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Database Backup:Release notes

Last Updated:Nov 16, 2023

This topic describes the release notes for Database Backup (DBS) and provides links to the relevant references.

DBS provides the backup and restoration features for ApsaraDB RDS, PolarDB, ApsaraDB for MongoDB (MongoDB), ApsaraDB for Redis (Redis), Tair, and AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL. The following tables describe the release notes of the features for these databases.

2023

Release date

Feature

Description

References

September 2023

Database and table restoration feature for PolarDB for MySQL clusters

The database and table restoration feature for PolarDB for MySQL clusters supports the restoration of millions of tables, far more than the limited 50,000 tables. This feature also allows you to restore data that is accidentally deleted and meets the requirements of SaaS for a large amount of databases and tables.

Method 1 for database and table restoration: Restore data from a backup set

High-frequency backup feature for PolarDB for MySQL clusters

The high-frequency backup feature is supported for PolarDB for MySQL clusters. A backup can be completed within minutes. This feature allows you to increase the full backup frequency to reduce the size of logs that are required for restoration at a point in time and reduce the recovery time objective (RTO).

Configure backup settings

August 2023

Cross-region backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances

The cross-region backup and restoration feature is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances for which Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) is enabled. This improves the backup and restoration capabilities of DBS.

Backup and restoration feature for ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL, ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server, and ApsaraDB RDS for MariaDB TX instances

The tabs on the Backup and Restoration page for ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL, ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server, and ApsaraDB RDS for MariaDB TX instances are adjusted. The Data Backup and Log Backup tabs are merged into the Base Backups tab. The original Backup Settings tab is renamed Backup Strategy. The features on the tab remain unchanged. The adjustments further simplify and optimize the backup and restoration management page and improve user experience.

Backup and restoration features for AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instances

The backup and restoration feature is supported for AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL V7.0 instances.

July 2023

Database and table restoration feature for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL and ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances

The database and table restoration feature is supported for cost-effective ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL and ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances that use the Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) architecture.

Data restoration feature for MongoDB instances

The data restoration efficiency for ApsaraDB for MongoDB instances is improved by nearly 20 times. The data restoration, download, and playback are accelerated by using storage gateways.

Data recovery

Database and table restoration feature for PolarDB for MySQL clusters

The database and table restoration feature is supported for PolarDB for MySQL clusters that contain millions of tables.

Method 1 for database and table restoration: Restore data from a backup set

Secondary database backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances

The secondary database backup feature is supported for RDS instances that run RDS Cluster Edition. You can configure the system to perform physical backups on secondary RDS instances. This reduces the I/O loads on primary RDS instances and improves instance performance and stability.

Back up an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance

June 2023

Backup download feature for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL, ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL, and ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances

  • The permissions on the links for downloading the backup files of released ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances are optimized.

  • The permissions on the links for downloading the log and data backup files of ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL, ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL, and ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances are optimized.

May 2023

Backup and restoration feature for PolarDB for PostgreSQL clusters

The backup and restoration feature based on PolarStore and Elastic Compute Service (ECS) is supported for PolarDB for PostgreSQL clusters.

Backup and restoration

Cross-region backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL, ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server, and ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances, and PolarDB for MySQL clusters

The unit price for network traffic that is generated during cross-region backups is reduced for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL, ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server, and ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances, and PolarDB for MySQL clusters.

April 2023

Database and table restoration feature for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances and PolarDB for PostgreSQL clusters

The database and table restoration feature is optimized for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use standard SSDs or enhanced SSDs (ESSDs) and PolarDB for PostgreSQL clusters.

Fast restoration feature for individual databases and tables in ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances

The fast restoration feature is supported for individual databases and tables in ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances that use standard SSDs or ESSDs. You can restore databases and tables to the original instance from a backup set or to a specific point in time, without the need to restore all the data of an instance. This feature can be used in scenarios such as data restoration after accidental operations, and historical data analysis.

Restore individual databases and tables of an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance

March 2023

High-frequency physical backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL V8.0 High-availability Edition instances that use local SSDs

The high-frequency physical backup feature is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL V8.0 High-availability Edition instances that use local SSDs. You can enable this feature for your instance to increase the backup frequency.

Use the high-frequency physical backup feature

February 2023

Fast restoration feature for individual databases and tables in ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use standard SSDs or ESSDs

The fast restoration feature is supported for individual databases and tables in ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use standard SSDs or ESSDs. You can restore databases and tables to the original instance from a backup set or to a specific point in time. This feature can be used in scenarios such as data restoration after accidental operations, and historical data analysis.

Restore individual databases and tables of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance

January 2023

Logical backup feature for PolarDB for MySQL clusters

Logical backup by using DBS is supported for PolarDB for MySQL clusters.

Use DBS for logical backup

2022

Release date

Feature

Description

References

December 2022

Optimized cross-region backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances

The cross-region backup feature is optimized. If your ApsaraDB RDS instance runs SQL Server 2017 EE on RDS Cluster Edition and the snapshot backup feature is enabled for the instance, you can use the cross-region backup feature to back up data from a region to another in the ApsaraDB RDS console for regulatory compliance or disaster recovery.

Use the cross-region backup feature

Cross-region backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use standard SSDs or ESSDs

The cross-region backup feature is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use standard SSDs or ESSDs. You can use the cross-region backup feature to back up data from a region to another for regulatory compliance or disaster recovery.

Use the cross-region backup feature

October 2022

Optimized automatic backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances

The automatic backup feature is optimized. When you configure a physical backup policy for an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance, you can choose whether to enable the incremental backup feature. By default, this feature is enabled. After the incremental backup feature is enabled, automatic backups are performed based on the backup cycle that you specify. The backup cycle consists of three phases: a full backup, an incremental backup, and another incremental backup.

Back up an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance

Optimized manual backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances

The manual physical backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances is optimized based on improved scheduling algorithms and concurrency control. For example, if you manually create multiple single-database backup tasks for an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance, the efficiency of the manual backup tasks is significantly improved.

Back up an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance

Advanced download feature for ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances

The advanced download feature is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances. You can use this feature to create advanced download tasks by point in time or backup set. You can set the Download Destination parameter to URL or directly upload the downloaded data to your Object Storage Service (OSS) bucket to facilitate data analysis and offline archiving.

Download backup files

September 2022

New regions in which the advanced download feature is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances

The advanced download feature is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances in the following regions: Singapore, US (Silicon Valley), and US (Virginia).

Download backup files

August 2022

Advanced download feature for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances

The advanced download feature is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances. You can use this feature to create advanced download tasks by point in time or backup set. You can set the Download Destination parameter to URL or directly upload the downloaded data to your OSS bucket to facilitate data analysis and offline archiving.

Download backup files

High-frequency backup feature for ApsaraDB for MongoDB replica set instances that use ESSDs

The high-frequency backup feature is supported for ApsaraDB for MongoDB replica set instances that use ESSDs. You can specify a backup frequency that ranges from 15 minutes to 12 hours for your ApsaraDB for MongoDB instance to increase the backup frequency.

High-frequency backup

July 2022

High-frequency physical backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances

The high-frequency physical backup feature is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances. You can enable the high-frequency physical backup feature for your ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to increase the backup frequency.

Use the high-frequency physical backup feature

High-frequency snapshot backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances

The high-frequency snapshot backup feature is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances. You can specify a backup frequency that ranges from 15 minutes to 12 hours for your ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance to increase the backup frequency.

Use the high-frequency snapshot backup feature

June 2022

Cross-region backup feature for PolarDB for MySQL clusters

The cross-region backup feature is supported for PolarDB for MySQL clusters. You can use the cross-region backup feature to back up data from a region to another for regulatory compliance or disaster recovery. You can enable the cross-region backup feature by configuring a backup policy.

Configure backup settings

Multi-level storage pool

The multi-level storage pool feature of DBS is gradually available after its public preview period ended on June 20, 2022. This feature is going to be included in the infrastructure of DBS to provide services in scenarios such as cross-region backup and backup file download.

Important

The feature is available only for users who have joined the public preview.

Notice on the end of the public preview of the multi-level storage pool feature

May 2022

Optimized configurations for backing up ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances

The retention period of data backups can be changed for ApsaraDB RDS instances that run PostgreSQL 10 on RDS Basic Edition.

  • Before the optimization, the retention period is seven days and cannot be changed.

  • After the optimization, you can specify a retention period that ranges from 7 to 730 days.

Back up an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance

Issue fixes

  • The issue that an exception occurs when you unlock a DBS instance is fixed.

  • The issue of incorrect configuration logic that occurs when you modify an OSS lifecycle rule is fixed.

  • The issue of incorrect logic for determining network changes during periodic scheduling by some sites is fixed.

  • The issue that cloud disks and snapshots cannot be created for sandboxes is fixed.

  • The issue that the disaster recovery feature fails to be enabled for some sites is fixed.

N/A

April 2022

Data restoration from a backup set to a new instance for ApsaraDB for Redis instances that use standard SSDs or ESSDs

Data can be restored from a backup set to a new instance for ApsaraDB for Redis instances that use standard SSDs or ESSDs. The data in the new instance is the same as that in the backup set. This feature is suitable for scenarios such as data restoration, quick workload deployment, and data verification.

Restore data from a backup set to a new instance

Feature improvement

Whitelists can be managed in a fine-grained manner.

N/A

Issue fixes

  • The issue that full backup sets are repeatedly issued for copy data management (CDM)-based sandbox instances is fixed.

  • The issue that some ApsaraDB RDS whitelists are accidentally deleted by the system due to overwriting when the whitelists are refreshed is fixed.

N/A

March 2022

High-frequency snapshot backup feature for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances

The high-frequency snapshot backup feature is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use standard SSDs or ESSDs. You can specify a backup frequency that ranges from 15 minutes to 12 hours for your ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to increase the backup frequency.

Use the high-frequency snapshot backup feature for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance

Features of advanced download and data restoration from a downloaded backup set for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use standard SSDs or ESSDs

The features of advanced download and data restoration from a downloaded backup set are supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use standard SSDs or ESSDs. You can convert backup files to CSV files, download the backup files, and then restore the downloaded backup files to your on-premises MySQL databases.

Download backup files

Fast restoration feature for individual databases and tables in ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use local SSDs

The fast restoration feature for individual databases and tables is supported for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use local SSDs. Compared with the standard restoration feature for individual databases and tables, the fast restoration feature for individual databases and tables accelerates data restoration by 2 to 10 times for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that use local SSDs.

Restore individual databases and tables of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance

Feature improvement

A solution is added for the issue that data backups are performed at a time beyond the specified time windows in the China (Hohhot) region and central sites.

N/A

Issue fixes

  • The issue that MySQL table partitions cannot be sorted in ascending order after schema restoration is fixed.

  • The issue of security vulnerability caused by PostgreSQL connection strings is fixed.

N/A

February 2022

Issue fixes

The issue that backup sets fail to be downloaded and restored is fixed.

N/A

January 2022

Issue fixes

  • A solution is added for the issue that a DRDS backup set loses its UNIQUE constraint.

  • The issue that a MySQL table fails to be created because the partition order does not comply with MySQL rules when MySQL data is being restored is fixed.

  • The issue that CDM-based sandbox instances do not release ZFS file systems as expected is fixed.

  • The issue that TAR files fail to be downloaded and the IDs of ECS instances fail to be obtained after CDM-based sandbox instances restart in the China (Hangzhou) region is fixed.

  • The issue that the value of the live_mount parameter is invalid is fixed.

N/A

2021

Release date

Feature

Description

References

December 2021

Feature improvement

Physical backup gateways are upgraded to improve the security of physical backup data.

Install a backup gateway

November 2021

Backup set download fees

You are charged for the downloads of backup sets over the Internet.

Network traffic fees

August 2021

Creation of privileged accounts

The disaster recovery feature is further enhanced to allow you to create a privileged account in a sandbox instance.

Use the emergency recovery feature for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance

July 2021

Deletion of backup sets

Backup sets can be deleted.

Delete a backup set

June 2021

Disaster recovery in an emergency

The disaster recovery feature is enhanced.

Restore a self-managed MySQL database in an emergency

Feature improvement

For emergency instances, the reading of binary log files is accelerated at the backend, and snapshots can be generated based on binary log files without processing at the backend.

N/A

Issue fixes

  • The issue that the error message "dataset not exist" is displayed when you release a DBS sandbox instance multiple times is fixed.

  • The issue of failing to restore a data source based on a backup schedule is fixed.

  • The issue of failing to specify the port number of a public endpoint in the console when you restore databases is fixed.

  • The issue of failing to obtain valid instance information and remap information when you perform logical backups for PolarDB for Oracle databases is fixed.

N/A

May 2021

Network-attached storage (NAS) storage pool

Self-managed OSS buckets and NAS file systems are supported in addition to the built-in storage space of DBS. This facilitates backup management.

What is a storage pool?

Issue fixes

  • The issue of failing to delete expired backup sets is fixed.

  • The issue of failing to redeploy machines due to the soft deletion of a backup gateway is fixed.

  • The issue of failing to enable incremental backup for MariaDB databases is fixed.

N/A

April 2021

True incremental-forever backup for an Oracle database

Full backup and synthetic backup are supported to reduce backup costs and resource overheads.

Create a true incremental-forever backup for an Oracle database

Backup gateway V0.0.113

  • The parameter files that are used to create Oracle Windows services and Oracle standalone databases are restored.

  • A backup gateway can be configured at the frontend to disable databases before data is restored and enable databases after data is restored.

N/A

New regions

DBS is available on Alibaba Gov Cloud and in the China (Heyuan) and China (Ulanqab) regions of the Alibaba Cloud public cloud.

N/A

Issue fixes

The issue of the repeated creation of incremental tasks for ApsaraDB for MongoDB instances that support primary/secondary switchover is fixed.

N/A

March 2021

Multi-level storage pool

The multi-level storage pool feature is supported to allow data backups to be automatically replicated across storage pools. You can configure backup policies that use multi-level storage pools to manage on-premises storage pools and storage pools in the cloud, and share data backups among storage pools. This enhances security and reduces backup costs.

Note

The public preview period of the multi-level storage pool feature of DBS ended on June 20, 2022. The feature is available only for users who have joined the public preview.

Notice on the end of the public preview of the multi-level storage pool feature

Feature improvement

  • The DescribeRegions operation is optimized. You can call this operation to query the regions in which DBS is supported. This improves availability.

  • The restoration feature is optimized so that a sandbox instance can be restored to the point in time of the latest snapshot when the sandbox instance cannot be restored to a specific point in time.

  • Automatic access to data sources is disabled, which does not affect the backup set synchronization feature of the backup schedules that have been synchronized.

N/A

Issue fixes

Configuration issues are fixed in the Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) region.

N/A

January 2021

DBS sandbox

The public preview period of the DBS sandbox feature ended on January 28, 2021. After January 28, 2021, you are charged for the use of the sandbox feature.

  • If the sandbox feature is enabled for backup schedules after 00:00:00 on January 28, 2021 (UTC+8), you are charged based on the instructions in DBS sandbox fees.

  • If the sandbox feature is enabled for backup schedules before 00:00:00 on January 28, 2021 (UTC+8), DBS extends the validity period of public preview to 00:00:00 on March 1, 2021 (UTC+8).

    If you want to continue using the sandbox feature after the public preview period ends, go to the DBS console to enable the sandbox feature again.

Overview

Backup for MySQL based on logs

MySQL databases can be backed up based on binary logs by using the physical backup method. This helps you achieve a recovery point objective (RPO) within seconds.

Back up binary logs of a MySQL database

2020

Release date

Feature

Description

References

November 2020

Batch operations on data sources

Batch operations can be performed on data sources. For example, add multiple data sources at a time, back up databases from multiple data sources, and manage multiple data sources at a time. Multiple backup tasks can be managed at a time based on backup policies and logical groups.

Recovery drill

Recovery drills are supported to verify the integrity of backup data and the reliability of the disaster recovery system.

Perform disaster recovery drills

October 2020

Backup of MariaDB databases

MariaDB 10.0 and 10.3 databases can be backed up, including ApsaraDB RDS for MariaDB TX instances and self-managed MariaDB databases.

Back up a MariaDB instance by using logical backup

September 2020

Backup set query

Backup sets can be queried by using built-in Data Lake Analytics (DLA), without the need to restore databases.

Overview

Backup of files

The data of the server that hosts your databases can be backed up in a centralized manner. The data includes logs, programs, and attachments.

Back up files

DBS sandbox instance

Sandbox instances can be created to make data of physical backups available in a short period of time.

Overview