Back up files and directories from on-premises servers to Alibaba Cloud to guard against accidental deletion, server failures, and data corruption. You can restore files to the original server, a different path, an ECS instance, or another on-premises server.
Plan your backup
Before you start, determine the following:
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What to back up: Identify the directories and file paths on your on-premises server.
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Backup frequency and retention: Decide how often to run backups (backup cycle) and how long to keep them (retention period).
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Restore strategy: Decide where you might need to restore files -- the original server, a new location, or a different server.
Step 1: Activate Cloud Backup
Activation is free. You are charged only for file backup software usage and backup vault storage capacity. For details, see Billing methods and billable items.
Step 2: Install a backup client
Install the backup client on your on-premises server. The client communicates with Cloud Backup to transfer data. After installation, the client status shows Activated on the Clients tab.
Step 3: Back up on-premises files
Create a backup plan by specifying:
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Backup vault: The cloud storage destination for your backups.
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Source paths: The directories and files to back up.
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Backup cycle: How often backups run.
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Retention period: How long backup data is kept.
Cloud Backup then runs the plan on schedule and continuously backs up your files.
Step 4: Restore on-premises files
Restore files to any of the following destinations:
| Destination | Prerequisite |
|---|---|
| Original server (source path) | None |
| A new path on the original server | Create the target path first |
| An ECS instance | Install the backup client on the ECS instance first |
| Another on-premises server | Install the backup client on the target server first |
Next steps
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For workflow details, billing, and benefits, see On-premises file backup overview.
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To back up files from ECS instances, such as web pages and open access (OA) directories, see Back up ECS files.