NetApp Backup Service Achieves Application-Consistent Backups for Databases and VMs

Original source: NetApp
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Understanding how NetApp ensures data integrity for complex applications like SQL Server and Oracle is crucial for anyone responsible for data protection in enterprise environments.

NetApp Backup Service Achieves Application-Consistent Backups for Databases and VMs

NetApp Backup and Recovery Service provides application-consistent backups by directly interacting with operating systems and applications. For Microsoft SQL Server, the service uses APIs to momentarily quiesce databases, stalling I/O for a few seconds to capture a consistent snapshot across all volumes before resuming operations without disruption. Similarly, for Oracle databases, it leverages ONTAP's consistency group capabilities (CG commands) to ensure consistent snapshots across multiple volumes. This built-in intelligence extends to virtual machine environments, enabling VM-consistent snapshots. When combined with customer-enabled VMware consistent snapshots, the service ensures that both the VM and the applications running inside it are captured in a fully consistent state. This approach is critical for maintaining data integrity and recoverability, especially for large and performance-sensitive databases where data files are spread across multiple logical units (LUNs).

"Especially when it comes to database, it is very critical to ensure when we take an app consistent backup... we ensure it is a consistent snapshot."

▶ Watch this segment — 19:39

NetApp Backup and Recovery Service Licenses Based on Protected Data Capacity, Not Volume Size

NetApp Backup and Recovery Service charges customers based on the front-end capacity of protected data, rather than the size of primary snapshots or the entire volume containing the data. Licensing is enforced specifically when snapshots are replicated to a secondary destination, such as an object store or a secondary ONTAP system. For instance, if a 50GB database resides on a 1TB volume, only the 50GB of the database is charged for protection, reflecting a focus on the actual application data being backed up. The service's pricing model is designed to be efficient, avoiding charges for the initial snapshot on primary storage or for subsequent restore operations and FlexClones, which are offered as unlimited and free. This approach differs from some vendors who begin charging from the very first backup. The licensing covers a wide range of workloads, including NAS, virtual environments like VMware, HyperV, and KVM, and specific databases such as Oracle and Microsoft SQL.

"We charge on the front-end capacity that is getting protected. It's not on the primary snapshots. I would say only when you protect the snapshots to a secondary destination and that's where we enforce the licensing."

▶ Watch this segment — 15:59

Start NetApp Backup and Recovery Service with a 30-Day Unlimited Capacity Trial

To begin using NetApp Backup and Recovery Service, customers first need to deploy the NetApp Console Agent within their environment. Following this initial step, users can access the NetApp Backup and Recovery Service under the "NetApp protection" section. There, they select the specific workload they intend to protect and activate a 30-day trial license. This evaluation period provides unlimited capacity, allowing customers to test the service's efficiency with terabytes of data without any restrictions or the need to install additional appliances. The process is designed to be straightforward, enabling immediate activation and usage for comprehensive evaluation of its backup capabilities.

"They just have to choose the workload which they want to protect and once they select it they just need to activate a trial license. We offer 30 days trial license for most of the workload."

▶ Watch this segment — 24:43

NetApp Leverages Snapshots, FlexClones for Optimal Backup Efficiency and Instantaneous Recovery

NetApp's backup solution achieves high efficiency and speed through the use of snapshots, FlexClones, and SnapRestores, optimizing Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO). Snapshots provide quick, application or VM-consistent backups, maintaining data integrity without the overhead of streaming solutions. This storage efficiency is consistently replicated across primary, secondary, and object stores, ensuring cost-effective storage utilization throughout the backup lifecycle. The system's advanced features, such as FlexClones, enable users to create multiple, near 100% space-efficient and instantaneous copies of production data for use in development, testing, quality assurance, analytics, and even AI workloads. Additionally, SnapRestores enhance recovery by only pulling changed data (delta) from storage during a restore operation, rather than the entire dataset, significantly speeding up recovery processes and reducing bandwidth consumption.

"Snapshots are super efficient in terms of customer getting a quick application or VM consistent snapshot. I think that's the cool part which none of the other streaming solutions can offer."

▶ Watch this segment — 12:01

NetApp Backup and Recovery Service Simplifies Migration from VMware and SnapCenter

NetApp Backup and Recovery Service actively supports data migration efforts, offering guidance and specific tools for transitions. For customers looking to move from VMware to other virtualization platforms, NetApp can direct them to leverage tools like NetApp Shift. This ensures that while the underlying infrastructure shifts, data protection remains seamless and reliable with the new backup service. The service also provides a non-disruptive, one-click migration path specifically for users transitioning from NetApp's legacy SnapCenter platform. This migration option automatically preserves all existing metadata and policies, streamlining the move to the new backup and recovery service. Upon activation of the migration, SnapCenter schedules are paused, and subsequent backups commence with the new service, offering a modern feature set without manual reconfiguration.

"If you want to migrate from SnapCenter, you can use it today. So there's a migrate option in NetApp Backup and Recovery that helps you to migrate from SnapCenter to the new NetApp Backup and Recovery. So it's a non-disruptive migration and it's a single click."

▶ Watch this segment — 28:11

NetApp Backup Service Offers Flexible Licensing After Trial, Including Cloud Marketplaces and BYOL

After the initial 30-day trial period for NetApp Backup and Recovery Service, customers have several flexible licensing options. Should more evaluation time be needed, an extended evaluation license can be requested. For ongoing use, permanent licenses are available through major cloud marketplaces, including AWS, Azure, and Google, where NetApp offers private deals for one, two, or three-year commitments, moving beyond standard pay-as-you-go models. Alternatively, customers without marketplace integration can purchase directly from NetApp using a Bring Your Own License (BYOL) option, also available for one to three-year terms. Longer-term commitments often include significant discounts, providing cost savings. While the service currently focuses on these primary cloud providers, NetApp remains open to considering expansion to other platforms like Alibaba Cloud or other Network Service Providers (NSPs) based on customer interest.

"We offer multiple ways. One is they can get from the marketplace in AWS, Azure and Google. We offer private offers... or they want to buy separately from NetApp where we offer BYOL. So bring your own license."

▶ Watch this segment — 25:44

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• NetApp Backup and Recovery Service provides a secure 3-2-1 backup strategy for… (2:54)
• NetApp's backup and recovery service manages seamless upgrades without customer… (5:10)
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• NetApp Backup and Recovery Service requires the NetApp Console Agent to connect… (9:29)
• The NetApp backup and recovery dashboard provides information on protected… (11:11)
• Space efficiency charts and widgets, with additional performance and backup… (13:31)
• NetApp's backup and recovery service currently supports backing up over 20,000… (14:29)
• NetApp Backup and Recovery Service supports both NAS and SAN for databases and… (18:24)
• NetApp Backup and Recovery Service supports unified ONTAP and StorageGRID as a… (21:31)
• NetApp Backup and Recovery Service does not support E-Series as either a source… (22:08)
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• The disagregated ONTAP version of AFX is supported, functioning essentially as… (22:34)
• NetApp Backup and Recovery Service supports S3-compatible object stores as… (22:47)
• NAS protocol support for tertiary backups is currently not available, but… (23:41)
• NetApp Backup and Recovery Service supports MetroCluster and SnapMirror Active… (23:56)
• NetApp Backup and Recovery Service supports various virtualization platforms… (27:01)
• Convert backup VMs from one provider to another is an interesting one, and… (29:59)

Summarised from NetApp · 34:28. All credit belongs to the original creators. Streamed.News summarises publicly available video content.