Purchase a backup schedule

Overview

1. You are charged for the backup schedule that you purchase.

   The backup and restore performance, free quota for data backup, and unit price vary based on backup schedule specifications. For more information, see Backup fees.

2. After you configure and start a backup schedule, backup files are generated. Then, DBS charges you storage fees.
   You are charged based on the volume and duration of your data that is stored in DBS. For more information, see Storage fees.

   Note If you configure a backup schedule to back up data to an Object Storage Service (OSS) bucket or a self-managed Network Attached Storage (NAS) file system, you are not charged storage fees.

Usage notes

If you purchase a subscription DBS backup schedule as a RAM user, you must grant the RAM user the AliyunDBSFullAccess permissions. For more information, see Grant permissions to a RAM user.

Procedure

1. Log on to the DBS console.
2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup Schedules. On the Backup Schedules page, select a region in the upper-left corner.
3. On the Backup Schedules page, click Create Schedule in the upper-right corner to go to the DBS buy page.
4. Set the parameters that are described in the following table. Then, click Buy and Start in the lower-right corner of the page.

   Parameter	Description
   Product Type	The billing method of the backup schedule that you want to purchase. Default value: Backup Instance. Note You cannot create a pay-as-you-go backup schedule in the DBS console.
   Region for Backup Instance	The region in which you want to store the backup data. Note Backup in the same region: Select the region in which the database to be backed up resides. Geo-redundancy: Select a region different from that of the database to be backed up. This method provides a better disaster recovery capability but may charge you additional fees. For example, if you want to back up a database from the China (Beijing) region to DBS in the China (Shanghai) region, select the China (Shanghai) region.
   Data Source Type	The engine of the database to be backed up. DBS provides a variety of backup features for different database engines. See Database engines and features before you purchase a backup schedule.
   Specification	The backup schedule specifications that you want to use. Higher specifications offer higher backup and restore performance. DBS supports the following backup schedule specifications: micro (basic specifications), small (low-end specifications), medium (medium-end specifications), large (high-end specifications), and xlarge (high-end specifications with no upper limit on the amount of backup data). To ensure fast backup and restore of specific database instances, such as database instances in the production environment, we recommend that you select the xlarge or large specifications for better backup and restore performance. If you do not require high backup and restore performance, you can select the most cost-effective backup schedule specifications based on your requirements. For more information, see Select backup schedule specifications.
   Backup Method	The backup method that you want to use. Valid values: Physical Backup: You can perform a physical backup only on self-managed databases, but not ApsaraDB RDS instances. You can use this method to back up database files in the operating system. In most cases, the speeds of physical backup and restore are faster than the speeds of logical backup and restore. You can also use a sandbox instance for emergency disaster recovery. For more information, see Create a sandbox instance for the emergency disaster recovery of a self-managed database. Logical Backup: You can perform a logical backup on ApsaraDB RDS instances, self-managed databases in data centers, and self-managed databases hosted on Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances. You can use this method to back up database objects, including tables, indexes, and stored procedures. DBS allows you to back up specified databases and tables in a fine-grained way. For more information, see Restore data by database or table. For more information, see Logical backup, physical backup, and snapshot-based backup.
   Storage Space	The storage capacity of the backup schedule that you want to purchase. You do not need to specify the storage capacity when you purchase a backup schedule. You are charged for the volume of your data that is stored in DBS. For more information, see Storage fees. You can also purchase storage plans. Larger discounts are provided for storage plans of higher storage capacities. For more information, see Use storage plans.
   Quantity	The number of backup schedules that you want to purchase. To back up multiple database instances, you must purchase multiple backup schedules. For example, if you want to back up Database Instance A and Database Instance B, you must purchase two backup schedules.
   Subscription Duration	The subscription duration for the backup schedule that you want to purchase.

5. On the Confirm Order page, confirm your order information, read and agree to the Database Backup Agreement of Service by selecting the check box in the Terms of Service section, and then click Pay.
   After you pay for the order, log on to the DBS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup Schedules to view the new backup schedule.

FAQ

• Do I need to purchase a storage plan?
  • If you back up data in a built-in storage pool of DBS, we recommend that you purchase a storage plan to offset the storage fees. By default, the built-in storage pool is charged on a pay-as-you-go basis. Storage plans are more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go method. Larger discounts are provided for storage plans of higher storage capacities. For more information, see Use storage plans.
  • If you configure a backup schedule to back up data to an OSS bucket or a self-managed NAS file system, you do not need to purchase a storage plan because you are not charged storage fees in this case.