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BlueXP backup and recovery
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Learn about BlueXP backup and recovery

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The BlueXP backup and recovery service provides efficient, secure, and cost-effective data protection for ONTAP volumes, Microsoft SQL Server instances and databases, VMware workloads (Preview), and Kubernetes workloads (Preview).

Note Documentation about protecting VMware and Kubernetes workloads is provided as a technology preview. With this preview offering, NetApp reserves the right to modify offering details, contents, and timeline before General Availability.

What you can do with BlueXP backup and recovery

Use BlueXP backup and recovery to accomplish the following goals:

  • ONTAP volume workloads:

    • Create local snapshots, replicate to secondary storage, and back up ONTAP volumes from on-premises ONTAP or Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems to object storage in your public or private cloud account.

    • Create block-level, incremental forever backups that are stored on another ONTAP cluster and in object storage in the cloud.

    • Use BlueXP backup and recovery along with SnapCenter.

    • Refer to Protect ONTAP volumes.

  • Microsoft SQL Server workloads:

    • Back up Microsoft SQL Server instances and databases from on-premises ONTAP, Cloud Volumes ONTAP, or Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP.

    • Restore Microsoft SQL Server databases.

    • Clone Microsoft SQL Server databases.

    • Use BlueXP backup and recovery without SnapCenter.

    • Refer to Protect Microsoft SQL Server workloads.

  • VMware workloads (Preview with new UI without SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere):

    • Protect your VMware VMs and datastores with BlueXP backup and recovery.

    • Back up VMware workloads to Amazon Web Services S3 or StorageGRID (for Preview).

    • Restore VMware data from the cloud back to the on-premises vCenter.

    • Use BlueXP backup and recovery without SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere.

    • Refer to Protect VMware workloads.

  • VMware workloads (With SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere):

    • Back up VMs and datastores to Amazon Web Services S3, Microsoft Azure Blob, Google Cloud Platform, and StorageGRID and restore VMs back to the on-premises SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere host.

    • Restore VM data from the cloud back to the on-premises vCenter with BlueXP backup and recovery. You can restore the VM to the exact same location from where the backup was taken or to an alternate location.

    • Use BlueXP backup and recovery along with SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere.

    • Refer to Protect VMware workloads.

  • Kubernetes workloads (Preview):

    • Manage and protect your Kubernetes applications and resources all in one place.

    • Use protection policies to structure your incremental backups.

    • Restore applications and resources to the same or different clusters and namespaces.

    • Use BlueXP backup and recovery without SnapCenter.

    • Refer to Protect Kubernetes workloads.

Benefits of using BlueXP backup and recovery

BlueXP backup and recovery provides the following benefits:

  • Efficient: BlueXP backup and recovery performs block-level, incremental-forever replication, which significantly reduces the amount of data that's replicated and stored. This helps to minimize network traffic and storage costs.

  • Secure: BlueXP backup and recovery encrypts data in transit and at rest, and it uses secure communication protocols to protect your data.

  • Cost-effective: BlueXP backup and recovery uses the lowest-cost storage tiers available in your cloud account, which helps to reduce costs.

  • Automated: BlueXP backup and recovery automatically generates backups based on a predefined schedule, which helps to ensure that your data is protected.

  • Flexible: BlueXP backup and recovery enables you to restore data to the same or different working environment, which provides flexibility in data recovery.

Cost

NetApp doesn't charge you for using the trial version. However, you are responsible for the costs associated with the cloud resources that you use, such as storage and data transfer costs.

There are two types of costs associated with using the backup-to-object feature of BlueXP backup and recovery with ONTAP systems:

  • Resource charges

  • Service charges

There is no charge to create snapshot copies or replicated volumes - other than the disk space required to store the snapshot copies and replicated volumes.

Resource charges

Resource charges are paid to the cloud provider for object storage capacity and for writing and reading backup files to the cloud.

  • For Backup to object storage, you pay your cloud provider for object storage costs.

    Because BlueXP backup and recovery preserves the storage efficiencies of the source volume, you pay the cloud provider object storage costs for the data after ONTAP efficiencies (for the smaller amount of data after deduplication and compression have been applied).

  • For restoring data using Search & Restore, certain resources are provisioned by your cloud provider, and there is per-TiB cost associated with the amount of data that is scanned by your search requests. (These resources are not needed for Browse & Restore.)

  • If you plan to restore volume data from a backup file that has been moved to archival object storage, then there's an additional per-GiB retrieval fee and per-request fee from the cloud provider.

  • If you plan to scan a backup file for ransomware during the process of restoring volume data (if you enabled DataLock and Ransomware Protection for your cloud backups), then you'll incur extra egress costs from your cloud provider as well.

Service charges

Service charges are paid to NetApp and cover both the cost to create backups to object storage and to restore volumes, or files, from those backups. You pay only for the data that you protect in object storage, calculated by the source logical used capacity (before ONTAP efficiencies) of ONTAP volumes that are backed up to object storage. This capacity is also known as Front-End Terabytes (FETB).

Note For Microsoft SQL Server, charges apply when you initiate the replication of snapshots to a secondary ONTAP target or object storage.

There are three ways to pay for the Backup service:

  • The first option is to subscribe from your cloud provider, which enables you to pay per month.

  • The second option is to get an annual contract.

  • The third option is to purchase licenses directly from NetApp. Read the Licensing section for details.

Licensing

BlueXP backup and recovery is available as a free trial. You can use the service without a license key for a limited time.

BlueXP backup and recovery is available with the following consumption models:

  • Bring your own license (BYOL): A license purchased from NetApp that can be used with any cloud provider.

  • Pay as you go (PAYGO): An hourly subscription from your cloud provider's marketplace.

  • Annual: An annual contract from your cloud provider's marketplace.

A Backup license is required only for backup and restore from object storage. Creating Snapshot copies and replicated volumes do not require a license.

Bring your own license

BYOL is term-based (1, 2, or 3 years) and capacity-based in 1-TiB increments. You pay NetApp to use the service for a period of time, say 1 year, and for a maximum amount capacity, say 10 TiB.

You'll receive a serial number that you enter in the BlueXP digital wallet page to enable the service. When either limit is reached, you'll need to renew the license. The Backup BYOL license applies to all source systems associated with your BlueXP organization or account.

Learn how to set up licenses.

Pay-as-you-go subscription

BlueXP backup and recovery offers consumption-based licensing in a pay-as-you-go model. After subscribing through your cloud provider's marketplace, you pay per GiB for data that's backed up — there's no up-front payment. You are billed by your cloud provider through your monthly bill.

Note that a 30-day free trial is available when you initially sign up with a PAYGO subscription.

Annual contract

When you use AWS, two annual contracts are available for 1, 2, or 3 years:

  • A "Cloud Backup" plan that enables you to back up Cloud Volumes ONTAP data and on-premises ONTAP data.

  • A "CVO Professional" plan that enables you to bundle Cloud Volumes ONTAP and BlueXP backup and recovery. This includes unlimited backups for Cloud Volumes ONTAP volumes charged against this license (backup capacity is not counted against the license).

When you use Azure, two annual contracts are available for 1, 2, or 3 years:

  • A "Cloud Backup" plan that enables you to back up Cloud Volumes ONTAP data and on-premises ONTAP data.

  • A "CVO Professional" plan that enables you to bundle Cloud Volumes ONTAP and BlueXP backup and recovery. This includes unlimited backups for Cloud Volumes ONTAP volumes charged against this license (backup capacity is not counted against the license).

When you use GCP, you can request a private offer from NetApp, and then select the plan when you subscribe from the Google Cloud Marketplace during BlueXP backup and recovery activation.

Supported data sources, working environments, and backup targets

Workload data sources supported

The service protects the following workloads:

  • ONTAP volumes

  • Microsoft SQL Server instances and databases for physical, VMware Virtual Machine File System (VMFS), and VMware Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) NFS

  • VMware VMs and datastores

  • Kubernetes workloads (Preview)

Working environments supported

  • On-premises ONTAP SAN (iSCSI protocol) and NAS (using NFS and CIFS protocols) with ONTAP version 9.8 and greater

  • Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.8 or greater for AWS (using SAN and NAS)

  • Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.8 or greater for Microsoft Azure (using SAN and NAS)

  • Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP

Backup targets supported

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3

  • Microsoft Azure Blob (not available for VMware workloads in Preview)

  • StorageGRID

  • ONTAP S3 (Not available for VMware workloads in Preview)

How BlueXP backup and recovery works

When you enable BlueXP backup and recovery, the service performs a full backup of your data. After the initial backup, all additional backups are incremental. This keeps network traffic to a minimum.

The following image shows the relationship among components.

A diagram showing how BlueXP backup and recovery uses a 3-2-1 protection strategy

Note Primary to object storage is also supported, not just from secondary storage to object storage.

Where backups reside in object store locations

Backup copies are stored in an object store that BlueXP creates in your cloud account. There's one object store per cluster or working environment, and BlueXP names the object store as follows: netapp-backup-clusteruuid. Be sure not to delete this object store.

  • In StorageGRID, BlueXP uses an existing storage account for the object store bucket.

  • In ONTAP S3, BlueXP uses an existing user account for the S3 bucket.

Backup copies are associated with your BlueXP organization

Backup copies are associated with the BlueXP organization in which the BlueXP Connector resides. Learn about BlueXP identity and access management.

If you have multiple Connectors in the same BlueXP organization, each Connector displays the same list of backups.

Terms that might help you with BlueXP backup and recovery

You might benefit by understanding some terminology related to protection.

  • Protection: Protection in BlueXP backup and recovery means ensuring that snapshots and immutable backups occur on a regular basis to a different security domain using protection policies.

  • Workload: A workload in BlueXP backup and recovery can include ONTAP volumes, Microsoft SQL Server instances and databases; VMware VMs and datastores; or Kubernetes clusters and applications.