Before you perform critical operations such as rolling back disks, modifying system files, or replacing operating systems, we recommend that you create snapshots for system or data disks to back up disk data. In the event of unexpected issues or data loss, you can use the snapshots to restore data and ensure business continuity.
This topic describes how to manually create a snapshot for a cloud disk.
To create snapshots for multiple cloud disks simultaneously and ensure data consistency, use snapshot-consistent groups.
To automatically create snapshots for a cloud disk on a periodic basis, use automatic snapshot policies.
Prerequisites
The snapshot service is activated. For more information, see Activate ECS Snapshot.
The cloud disk for which you want to create a snapshot is in the In Use or Unattached state.
If the cloud disk is in the In Use state, make sure that the ECS instance to which the disk is attached is in the Running or Stopped state.
If the cloud disk is in the Unattached status, make sure that the disk was attached to an ECS instance at least once. Snapshots cannot be created for disks that were not attached to an ECS instance at least once.
NoteCloud disks that have never been attached to ECS instances do not require snapshots, as the disk data remains unchanged after the disks are created.
Snapshots can be created for the cloud disk.
NoteYou cannot create snapshots for local disks or elastic ephemeral disks.
Considerations
Before you create a snapshot for a cloud disk, take note of the following items.
Item | Description |
Impact on performance | Within seconds of starting the snapshot creation process, the I/O performance of the cloud disk is affected and can decrease by up to 10%. Once the snapshot upload progresses, the read and write performance of the cloud disk returns to normal. To minimize the impacts on business operations, we recommend that you create snapshots during off-peak hours or when I/O latency is not a concern. |
Time required to create a snapshot | The time required to create a snapshot depends on multiple factors, such as the data volume of the snapshot, the number of snapshots being created by other users, and the snapshot size.
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Billing | After you create snapshots, you are charged snapshot storage fees per region based on the total size of the snapshots stored in the region. For more information, see Snapshots. |
Others |
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Procedure
This section explains how to create a snapshot for a cloud disk on the Snapshots page in the ECS console. You can also create a snapshot for a cloud disk on the Block Storage page.
Go to ECS console - Snapshots.
In the top navigation bar, select the region and resource group of the resource that you want to manage.
On the Disk Snapshots tab, click Create Disk Snapshot.
In the Create Snapshot dialog box, configure the parameters and click OK.
Parameter
Description
Resource Type
Default value: Cloud Disk, which allows you to create a snapshot for a cloud disk.
NoteYou can also set this parameter to Instance and select one or more ECS instances to create a snapshot-consistent group. Then, select the cloud disks for which you want to create snapshots from the ECS instances to ensure disk data consistency. For more information, see Create a snapshot-consistent group.
Disk
Select the disk for which you want to create a snapshot. You can select a system disk or a data disk.
Snapshot Name
Specify a name for the snapshot.
Retention Period
Specify the retention period of the snapshot. Valid values: Permanently (Until Deleted) and Retained for.
Permanently (Until Deleted): The snapshot is permanently retained and does not expire. After the maximum number of snapshots is reached, new snapshots cannot be created.
Retained for: Specify a retention period in days for the snapshot. After the retention period of the snapshot ends, the snapshot expires and is automatically deleted.
NoteFor the quotas on manual snapshots, see Overview.
If you specify a retention period for a snapshot, Released After xx Days is highlighted in the Retention Period column on the Disk Snapshots tab when the snapshot is a few days, such as 3 days, away from expiration. You can extend the retention period of a snapshot before the snapshot expires. For more information, see Extend the retention period of a snapshot.
To prevent unnecessary costs, we recommend that you delete unneeded snapshots at the earliest opportunity, regardless of whether the snapshots are retained permanently or for a specific number of days. For more information, see Delete a snapshot.
Advanced Settings
Instant Access
By default, the instant access feature is enabled for Enterprise SSD (ESSD) series disks (ESSDs, ESSD AutoPL disks, ESSD Entry disks, and Regional ESSDs)and is disabled for cloud disks of other categories.
NoteThe instant access feature allows you to use snapshots for operations, such as rolling back cloud disks, creating cloud disks, or sharing snapshots, within seconds after the snapshots are created, instead of after the snapshots are uploaded to OSS. For more information, see Use the instant access feature.
Tag
Specify tag key-value pairs for the snapshot to facilitate management.
Resource Group
Specify a resource group to which to assign the snapshot. You can use resource groups to manage snapshots at different levels.
(Optional) View the creation progress of the snapshot on the Disk Snapshots tab.
View the upload progress of the snapshot to OSS in the Progress column. When you move your pointer over Progress of Upload to OSS: Xx%, the estimated remaining time required to upload the snapshot is displayed.
NoteThe estimated time to upload a snapshot to OSS may vary based on several factors. For more information, see Time required to create a snapshot section in Considerations.
To cancel a snapshot creation task in progress, call the DeleteSnapshot operation.
If Progress of Upload to OSS: 100% is displayed in the Progress column, the snapshot is uploaded to OSS.