This topic describes the SAP HANA backup feature of Cloud Backup, including its benefits, how it works, procedures, and billing.
Introduction
SAP HANA backup is a data protection solution from Alibaba Cloud Cloud Backup for self-managed SAP HANA databases on ECS instances. This feature provides a simple and reliable way to back up data using the native backup mechanism of SAP HANA. This ensures that you can fully recover data from a backup vault if a logic error, ransomware attack, or other incident occurs.
This feature has some limits. For more information, see Compatible systems and limits.
Key advantages
Official SAP certification
Compatible with SAP HANA 2.0. Supports high availability (HA) and scale-out modes.
Easy to use
You can install the client with a single click and manage all backups from the Alibaba Cloud console.
Flexible backup policies
Supports full, incremental, and log backups to ensure your recovery point objective (RPO).
Excellent performance
Typical backup speeds can reach 380 MB/s and recovery speeds can reach 220 MB/s. This ensures your recovery time objective (RTO).
Deduplication and compression
The Cloud Backup client compresses and deduplicates your backup data. You can retain multiple full backup versions without using a large amount of backup storage space.
Backup locking to prevent accidental deletion
Cloud Backup provides a backup locking feature for backup vaults. Backup data cannot be deleted by any account or method until the configured retention period expires.
How it works
In the Cloud Backup console, you can specify the ECS instance that you want to back up. Cloud Backup then automatically pushes the client to the ECS instance. This operation requires Cloud Assistant to be installed on the ECS instance. The client then backs up the SAP HANA instance on the ECS instance based on the backup plan.
When a full, incremental, or log backup task runs, the Cloud Backup client sends a backup instruction to HANA. The client uses the native Backint plugin of SAP HANA to export the data. The data is then deduplicated, compressed, and uploaded to the backup vault.
Cloud Backup uses Backint for backups. Backint is an executable file that is directly called by SAP HANA. Instead of being stored as files, backup data is directly read or written by SAP HANA through Backint.
Procedure
The following procedure shows how to back up an SAP HANA database deployed on an ECS instance in the Cloud Backup console.
You must obtain the host address, instance number, username, and password of the source SAP HANA instance from the SAP HANA administrator. Cloud Backup registers the SAP HANA instance based on the preceding information.
You are not charged for activating Cloud Backup. You are charged for the Cloud Backup client that you use to back up SAP HANA databases. You are also charged for backup vaults based on the storage space occupied by the data that is deduplicated and compressed. For more information, see Billing methods and billable items.
Register an SAP HANA instance in the Cloud Backup console. Cloud Backup automatically installs a backup client on the ECS instance that hosts the SAP HANA instance.
To ensure that your SAP HANA database can be backed up as expected, Cloud Backup allows you to configure parameters that are related to Backint, Catalog, and log backup.
When you create a backup plan, configure the backup vault, data source, backup cycle, retention period, and backup policies (such as full backup and incremental backup). Cloud Backup starts the backup plan and continuously backs up data from the specified SAP HANA database.
If an exception occurs, you can restore the SAP HANA database based on the data that has been backed up. The following restoration methods are supported:
Billing
You are charged for SAP HANA backup based on the following two billable items:
SAP HANA backup software usage fee: A software usage fee is charged for each SAP HANA instance, regardless of whether it is a standalone or high-availability instance.
Storage capacity fee: This fee is calculated based on the actual storage capacity that is consumed by backup data in the backup vault.
You can view detailed data on the Overview page in the Cloud Backup console.
In addition, Cloud Backup incurs other fees for specific backup configurations or operations. For example, using cross-region backup incurs storage capacity fees for the replicated destination backup vault and cross-region replication traffic fees. For more information, see Billing methods and billable items.
For more information about the prices of billable items, see Pricing.
What to do next
Learn how to back up SAP HANA. For more information, see Back up SAP HANA.
View answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ). For more information, see ECS backup FAQ.
Learn about the best practices of Cloud Backup. For more information, see Best practices.
For answers to FAQ about SAP HANA backup, see FAQ about SAP HANA backup.