in the file system are lost or damaged, you can restore all files or specific files that meet your conditions from historical backups. You can restore data to the source CPFS or to a new CPFS.
Billing
Backing up CPFS mainly incurs the following fees:
Storage capacity fees: These are calculated based on the actual capacity consumed by your backup data in the Cloud Backup vault.
You can find detailed information about the backup vault on the Overview page of the Cloud Backup console. For more information, see Pricing.
In addition, Cloud Backup charges other fees for specific backup configurations or operations. For example, restoring data from a Cloud Backup vault to a local file system over the Internet incurs outbound traffic fees. For more information, see Billing methods and billable items.
What to do next
Before you back up a CPFS file system, install a backup client on the backup nodes of the CPFS file system.
After you install the backup client, add a backup data source in the Cloud Backup console.
For more information about how to back up a CPFS file system, see Back up a CPFS file system.
If files in the file system are lost or damaged, you can restore all files or specific files that meet your conditions from historical backups. For more information, see Restore a CPFS file system.