Cloud Backup protects Alibaba Cloud NAS file systems with efficient, low-cost agentless and client-based backup that features built-in deduplication, compression, and immutable backup locking.
Introduction
Alibaba Cloud Cloud Backup delivers a high-efficiency, low-cost data protection solution for Alibaba Cloud General-purpose NAS file systems (Capacity and Performance) and Extreme NAS file systems (Standard and Advanced). Built-in data deduplication and compression enable rapid backup of NAS files to a backup vault.
General-purpose NAS file systems support agentless backup with no additional compute resources required. Compatible with the NFS and CIFS/SMB protocols, these file systems require no component installation and offer straightforward configuration.
Extreme NAS file systems support only the NFS protocol and require a backup client for data protection through the local NAS backup feature.
In the event of accidental file deletion or a ransomware attack, Cloud Backup enables rapid data restoration to maintain business continuity and data security.
NAS backup has certain compatibility and usage limits. For details, see Compatibility list and limits.
Key benefits
Fine-grained data protection
Back up an entire file system or specific folders to match your exact data protection requirements.
Flexible data versioning
Schedule incremental backups on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis and define custom retention periods for backup points to manage data versions with full flexibility.
Simple file recovery
Restore individual files or entire folders to a specific point in time directly from the Cloud Backup console, with no scripts or custom code required.
Source-side deduplication and compression
Cloud Backup deduplicates and compresses data at the source before transmitting it, significantly reducing backup storage consumption.
Backup locking to prevent accidental or malicious deletion
Cloud Backup supports vault-level backup locking. Once enabled, no account or method can delete backup data before the configured retention period expires, providing strong protection against accidental or malicious deletion.
How it works
General-purpose NAS and Extreme NAS file systems use different backup modes:
General-purpose NAS: Cloud Backup provides a fully managed agentless backup service. Add the file system to the protection list in the Cloud Backup console, and Cloud Backup handles the rest. No additional compute resources are required.
Extreme NAS: A backup client must be installed. Data protection is performed through the local NAS backup feature.
During each backup job, Cloud Backup scans the specified NAS folders, identifies the files to back up, performs data deduplication and compression, and then uploads the incremental data to a backup vault.
Cloud Backup uses a forever-incremental backup mechanism. After the initial full backup, each subsequent job uploads only the changed data. A complete full backup is synthesized in the background to minimize storage consumption.
Deleting any backup removes only the data segments unique to that backup. Other backups remain unaffected.
Deleting a full backup: Only the data segments exclusive to that backup are removed. Segments referenced by other backups are preserved, so subsequent restores are not affected.
Deleting an intermediate backup: Later incremental backups and restores remain intact because the forever-incremental mechanism ensures each backup captures only its own changed data relative to the previous one.
Workflow
General-purpose NAS
The following figure shows the workflow for backing up a General-purpose NAS file system in the Cloud Backup console.
Activating Cloud Backup is free. You are billed for the resources you use, such as backup vaults. For more information, see Billing methods and billable items.
Create a backup plan and configure its settings, such as the backup vault, vault encryption, backup cycle, and retention period. Cloud Backup then runs the plan to continuously back up your NAS file system.
ImportantYou can start with a free 30-day backup plan. You cannot edit the source path or backup cycle of a free trial plan.
We recommend that each NAS backup job contain no more than 50 million files, and each directory contain no more than 8 million files and subdirectories.
After creating a backup plan, the first backup job performs a full backup. Subsequent jobs perform incremental backups by default.
If the selected region supports backup policies, creating a backup plan requires associating it with a backup policy. Cloud Backup will then periodically back up the File Storage NAS file system based on that policy.
In the left-side navigation pane of the console, click Policy Center to view the regions that support backup policies. To learn how to create a backup policy, see Create a backup policy.
If your NAS file system experiences an issue, you can restore its data from a backup. You can restore the data to the source NAS file system or to a new one in the same region. You can also perform a cross-region or cross-account restore by copying the backup to a destination vault. This operation incurs outbound traffic and storage fees.
Extreme NAS
The following figure shows the workflow for backing up an Extreme NAS file system in the Cloud Backup console.
Activating the Cloud Backup service is free of charge. Cloud Backup charges a software usage fee (file backup software usage fee) and a storage capacity fee. For billing details, see Billing methods and billable items.
Download and activate the Linux backup client
The backup client establishes communication and management channels between a local server and Cloud Backup. To customize settings, configure the backup client.
Create a backup plan to periodically back up an Extreme NAS file system
Define a backup plan by specifying the backup vault, source path, backup schedule, and retention period. Cloud Backup then runs the plan and continuously backs up the NAS file system on the defined schedule.
ImportantThe first backup job after plan creation is a full backup. Subsequent jobs are incremental by default.
In regions that support backup policies, associate the backup plan with a backup policy. Cloud Backup then periodically backs up the Extreme NAS file system according to the policy.
To check which regions support backup policies, click Policy Center in the left-side navigation pane of the console. For instructions on creating a backup policy, see Create a backup policy.
If an Extreme NAS file system becomes abnormal, restore it to the source NAS file system or to a new Extreme NAS file system from a backup point at a specific time. The built-in browse feature allows viewing backed-up files at any point.
Billing
NAS file backup with Cloud Backup incurs the following fees:
Storage capacity fees: Charged based on the actual storage capacity consumed by backup data in the backup vault.
View detailed backup vault data on the Overview page of the Cloud Backup console. For pricing details, see Pricing.
Certain configurations or operations incur additional fees. For example, cross-region backup generates storage capacity fees for the destination backup vault and cross-region replication traffic fees. For the full fee breakdown, see Billing methods and billable items.
Next steps
Back up a General-purpose NAS file system or back up an Extreme NAS file system.
Explore best practices for Cloud Backup.