You can purchase resource plans to reserve resources and reduce costs. A resource plan is a subscription billing method that allows you to pay for resources before you use them. This topic describes how to purchase Cloud Backup resource plans for various use cases.
Usage notes
Purchase resource plans based on your total required capacity. For example, for a Database Backup resource plan on an ECS instance, purchase a plan based on the total backup capacity of all your databases. You do not need to purchase a separate plan for each database. Except for database backup space resource plans, backup space resource plans for all other data sources are in shared mode.
Traffic fees are charged on a pay-as-you-go basis and cannot be covered by resource plans. For more information, see Pricing Details.
If you have a valid resource plan that matches a billable item, Cloud Backup prioritizes the resource plan for fee deductions. Any usage that exceeds the capacity of the resource plan is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. To purchase a resource plan, go to the New Resource Plan Purchase page.
Resource plans are not region-specific. They can be used to deduct backup fees for all regions under your Alibaba Cloud account. You can also purchase multiple resource plans. Your total capacity is the sum of all your purchased resource plans.
Resource plans are not attached to specific backup data. Their only function is to deduct fees from your bill. Therefore, you do not need to detach or re-attach resource plans when you purchase a new plan, replace a client, or create or delete a backup vault.
Resource plans can only be used by the Alibaba Cloud account that purchased them and its associated RAM users. They cannot be transferred to other accounts.
ECS Backup Essential Edition is a subscription service. You must purchase subscription instances of ECS Backup Essential Edition based on the number of ECS instances that you want to protect. One-year auto-renewal is supported. This feature does not use resource plans.
Resource plan types
Cloud Backup supports various data source types and offers a corresponding resource plan for each type. Select a resource plan based on your data source. The following table provides more details.
Backup source type | Resource plan type | Description |
ECS File Backup Essential Edition | Total Capacity of Block Storage to Be Backed Up on ECS Instances | Purchase a plan based on the total capacity of block storage attached to the ECS instances that you need to back up across all regions. Cloud Backup applies the resource plan for fee deduction after your usage exceeds the 100 GiB free quota. |
ECS Files or Local Files | Backup Source Quantity | Purchase a plan based on the number of local servers or ECS instances you need to back up. |
Backup Storage | Purchase a plan with a capacity twice the size of your source data. You can also use the backup capacity calculator to estimate the required capacity. | |
ECS instance | ECS instances | Purchase a number of resource plans equal to the number of ECS instances you need to back up. Note The snapshot size for snapshots created using the ECS instance backup feature, the snapshot size in the destination region, and the cross-region traffic generated after you enable cross-region replication are billed by the snapshot service. For more information about snapshot billing, see Snapshots. |
Self-managed SAP HANA on ECS | SAP HANA Quantity | Purchase a plan based on the number of SAP HANA instances. |
Backup Storage | Purchase a plan with a capacity twice the size of your source data. You can also use the backup capacity calculator to estimate the required capacity. | |
ECS-hosted database or on-premises database | Database Backup Vault | Purchase plans as needed based on the number of backup vaults for the databases you want to back up. |
Storage Space for Database Backup | Purchase a plan with a capacity twice the size of the raw data of all your databases. If you enable real-time backup, you must also calculate the required log space. Purchase a plan based on the daily log size multiplied by the retention period. If your usage exceeds the resource plan capacity, you can purchase additional plans. | |
OSS, NAS, CPFS, or Tablestore | Backup Storage | Purchase a plan with a capacity twice the size of your source data. You can also use the backup capacity calculator to estimate the required capacity. |
On-premises VMware VM | VMware Disk Size | Purchase a plan based on the total provisioned size of the VMware virtual disks you need to back up. |
Backup Storage | Purchase a plan with a capacity twice the size of your source data. You can also use the backup capacity calculator to estimate the required capacity. | |
Backup Point Virus Detection | Backup Point Virus Detection | This is the monthly deduction quota for backup point virus scans during the validity period. Purchase a plan based on the total number of files you need to scan for viruses under your account. Important This fee is incurred only when you use the backup point virus scan feature in the following backup scenarios: ECS File Backup (New), Local File Backup (New), OSS Backup, CPFS Backup, Alibaba Cloud NAS Backup, and Local NAS Backup. |
Resource plan prices
For more information about the pricing of resource plans, see the , Pricing, or New Resource Plan Purchase page.
Scenario information
Select the resource plan type that is appropriate for your backup scenario. The following table describes the resource plan types available for different scenarios.
In the table, ✓ indicates that you can purchase the resource plan for the corresponding scenario. x indicates that you do not need to purchase the plan. Optional indicates that you can purchase the plan if you use the backup point virus scan feature in the corresponding scenario.
Database backup is applicable to MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Server databases that are deployed on ECS instances or local servers. It does not apply to SAP HANA.
Some backup scenarios also involve pay-as-you-go billable items. For more information, see Billing methods and billable items.
Scenario | Backup Storage | Backup Source Quantity | ECS Instances | SAP HANA Quantity | VMware Disk Size | Database Backup Vault | Storage Space for Database Backup | Total Capacity of Block Storage to Be Backed Up on ECS Instances | Backup Point Virus Detection |
ECS File Backup Essential Edition | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ✓ | x |
ECS file backup | ✓ | ✓ | x | x | x | x | x | x | Optional |
ECS instance backup | x | x | ✓ | x | x | x | x | x | x |
Self-managed SAP HANA on ECS backup | ✓ | x | x | ✓ | x | x | x | x | x |
ECS database backup | x | x | x | x | x | ✓ | ✓ (You must purchase an additional plan if your backup data exceeds the 100 GB of complimentary "Storage Space for Database Backup" provided with the backup vault.) | x | x |
Alibaba Cloud OSS backup | ✓ | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | Optional |
Alibaba Cloud Tablestore backup | ✓ | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
Alibaba Cloud NAS backup | ✓ | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | Optional |
Alibaba Cloud CPFS backup | ✓ | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | Optional |
On-premises NAS backup | ✓ | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | Optional |
Local file backup | ✓ | ✓ | x | x | x | x | x | x | Optional |
On-premises database backup | x | x | x | x | x | ✓ | ✓ (You must purchase an additional plan if your backup data exceeds the 100 GB of complimentary "Storage Space for Database Backup" provided with the backup vault.) | x | x |
On-premises VMware VM backup | ✓ | x | x | x | ✓ | x | x | x | x |
Comparison of old and new resource plans
Previously purchased resource plans can still be used. However, they can no longer be upgraded or renewed. We recommend that you purchase new resource plans. The following table compares the names of the old and new resource plans.
Old resource plan | New resource plan | Description |
Rental of database backup vaults | Database Backup Vaults | None |
Storage capacity for database backups | Storage Space for Database Backup | None |
Storage capacity for log backups | Storage Space for Database Backup | You can purchase the new resource plan to offset log backup fees. |
Storage capacity for backups | Backup Storage | None |
File backup clients | File Backup Source Quantity | None |
SAP HANA backup clients | SAP HANA Quantity | None |
VMware VM backup clients | VMware Disk Size Specification | The word "clients" included in the name of the old resource plan indicates the disk size of VMware VMs. |