ApsaraDB RDS:Use the cross-region backup feature of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance

Feature description

If a cross-region backup is complete, you can restore the data of the original RDS instance from 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 the data of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance across regions.

Differences between the cross-region backup feature and the automatic backup feature

Perform cross-region backups in the ApsaraDB RDS console

Prerequisites

• The RDS instance meets the following requirements:
  • The RDS instance runs MySQL 5.7 or MySQL 8.0.
  • The RDS instance runs RDS Basic Edition or RDS High-availability Edition.
  • The RDS instance uses standard SSDs or ESSDs.
  Note You can go to the Basic Information page to view the preceding information about the RDS instance.
• If your RDS instance uses ESSDs and disk encryption is enabled for the RDS instance, the cross-region backup feature is not supported. For more information about how to check whether disk encryption is enabled for an RDS instance, see Configure the disk encryption feature for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

Billing rules

Usage notes

Procedure

• Enable cross-region backup
  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 the RDS instance resides.
  2. Go to the instance details page. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup and Restoration. On the page that appears, click the Backup Strategy tab. Then, click Edit in the Cross-region Backup Settings section.
     Note 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.

     Parameter	Description
     Cross-region Backup	Specify whether to enable or disable 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.
     Retention Period of Cross-region Backup (Days)	Specify the retention period of cross-region backup files. Valid values: 7 to 1825. 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 Cross-region Backup tab on the Backup and Restoration 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 cross-region log backup. After you enable cross-region log backup, the log backup files of the RDS instance are automatically replicated to a specified Object Storage Service (OSS) bucket in the destination region.

  4. Click Confirm.
• Modify the cross-region backup settings of an RDS instance
  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 the RDS instance resides.
  2. Go to the instance details page. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup and Restoration. On the page that appears, click the Backup Strategy tab. Then, click Edit in the Cross-region Backup Settings section.
  3. Click Confirm.
• Disable 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 the RDS instance resides.
  2. Go to the instance details page. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup and Restoration. On the page that appears, click the Backup Strategy tab. Then, click Edit in the Cross-region Backup Settings section.
  3. Set the Cross-region Backup parameter to Disabled and the Retention Period of Cross-region Backup (Days) parameter to 7.
     Note After you disable the cross-region backup feature, no new cross-region backup files are generated. The existing cross-region backup files must be retained for at least seven days. You can set the cross-region backup retention period to seven days. After the seven-day retention period that you specify elapses, all existing cross-region backup files are automatically deleted. Then, you are no longer charged for the storage of cross-region backup files.
  4. Click OK.
• Query and restore data backup files
  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 the RDS instance resides.
  2. Go to the instance details page. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup and Restoration. On the page that appears, click the Cross-region Backups tab and select the region in which the cross-region backup sets are stored to view the cross-region backup sets.
  3. On the Data Backup tab, find the required cross-region backup set and click Restore in the Actions column to restore the data to a new RDS instance to a specific point in time or by using the backup set.
     Note

     • You are charged for the new RDS instance. You can view the price of the new RDS instance when you create the instance. For more information, see Restore data to a new RDS instance.
     • We recommend that you create a pay-as-you-go RDS instance for the restoration. After the restoration is complete, you can release the new RDS instance. For more information about how to release an RDS instance, see Release or unsubscribe from an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.
     • You are immediately charged for the new RDS instance after the instance is created.

Perform cross-region backups on an RDS instance that uses local SSDs in the ApsaraDB RDS console

Prerequisites

Billing rules

Usage notes

Procedure

• Enable the cross-region backup feature for a single RDS instance
  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 the 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, click the Backup Strategy 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.

     Parameter	Description
     Cross-region Backup	Specify whether to enable or disable 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.
     Retention Period of Cross-region Backup (Days)	Specify the retention period of cross-region backup files. Valid values: 7 to 1825. 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 cross-region backup retention period that you specify. You can perform the following operations to view the cross-region backup files that do not expire: Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backups. On the page that appears, click the Cross-region Backup tab.
     Cross-region Log Backup	Specify whether to enable or disable cross-region log backups. After you enable cross-region log backups, the log backup files of the RDS instance are automatically replicated to a specified OSS bucket in the destination region.

  4. Click Confirm.
• Enable the cross-region backup feature for multiple RDS instances at a time
  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. Click the Cross-region Backup tab. On the tab that appears, click the Pending Instances tab.
  3. Select the RDS instances for which you want to enable the cross-region backup feature. Then, click Backup Settings.
     Note You can also click Settings in the Cross-region Backup Settings column of a single RDS instance to enable the cross-region backup feature only for that RDS instance.
  4. Configure the following parameters.

     Parameter	Description
     Cross-region Backup	Specify whether to enable or disable 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.
     Retention Period of Cross-region Backup (Days)	Specify the retention period of cross-region backup files. Valid values: 7 to 1825. 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 cross-region backup retention period that you specify. You can perform the following operations to view the cross-region backup files that do not expire: Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backups. On the page that appears, click the Cross-region Backup tab.
     Cross-region Log Backup	Specify whether to enable or disable cross-region log backups. After you enable cross-region log backups, the log backup files of the RDS instance are automatically replicated to a specified OSS bucket in the destination region.

  5. Click OK.
• Modify the cross-region backup settings of an RDS instance
  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

  If you no longer require cross-region backups, you can disable the cross-region backup feature.

  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. In the dialog box that appears, set the Cross-region Backup Status parameter to Disabled and set the Cross-region Retention Period parameter to 7.
     Note After you disable the cross-region backup feature, no new cross-region backup files are generated. The existing cross-region backup files must be retained for at least seven days. You can set the cross-region backup retention period to seven days. After the seven-day retention period that you specify elapses, all existing cross-region backup files are automatically deleted. Then, you are no longer charged for the storage of cross-region backup files.
  4. Click OK.
• Download the cross-region data backup files of an RDS instance

  After a cross-region backup is complete, you can download the generated cross-region backup files in the ApsaraDB RDS console.

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

Enable the cross-region backup feature for an RDS instance by using DBS

Prerequisites

• DBS is activated, and a backup schedule is created. For more information, see Purchase a backup schedule.
  • The region that you specify on the DBS buy page is different from the region in which the original RDS instance resides.
  • The Backup Method parameter is set to Logical Backup for the backup schedule.
• A public endpoint is applied for the original RDS instance. For more information, see Apply for or release a public endpoint.

Billing rules

If you want to store cross-region backup files in the built-in storage of DBS, you are charged for the storage that you use in DBS. For more information, see Billing overview.

Procedure

In this example, the source region is China (Hangzhou), and the destination region is China (Beijing).

Create a cross-region backup for an RDS instance

1. Log on to the DBS console.
2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup Schedules. In the upper-left corner of the Backup Schedules page, select the region where you purchase the backup schedule. In this example, select the China (Beijing) region.
3. Find the ID of the backup schedule that you want to configure and click Configure Backup Schedule in the Actions column.
4. In the Configure Backup Source and Destination step of the Configure Backup Schedule wizard, configure the backup source and destination, and click Next in the lower-right corner of the page.
   

   Table 1. Database parameters

   Section	Parameter	Description
   N/A	Schedule Name	The name of the backup schedule. DBS automatically generates a backup schedule name. We recommend that you set a descriptive name that is easy to identify. Backup schedule names do not need to be unique.
   Backup Source Information	Backup Mode	The method used to back up data. By default, the backup method that you selected when you purchased the backup schedule is used. In this example, this parameter is set to Logical Backup by default.
   	Database Location	The location of the database that you want to back up. In this example, select RDS Instance.
   	Instance Region	The region where the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance that you want to back up resides. To implement geo-redundancy, do not select the region where you purchase the backup schedule. In this example, select the China (Hangzhou) region.
   	RDS Instance ID	The ID of the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance that you want to back up.
   	Database Account	The username of the account used to connect to the database that you want to back up. To back up the database, make sure that the account has the read permissions in the RDS console. For more information, see Account permissions.
   	Password	The password of the database account. After you enter the username and password of the database account, click Test Connection next to the password to check whether the information of the database that you want to back up is valid. If the specified parameters are valid, the Test Passed message is displayed. If the Test Failed message is displayed, click Check next to Test Failed. Modify the information about the instance that you want to back up based on the check results.
   	SSL Encryption	The method used to encrypt the backup data. Valid values: Non-encrypted SSL-encrypted: SSL encrypts network connections at the transport layer to improve the security and integrity of data in transit. However, SSL increases the network connection response time. If you want to select SSL-encrypted, you must enable SSL encryption for the original RDS instance before you configure the backup schedule. For more information, see Enable SSL encryption.
   Backup Destination Information	Backup Storage Type	The type of storage used to back up data. Valid values: DBS Storage (recommended): Backup data is stored in DBS without requiring you to create storage space. You are charged based on the volume of your data that is stored in DBS. For more information about the billing method, see Storage fees. To reduce storage costs, we recommend that you use subscription storage plans. For more information, see Use storage plans. OSS For User: You must create a bucket in the Object Storage Service (OSS) console in advance. For more information, see Create buckets. Note In this example, DBS Storage (recommended) is selected. If you select OSS For User, you must set the OSS Bucket Name parameter, and only the Standard storage class is supported.
   	Storage Encryption	The method used to encrypt the stored data. Valid values: Encrypted: recommended. DBS uses AES-256, which is one of the advanced encryption standard ciphers, to encrypt the stored data. The server-side encryption feature is used in OSS. When you upload an object to OSS, OSS encrypts and stores the object. When you download the encrypted object from OSS, OSS decrypts the object and returns the decrypted object to you. For more information, see Server-side encryption. Non-encrypted: The backup data is not encrypted.
   	OSS Bucket Name	The name of the OSS bucket that you want to use to store data. This parameter is displayed only if you set the Backup Storage Type parameter to OSS For User.

5. In the Edit Backup Objects step, find the database or table that you want to back up and add it to the Selected section. Then, click Next.
   Note If you selected Logical Backup when you purchased a backup schedule, DBS allows you to back up a single table, a single database, multiple databases, or an entire database instance. You can click Select All in the lower-left corner of the page to select all databases. The database objects that can be backed up vary based on the database types. For more information, see Database engines and features. By default, a backup schedule cannot be used to back up a database that is created after the backup schedule is created. To back up the database, you can add the database to the backup schedule on the Configure Task page of the backup schedule. For more information, see Modify backup objects.
6. In the Configure Backup Time step, set the parameters that are described in the following table and click Next in the lower-right corner of the page.

   Parameter	Description
   Full-scale Backup Frequency	The frequency of the backup schedule. Select Periodic Backup or Single Backup as needed. Note If you set this parameter to Periodic Backup, you must set the Full Data Backup Recurrence and Start At parameters.
   Full Data Backup Recurrence	The days of the week on which DBS runs the backup schedule. You can select one or more days of a week. Select at least one day of the week.
   Start At	The start time of the backup. We recommend that you set a point in time within off-peak hours. Example: 01:00. Note If a previous full data backup is not complete at the start time of the next backup, DBS skips the next backup.
   Incremental Backup	Specifies whether to enable incremental backup. If you enable incremental backup, make sure that the binary logging feature is enabled for the database that you want to back up. By default, the binary logging feature is enabled for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL databases. This parameter is displayed only if you set the Full-scale Backup Frequency parameter to Periodic Backup.
   Maximum Concurrent Threads for Full Data Backup	The maximum number of concurrent threads available for a full backup. You can set this parameter to adjust the backup speed. For example, reduce the number of backup threads to minimize impacts on the database. The maximum number of actual concurrent threads varies based on backup schedule specifications. For more information, see How do I change the maximum backup speed?.
   Backup network speed limit	The limit on the network bandwidth. You can set the limit based on your needs. Default value: 0, which indicates that the network bandwidth is unlimited.

7. In the Edit Lifecycle step, configure the lifecycle for full backup data in the Configure Full Data Backup Lifecycle section.
   If you set the Incremental backup parameter to Enable in Step 6, you must configure the lifecycle for incremental backup data. For more information about the lifecycle rules of backup data, see How do I manage the lifecycle rules of backup sets?
8. After the preceding configurations are complete, click Precheck in the lower-right corner of the page.
9. If the Precheck Passed message appears, click Start Task.
   Note When the state of the backup schedule changes to Running, the backup schedule takes effect.

Download the cross-region data backup files of an RDS instance

FAQ

• After I disable the cross-region backup feature for my RDS instance, why am I still charged for the storage of cross-region backup files?

  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. Therefore, you must set the cross-region backup retention period to seven days. For more information, see the "Modify the cross-region backup settings of an RDS instance" section of this topic. After the cross-region backup retention period that you specify elapses, all existing cross-region backup files are deleted and you are no longer charged for the storage of cross-region backup files.

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