Vector Retrieval Service for Milvus (Milvus) lets you back up data as snapshot files and restore the data to the current instance. This feature ensures data security and business continuity by allowing you to prevent data loss and minimize downtime.
Limits
New instances: You can use the backup and restoration feature directly.
Existing instances: To use the backup and restoration feature, you must upgrade your instance to a supported minor engine version. Supported versions include:
2.4.22-0.1.0_3.2 and later.
2.5.4-0.1.1_3.2 and later.
For more information about how to upgrade the minor engine version, see Upgrade versions.
Notes
Automatic backups retain snapshot data for only the last three days.
By default, automatic backups run at 03:00:00 every day.
Billing
The backup feature incurs extra fees based on the pay-as-you-go billing method. The rate is the same as the storage rate. Alibaba Cloud charges for snapshot storage in each region based on the snapshot size and usage duration. Each region is billed separately. For more information, see Snapshots.
Back up data manually
Go to the backup snapshot page.
Log on to the Vector Retrieval Service for Milvus console.
In the navigation pane on the left, click Instances.
On the Instances page, find the target instance and click Backup in the Actions column.
On the Backup Snapshot tab, click Backup.
In the Enable Backup dialog box, enter a New Backup File Name and click OK.
After the backup job is complete, a backup file is created. You can use this file to restore data to your instance.
Enable automatic backups
Enabling the automatic backup feature incurs extra fees. You are charged based on the storage size that the backups use. For more information, see Billing items.
By default, automatic backups run at 03:00:00 every day. You can customize the running time.
Automatic backups are retained for three days by default. Backups older than the retention period are automatically deleted.
On the Instances page, find the target instance and click Backup in the Actions column.
On the Backup Snapshot page, click Automatic Backup, set the Execution Time, and then click OK.
Disable automatic backups
If you disable this feature, the Service-Level Agreement (SLA) is no longer guaranteed. If data is lost, it cannot be restored.
Go to the backup snapshot page.
Log on to the Vector Retrieval Service for Milvus console.
In the navigation pane on the left, click Instances.
On the Instances page, find the target instance and click Backup in the Actions column.
On the Backup Snapshot tab, turn off the Automatic Backup switch.
In the dialog box that appears, click OK.
Restore data
You can restore data if it is deleted by mistake or if your instance encounters an issue.
Restoring data causes temporary instance downtime, during which all queries will fail. After the restoration is complete, you must reload the Collection manually to ensure that all data and configurations are fully restored. We recommend that you perform this operation during off-peak hours and ensure that you understand the associated risks.
On the Backup Snapshot tab, find the target backup file and click Restore in the Actions column.
Alternatively, you can click Restore at the top of the page and select a backup file from the Select Backup File drop-down list.
Click OK.
View backup details
On the Backup Snapshot tab, you can view information about all backup files, including the backup status, file size, backup type, backup time, and file expiration time.
On the Backup Snapshot tab, you can click a backup file name. In the Backup Details panel that appears, you can view the database, Collection name, and number of entities for the backup.
Delete a backup
You cannot restore deleted snapshots.
On the Backup Snapshot tab, find the backup that you want to delete and click Delete in the Actions column.
In the Delete Backup dialog box, click OK.