Enable cross-region backups for an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance

Prerequisites

Differences between cross-region backups and default backups

Billing

Precautions

• Cross-region backups do not affect default backups. These types of backups can exist at the same time.
• After a default backup is complete, a cross-region backup is triggered. During the cross-region backup process, the original RDS instance replicates the default backup file that is generated to the destination region.
• After you enable cross-region backups, 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, the original RDS instance triggers a full backup.
• After you enable cross-region log backups, the original RDS instance checks the valid data backup files that are generated over the most recent 24 hours.
  • If continuous binary log files are archived following the valid data backup files, the original RDS instance replicates the archived binary log files to the destination region.
  • If no continuous binary log files are archived following the valid data backup files, the original RDS instance triggers a backup on its secondary RDS instance.
• Cross-region backups are not supported in a few Alibaba Cloud regions due to network reasons. The following table lists the Alibaba Cloud regions where cross-region backups are supported.

  Source region

  Destination region

  China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Shenzhen), China (Hong Kong), China (Ulanqab), China (Chengdu), China (Guangzhou), and China (Heyuan)

  China (Hong Kong), China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Qingdao), China (Shenzhen), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Beijing), China (Ulanqab), China (Chengdu), China (Guangzhou), and China (Heyuan) Note The backup files from the source region can be replicated to a different region rather than the source region. The available destination regions vary based on your network environment.

Enable cross-region backups for a single RDS instance in the ApsaraDB RDS console

• Enable cross-region backups 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 where the RDS instance resides.
  2. Find the RDS instance for which you want to enable cross-region backups. In the Actions column, choose More > Cross-region Backup Settings.
     Note

     • You can also click Edit on the Cross-region Backup tab of the Backup and Restoration page.
     • If the Cross-region Backup Settings option or the Cross-region Backup tab cannot be found, you must check whether the RDS instance meets all prerequisites.
  3. Configure the following parameters.

     Parameter	Description
     Cross-region Backup Status	Specify whether to enable or disable cross-region backups. 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 number of days for which cross-region backup files are retained. Valid values: 7 to 1825. The value 1825 is equivalent to 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 log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console, click Backups in the left-side navigation pane, and then click the Cross-region Backup tab to view the cross-region backup files that are retained.
     Cross-region Log Backup Status:	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 the specified Object Storage Service (OSS) bucket in the destination region.

  4. Click Confirm.
• Enable cross-region backups 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 where the RDS instance resides.
  2. On the Cross-region Backup tab, click the Pending Instances tab.
  3. Select the RDS instances for which you want to enable cross-region backups. Then, click Backup Settings.
     Note You can also click Settings in the Cross-region Backup Settings column of an RDS instance to enable cross-region backups only for the RDS instance.
     
  4. Configure the following parameters.
  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 where 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 change only the cross-region backup retention period.
• Disable cross-region backups for an RDS instance

  If you no longer require cross-region backups, you can perform the following steps to disable cross-region backups:

  1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backups. In the top navigation bar, select the region where 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 cross-region backups. 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 cross-region backups, no new cross-region backup files are generated. The existing cross-region backup files must be retained for at least seven days. Therefore, you must 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.
  4. Click OK.
• To view and download the cross-region backup files of an RDS instance, perform the following operations:
  1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backups. In the top navigation bar, select the region where the RDS instance resides.
  2. On the Backups page, click the Cross-region Backup tab. Then, click the Backup Instances tab to view the cross-region backup files of the RDS instance.
  3. Click the ID of the RDS instance. On the page that appears, click the Data Backup or Log Backup tab. Then, find the backup file that you want to download, and click Download in the Actions column.
  4. Click Download.
     Note You are not charged for the traffic that you consume to download backup files over an internal network. However, you are charged for the traffic that you consume to download backup files over the Internet. For more information, see Network traffic fees.

Enable cross-region backups for a single RDS instance in the DBS console

In this example, the backup files of an RDS instance that resides in the China (Hangzhou) are replicated to the China (Shanghai) region.

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 (Shanghai) region.
3. On the Backup Schedules page, 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. Then, click Next in the lower-right corner of the page.

   Category	Parameter	Description
   N/A	Schedule Name	The name of the backup schedule. DBS generates a backup schedule name. We recommend that you set a descriptive name that is easy to identify. Backup schedule names do not have to be unique.
   Backup Source Information	Backup Mode	The method that is 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.
   	Database Location	Select RDS Instance.
   	Instance Region	The region where the original RDS instance resides. The backup schedule is used for cross-region backups. Therefore, select the region where the original RDS instance resides. In this example, select the China (Hangzhou) region.
   	RDS Instance ID	The ID of the original RDS instance.
   	Database Account	The username of the account that has the read permissions on specific databases of the original RDS instance in the ApsaraDB RDS console. For more information, see Account permissions.
   	Password	Enter 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 appears. If the Test Failed message appears, click Check next to Test Failed. Modify the information about the instance that you want to back up based on the check results.
   Backup Destination Information	Backup Storage Type	The type of storage that is used to store the backup 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, select OSS For User. If you select OSS For User, you must also configure the OSS Bucket Name parameter. Only OSS buckets of the Standard storage class are supported.
   	OSS Bucket Name	The name of the OSS bucket that you want to use to store data. This parameter is displayed only when you set the Backup Storage Type parameter to OSS For User.
   	Storage Encryption	The method that is used to encrypt the stored data. Valid values: Encrypted (recommended): DBS uses AES-256, 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.

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 back up an entire database instance, additional database objects such as indexes and stored procedure are backed up. Each database supports different objects. For more information, see Database engines and features.
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, such as 01:00. We recommend that you set a time during off-peak hours. Note If a previous full data backup is not finished at the start time of the next backup, DBS skips the next backup.
   Incremental Backup	Specifies whether to enable incremental backup. This parameter is displayed only when you set the Full-scale Backup Frequency parameter to Periodic Backup. Note By default, incremental backup is disabled.
   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 the impact 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 business requirements. Default value: 0, which indicates that the network bandwidth is not limited.

7. In the Edit Lifecycle step, configure the lifecycle for a full backup set in the Configure Full Data Backup Lifecycle section.
8. After the configurations are complete, click Precheck in the lower-right corner of the page.
9. If the Precheck Passed message appears, click Start Task.
   After a backup is complete, you can view the backup schedule or restore the backup schedule. For more information, see View backup schedules and Restore the data of an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance across regions.

To download the cross-region data backup files of an RDS instance, perform the following operations:

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 (Shanghai) region.
3. Click the name of the backup schedule and go to the detail page.
4. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup Set Download. On the page that appears, find the backup task that you want to download and click Download in the Actions column. For more information, see Overview.

FAQ

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

After you disable cross-region backups 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 must be 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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