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Cloud Backup:Create a synchronization plan

Last Updated:Feb 26, 2026

After source and destination data sources are added, create a synchronization plan to synchronize data between them. This topic covers the procedure, sync result viewing, alert settings, and troubleshooting.

Prerequisites

  • Cloud Backup is activated. Activation is free of charge. The data synchronization feature is in public preview and is also free of charge.

  • A Cloud Backup client is installed on the server where the data synchronization job is executed. For more information, see Download and activate a Cloud Backup client for Windows or Download and activate a Cloud Backup client for Linux.

    Important
    • The Cloud Backup client for Windows does not support mounting NAS using the NFS protocol. If the source or destination includes an NFS-based NAS, select the Cloud Backup client for Linux when you create a sync task.

    • OSS and S3 do not support synchronizing objects of the Archive storage class. Only the object data is copied, including files pointed to by symbolic links (symlinks). Metadata, such as read and write permissions, is not copied.

  • Source and destination data sources are added. For more information, see Add a data source.

  • Plan the source and destination file paths in advance. For example, create the destination directory before synchronization.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Cloud Backup console.

  2. In the navigation pane on the left, select Synchronization > Data Synchronization.

  3. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

  4. On the Data Source List tab, find the data source that you want to synchronize and click Sync to Another in the Actions column.

  5. In the Create Sync Plan panel, configure the following settings.

    1. Associate a client group and click Next.

      A client executes the synchronization plan. The client can be installed on either the source or destination server.

      A client group contains multiple clients that concurrently run a synchronization job.

      • Create Backup Client Group: Select Create Backup Client Group, enter a custom Client Group Name, and then select the clients that you want to add to the client group.

      • Select Backup Client Group: Select an existing client group.

      After the clients are added, modify or delete them in the View Client Groups panel as needed. If no client is installed, see Download and activate a client.

    2. Configure the synchronization plan, and then click OK.

      Parameter

      Description

      Source

      The source data source. Add the data source in advance. For more information, see Add a data source.

      • Source File Path: the path of the file to be synchronized. Example: /source.

        Important

        The following limits apply to the path of the source file:

        • Subdirectories or files whose names are . or .. cannot be synchronized.

        • Files whose paths contain backslashes (\) and double forward slashes (//) cannot be synchronized.

        • Subdirectories or files whose names contain forward slashes (/) cannot be synchronized.

      Destination

      The destination to which data is synchronized. Add the data source in advance. For more information, see Add a data source.

      • Destination: Select the destination data source from the drop-down list.

      • Destination File Path: the path of the files on the destination. Create the destination path in advance.

        Important

        Files written to the destination path may overwrite existing files with the same name. Select the file conflict policy carefully.

      • When a file with the same name exists in the path: the policy for handling duplicate files on the source and destination.

        • Skip the file with the same name and do not overwrite it: ignores the file and does not synchronize it.

        • Overwrite the file if the file is updated: re-synchronizes the file and overwrites the existing file.

        • Always overwrite the file with the same name: synchronizes the file as the source file version.

      Synchronization Policy

      Specifies a synchronization policy.

      • Synchronization Policy:

        • Scan and Slice Source Data (Default): scans the source files, slices the scan results, and delivers the scan results to the client group for data synchronization.

        • Specify files: synchronizes only specified files. Enter one path in each row. The path must be a relative path in the source path. Example: /dir1/example.txt.

          Note

          The specified file path cannot exceed 3,000 characters in length. To synchronize a large number of files, select Scan and Slice Source Data (Default) instead.

      • Scan Policy: Use File Path Filter and Incremental File List to configure the scan policy and improve data synchronization efficiency.

        • No: No scan policy is used.

        • File Path Filter

          • Include the Following Paths or Exclude the Following Paths: These rules are mutually exclusive. Only one rule takes effect at a time. Enter the file names in the Filter Paths field. Cloud Backup synchronizes files based on the specified rule.

        • Incremental File List: Synchronize data based on incremental files only if Source is set to OSS or S3 Compatible Storage. The path must be a subdirectory in the source path. For more information, see Incremental file list (ChangeList).

          • On Data Source: Select the data source where the incremental file list resides.

          • Incremental List Path: Enter the location of the incremental file synchronization table on the source or destination.

          Note

          For example, when you create a plan for synchronization from S3-Compatible Storage to Object Storage Service (OSS), use the incremental file list to specify the files to be synchronized. If the incremental file lists changelist1.csv and changelist2.csv are stored in the source path /changelist, the value of the path for the incremental file list is /changelist.

      Sync Plan

      Specifies the execution frequency of the synchronization plan, such as the start time and interval.

      • Sync Plan Name: the name of the synchronization plan. If left empty, a random name is assigned.

      • Plan Execution Mode: Select periodic automatic execution or manual execution.

        • Periodic Automatic Execution:

          • Start Time of Automatic Execution: the start time of synchronization.

          • Automatic Execution Interval: the interval at which data is synchronized. Data can be synchronized by minute, hour, day, and week. The minimum interval is 10 minutes.

        • Manual Execution Only: Click Run Now in the Actions column of the synchronization plan.

      Enable Data Verification

      The data verification feature compares the checksums calculated for the source and destination data to ensure data correctness. This feature is enabled by default.

      Advanced Settings

      No modification is required by default. Adjust these settings only when a large volume of data or files causes performance issues during synchronization.

      • Maximum Number of Files Per Task: Adjust the value for performance tuning.

      • Maximum Amount of Data Per Task: Adjust the value for performance tuning.

      After the synchronization plan is created, view the plan on the Sync Plan tab. Cloud Backup then periodically synchronizes data based on the synchronization plan.image.png

View the synchronization result

  • When the synchronization execution time is reached, Cloud Backup starts the synchronization job. View the execution status of the job on the Job List page. If the status of the synchronization job is Completed, the synchronization is complete.

    Note

    The job list shows only synchronization job records from the last 6 months. To export older records, refer to Audit Report.

    image

  • After synchronization jobs are complete, Cloud Backup generates file lists. Download the lists to analyze the synchronization result.

    • Download successful file list: records the files that are successfully transferred by synchronization jobs from the source to the destination.

    • Download skip file list: records the files that are skipped and not transferred during a synchronization job.

      image

  • The data synchronization service synchronizes data only and does not guarantee data consistency or integrity. After the synchronization job is complete, verify all transferred data and ensure data consistency between the source and destination.

Warning

Verify the destination data after the synchronization job is complete to ensure data accuracy. If source data is deleted before verification, you are solely responsible for any resulting data loss.

Configure alert settings for the synchronization plan

If a synchronization job fails or the client is disconnected from the server, Cloud Backup sends an alert notification by default.

  1. In the Actions column of the target synchronization plan, choose > Alert Settings.

  2. The following alert methods are supported. After you complete the configuration, click OK.

    • Disabled: No alert notifications are sent.

    • Notify Alibaba Cloud Account: The Cloud Backup client sends alert notifications to the Alibaba Cloud account using internal messages, emails, and text messages.

    • Custom: If you select this option, you must select one or more alert contacts or alert contact groups. After the configuration is complete, the Cloud Backup client sends synchronization alert notifications to the selected alert contacts or alert contact groups. For more information, see Manage alert contacts.

Troubleshooting

If a synchronization job fails, perform the following troubleshooting:

  • Modify and confirm the configurations as prompted.

  • View the client logs and locate the error code.

    Note

    The default installation paths of the Cloud Backup client are listed below for reference. The actual path may vary.

    • On Windows, view the logs in the C:\Program Files\Aliyun Hybrid Backup Service Client\logs path.

    • On Linux, view the logs in the /opt/alibabacloud/hbrclient/logs path.

  • Check for NAS file system mount failures.

    • The Cloud Backup client for Windows does not support mounting NFS file systems. If NFS file systems exist on the source or destination, select the Cloud Backup client for Linux when you create a synchronization plan.

    • If the network path for an SMB NAS mount does not exist, obtain the specific error code from the log file. Then, refer to the Microsoft Documentation Center to resolve the issue.

Next steps

After a synchronization plan is created, perform the following operations in the Actions column as needed.

Operation

Description

Run Now

Immediately runs a synchronization job.

> Modify Plan

Modifies the synchronization plan.

> Delete Plan

Deletes the synchronization plan when it is no longer needed.