ApsaraDB RDS:Use the cross-region backup feature

Differences between cross-region backups and default backups

Prerequisites

• The original RDS instance meets the following requirements:

  • If the RDS instance uses local disks, the instance runs PostgreSQL 9.4 or PostgreSQL 10 on RDS High-availability Edition.

  • The RDS instance runs PostgreSQL 10 or later. Serverless RDS instances are not supported.

• The AliyunServiceRoleForDBS service-linked role is created by using your Alibaba Cloud account if you use the backup feature of ApsaraDB RDS for the first time. For more information, see How do I create a service-linked role for DBS?

• The RDS instance does not use a new general-purpose instance type.

  Note

  The new general-purpose instance types provide better scalability and performance and reduce the time to create an RDS instance or change the specifications of an RDS instance. The new general-purpose instance types do not support the cross-region backup feature. For more information, see Primary ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance types.

• Before you enable the cross-region backup feature for an RDS instance for which the cloud disk encryption feature is enabled, you must activate your Alibaba Cloud account in the destination region. For more information, see Use the cloud disk encryption feature, Enable the cross-region backup feature, and FAQ.

Billing rules

Usage notes

• Cross-region backups do not affect default backups. These two types of backups can exist on an RDS instance at the same time.

• After a default backup is complete, a cross-region backup is triggered. During the cross-region backup process, the system dumps the generated default backup files of the RDS instance to the destination region.

• After you enable the cross-region backup feature, the original RDS instance checks whether valid data backup files are generated over the most recent 24 hours. If no valid data backup files are generated over the most recent 24 hours, a backup is triggered on the secondary RDS instance of the original RDS instance.

• The cross-region backup feature is not supported in some Alibaba Cloud regions due to network reasons. The following table describes the Alibaba Cloud regions in which the feature is supported.

  Important

  • The cross-region backup feature allows you to replicate backup files from one Alibaba Cloud region to another, regardless of whether the regions are in or outside the Chinese mainland.

  • The cross-region backup feature allows you to restore the data of your RDS instance only to a region that is different from the region of the RDS instance. The available destination regions vary based on your network environment.

  Supported environment	Region
  In the Chinese mainland	China (Beijing), China (Shanghai), China (Hangzhou), China (Shenzhen), China (Qingdao), China (Guangzhou), China (Ulanqab), China (Heyuan), China (Chengdu), China (Hohhot), and China (Zhangjiakou)
  Outside the Chinese mainland	China (Hong Kong), US (Silicon Valley), US (Virginia), Singapore, Japan (Tokyo), Germany (Frankfurt), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta), Philippines (Manila), UK (London), South Korea (Seoul), and Thailand (Bangkok)

Enable the cross-region backup feature

1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Instances. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which your RDS instance resides.

2. Find the RDS instance for which you want to enable the cross-region backup feature. In the Actions column, choose More > Cross-region Backup Settings.

   Note

   • You can also go to the Backup and Restoration page of the RDS instance, click the Backup Settings tab, and then click Edit in the Cross-region Backup Settings section.

   • If the Cross-region Backup Settings section is not displayed, you must check whether the RDS instance meets all prerequisites.

3. Configure the following parameters and click OK.

   Parameter	Description
   Cross-region Backup	Specifies whether to enable the cross-region backup feature. Select Enable.
   Backup Region	Select the destination region to which the backup files of the RDS instance are automatically replicated.
   Cross-region Retention Period	Specify the retention period of cross-region backup files. Valid values: 7 to 1825. Unit: days. The longest cross-region backup retention period spans five years. Note After the RDS instance expires or is released, its cross-region backup files are still retained based on the specified retention period. You can log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console and go to the Backup and Restoration tab on the Cross-region Backups page of your RDS instance to view the cross-region backup files that do not expire.
   Cross-region Log Backup	Specify whether to enable or disable the cross-region log backup feature. After you enable the cross-region log backup feature, the log backup files of the RDS instance are automatically replicated to an Object Storage Service (OSS) bucket in the destination region.
   Compliance Commitments Regarding Cross-border Data Transfers	Read and select the relevant agreement.

   Important

   If you cannot enable the cross-region backup feature for an RDS instance for which cloud disks are used and the cloud disk encryption feature is enabled, your Alibaba Cloud account may not be activated in the destination region. In this case, you must activate your Alibaba Cloud account in the destination region and enable the cross-region backup feature again. For more information, see FAQ.

Modify the cross-region backup settings

You can modify the cross-region backup settings, including the destination region and cross-region backup retention period.

1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backups. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides.

2. On the Backups page, click the Cross-region Backup tab. Click the Backup Instances tab and find the RDS instance whose cross-region backup settings you want to modify. Then, click Settings in the Cross-region Backup Settings column to modify the cross-region backup settings of the RDS instance.

   Note

   If the RDS instance is released, you can modify only the cross-region backup retention period.

Disable the cross-region backup feature for an RDS instance

You can disable the cross-region backup feature at any time based on your business requirements.

1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backups. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides.

2. On the Backups page, click the Cross-region Backup tab. Click the Backup Instances tab and find the RDS instance for which you want to disable the cross-region backup feature. Then, click Settings in the Cross-region Backup Settings column.

3. Change the values of the Cross-region Backup Status parameter to Disabled and the Cross-region Retention Period parameter to 7.

   Note

   After you disable the cross-region backup feature for your RDS instance, no new cross-region backup files are generated and you are no longer charged for the traffic that is consumed to transmit cross-region backup files. However, you are still charged for the storage of the existing cross-region backup files within the cross-region backup retention period that you specify. The existing cross-region backup files are retained for at least seven days. You can set the cross-region backup retention period to seven days. After the seven-day retention period elapses, all existing cross-region backup files are deleted and you are no longer charged for the storage of cross-region backup files. For more information, see Enable the cross-region backup feature.

Download the cross-region backup files of an RDS instance

After a cross-region backup is completed for your RDS instance in the ApsaraDB RDS console, you can download the cross-region backup sets.

1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backups. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides.

2. On the Backups page, click the Cross-region Backup tab. Click the Backup Instances tab and click the ID of the RDS instance for which you want to download cross-region backup files.

3. On the Data Backup tab or the Log Backup tab, click Download in the Actions column to download the full data backup file or the incremental backup file.

4. Read and select the agreement, and click Download.

   Note

   If you download backup sets over an internal network, the traffic is free of charge. If you download backup sets over the Internet, the traffic is charged. For more information, see Network traffic fees.

References

• After a cross-region backup is complete, you can restore the data of the RDS instance by using the generated cross-region backup files to an existing RDS instance or to a new RDS instance that resides in the destination region. For more information, see Restore data across regions.

• You can also call the following API operations to perform operations related to the cross-region backup feature:

  • CheckCreateDdrDBInstance

  • CreateDdrInstance

  • ModifyInstanceCrossBackupPolicy

  • DescribeInstanceCrossBackupPolicy

  • DescribeCrossBackupMetaList

  • DescribeCrossRegionBackups

  • DescribeCrossRegionLogBackupFiles

  • DescribeAvailableCrossRegion

  • DescribeCrossRegionBackupDBInstance

FAQ