Database Backup (DBS) allows you to perform disaster recovery drills to restore databases on a regular basis. You can perform disaster recovery drills to verify whether the backup data is correct and the disaster recovery system is reliable.

Background information

If a disaster occurs, data recovery may fail due to operation errors that occur during the recovery process or invalid backups of the source data. To avoid disaster recovery failures, we recommend that you perform disaster recovery drills on a periodic basis to ensure that your disaster recovery system remains effective.

To perform traditional disaster recovery drills, you must deploy a large number of additional server devices. However, DBS allows you to perform disaster recovery drills without the need to purchase and deploy additional machine devices. Integrated with Copy Data Management (CDM), DBS allows you to create a database sandbox instance from your backup data. Then, your backup data can be validated, and a disaster recovery drill report is generated. After the drill is complete, DBS deletes the sandbox instance to reduce costs and ensure convenient recovery drills.

Billing

The disaster recovery drill feature is free of charge.

You need only to pay for the usage of DBS sandbox instances based on the specifications, duration, and storage of the instances. For more information, see DBS sandbox fees.
Note The specifications of a MySQL sandbox instance created during a disaster recovery drill is MySQL sandbox instance with one CPU core and 1 GB of memory.

Prerequisites

  • The database is in one of the following versions:
    • Self-managed databases: MySQL 5.6 and 5.7
    • Alibaba Cloud databases that use local solid-state disks (SSDs): ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL V5.6, 5.7, and 8.0
  • The Sandbox feature is enabled for the backup schedule. For more information, see Enable the sandbox feature.

Enable the disaster recovery drill feature

  1. Log on to the DBS console.
  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Data Source. On the Data Source page, select a region in the upper-left corner.
  3. Click recovery drill in the Actions column of the data source from which you want to restore data.
    Data Source-recovery drill
    Note You can also click Set recovery drill on the details page of a backup schedule to enable the disaster recovery drill feature. The configuration parameters are the same as those described in this topic.
  4. Configure the following parameters.
    Parameter Description
    Schedule Name Select a backup schedule.
    Recovery drill enable Valid values: Enable and Disable.
    Recovery drill frequency The frequency on which you want to perform disaster recovery drills. Default value: Regular.
    Recovery drill cycle Select the days you want to perform the disaster recovery drills during a week. For example, if you select Monday and Friday, the system performs the recovery drills every Monday and Friday.
    Note You must select at least one day from a week.
    Recovery drill start time Select the start time for each recovery drill. Unit: hours.
    Recovery drill data The backup data for which you want to perform a disaster recovery drill. By default, DBS restores the latest backup data set.
    Recovery drill target Type The type of the instance to which you want to restore the database. By default, the database is restored to a DBS sandbox instance to verify the disaster recovery drill. You do not need to purchase additional devices. Default value: DBS sandbox instance.
    Report receiver Enter an email address to receive the reports of disaster recovery drills.
    Database Account Enter the username of a database account that has the query permission.
    Password Enter the password of the database account.
    Note If you do not set this parameter, DBS uses the password of the data source by default.
    Set recovery drill
  5. Click OK.
    Now, the disaster recovery drill feature is enabled. DBS performs a disaster recovery drill at the next start time as scheduled. The execution time depends on the backup data size.

View the reports of disaster recovery drills

  1. Log on to the DBS console.
  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Data Source. On the Data Source page, select a region in the upper-left corner.
  3. Click the ID of the data source on which you want to perform recovery drills.
    Data Source
  4. Click the name of the DBS backup schedule on which disaster recovery drills are performed.
    Go to the details page of the backup schedule.
  5. In the left-side navigation pane, click Recovery drill list.
  6. Click View report in the Actions column of the disaster recovery drill based on which you want to restore data.
    View report