This topic provides an overview of the on-premises database backup feature of Cloud Backup, including the benefits, working mechanisms, procedure, supported database versions, and billing of the feature.
Introduction
On-premises database backup is a data protection solution provided by Cloud Backup for self-managed databases that are deployed on on-premises data centers. You can back up data from an on-premises database to a backup vault on the cloud in a simple, secure, and reliable manner. If your database system or the server fails, data is accidentally deleted, or the database is infected with ransomware, you can restore data from the backup vault.
On-premises database servers must be connected to virtual private clouds (VPCs) by using virtual private networks (VPNs) or Express Connect circuits. You must also make sure that you can use a Cloud Backup client to access one of the following CIDR blocks from an on-premises server: 100.64.0.0/10, 100.64.0.0/11, and 100.96.0.0/11. For more information, see Connect a VPC to a data center in single-tunnel mode.
Cloud Backup cannot back up databases deployed in containers. Cloud Backup supports a limited number of database versions, operating systems, and backup features. For more information, see the "Supported database versions" section in Overview (ECS-hosted databases).
On-premises database instances can be backed up in the following regions: Singapore, China (Shanghai), China (Shenzhen), and China (Qingdao).
Benefits
Low costs
You are charged for the backup storage based on the storage space occupied by the data that is deduplicated and compressed.
High backup performance
Database backup consumes less than 100 MB memory and 0.5 core CPU. MySQL and Oracle databases can be backed up in real time with a near-zero recovery point objective (RPO).
Compatibility
The mainstream versions of MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Server are supported.
Automatic alerts
In the Cloud Backup console, you can configure alert rules to monitor backup jobs. If a backup job fails, the system automatically sends alert notifications to the specified alert contacts by using emails, text messages, and phone calls.
Immutable backup against accidental deletion
Cloud Backup provides the immutable backup feature based on backup vaults. Backup data cannot be deleted by any account or method before the configured retention period expires.
How it works
You can obtain the installation script in the Cloud Backup console. Then, you can run the script to install the Cloud Backup client on your on-premises database server. The Cloud Backup client backs up the specified database from the server based on the backup plan that you configure.
When a backup plan is executed, the Cloud Backup client calls a backup command by using the native backup component of the specified database instance, reads the source data, deduplicates and compresses the data, and then uploads the data to the backup vault.
Procedure
The following procedure shows how to back up an on-premises database in the Cloud Backup console.
The procedures for backing up on-premises MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Server databases are basically the same. In this example, a MySQL database is backed up.
To back up a MySQL, Oracle, or SQL Server database, you must obtain the username and password from the database administrator.
You are not charged for activating Cloud Backup. You are charged for the rental and storage usage of database backup vaults. You are not charged for using a vault in the first 30 days. You are charged after the free-trial period ends. You are charged for the backup storage based on the storage space occupied by the data that is deduplicated and compressed. A free capacity of 100 GB is provided for each backup vault per month. After the free quota is used up, you are charged based on tiered pricing. For more information, see Billing methods and billable items.
When you register an on-premises database in the Cloud Backup console, you must log on to the on-premises server where the database is deployed to install a backup client. Cloud Backup can discover the database that you want to back up only after you register the database. You are not charged for using Cloud Backup if you only register a database in the Cloud Backup console.
To ensure that your database can be backed up as expected, Cloud Backup provides the precheck feature to identify issues that may cause backup failure.
When you create a backup plan, configure the backup vault, data source, backup cycle, retention period, and backup policies (such as full backup and incremental backup). Cloud Backup starts the backup plan and continuously backs up data from the specified database.
You are not charged for restoring a database. If a database exception occurs, you can restore the data of the database to the source database or another registered database within the same account in the same region based on recovery points.
Billing
You are charged for on-premises database backup based on the following billable items:
Rental of database backup vaults
You must create backup vaults for your databases. Multiple databases in a region can share a backup vault. Each backup vault contains a certain amount of free capacity. For more information, see Cloud Backup Pricing.
Storage usage of database backup vaults
Each database backup vault provides a free capacity of 100 GB. You are charged for the excess storage usage. You are charged based on the storage space occupied by the data that is deduplicated and compressed. For more information, see Cloud Backup Pricing.
In addition, Cloud Backup charges the following fees based on specific configurations or operations:
Geo-redundancy fees: If you create a remote mirror vault to copy data from a backup vault in an Alibaba Cloud region to another region for geo-redundancy, you are charged for the storage capacity of the mirror vault and the cross-region replication traffic. The size of the mirror vault is the same as that of the source backup vault, and the pricing is the same.
What to do next
Learn about how to back up on-premises databases. For more information, see Register an on-premises MySQL database, Register an on-premises Oracle database, and Register an on-premises SQL Server database.
View answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQ). For more information, see FAQ.
Learn about the best practices of Cloud Backup. For more information, see Best Practices.