Narbulut ECS Backup Guide

Table of Contents
1. Prerequisites
2. Overview
3. Scheduled Backup Policy
4. Creating a New Backup Policy
5. Editing an Existing Policy
6. VM Backups
7. CDP Policy (Continuous Data Protection)
8. Manual Backup from VM
9. Disaster Recovery
10. Backup Best Practices

1. Prerequisites

Before starting backup operations, make sure the following requirements are met:

A user account with access to the ECS platform
At least one virtual machine (VM) created and running
Sufficient storage space in the Backup Repository
VPC configuration completed

Tip: For VM creation steps, refer to the ECS VM Creation Guide.

2. Overview

Backup and disaster recovery operations on the ECS platform are managed under the Disaster Recovery module. To access this module:

Method 1: Hamburger Menu
Click the hamburger menu (three-line icon) in the top left corner. From the mega menu, select Disaster Recovery > Scheduled Backup.

Method 2: Direct URL
https://ecs.narbulut.com/#/mod-business-protect/backup-strategy/index

Figure 1 — Scheduled Backup main page

The Disaster Recovery module contains three main tabs and a sub-page:

Tab	Description
Scheduled Backup Policy	Scheduled backup policies — periodic automatic backup definitions
CDP Policy	Continuous Data Protection policies
VM Backups	List of backed-up VMs and restore points

Additionally, disaster recovery policies and protection groups can be managed through the Disaster Recovery page.

3. Scheduled Backup Policy

The Scheduled Backup Policy tab lists the defined backup policies. At the top of the page, the Backup Repository Usage indicator shows total and used storage space.

Figure 2 — Backup Repository usage indicator

Toolbar Buttons

Button	Description
New	Opens the new backup policy creation wizard
Backup	Runs the selected policy immediately (instant backup)
Enable	Enables the selected policy
Disable	Disables the selected policy
Delete	Deletes the selected policy

Table Columns

Column	Description
Policy Name	Policy name
Description	Policy description
Backed-Up VMs	Number of VMs included in the policy
Resource Pool	Resource pool
Backup Type	Backup type and schedule information
Quiesce Guest File System	File system quiescing status during backup
Status	Policy status (Enabled / Disabled)
Operation	Action buttons (Edit, Delete, etc.)

4. Creating a New Backup Policy

When you click the “New” button, a 4-step policy creation wizard opens.

Step 1: Select Virtual Machine

Select the virtual machines to include in the backup policy.

Resource Pool: Select the resource pool
VM Selection: Check the VMs to be backed up from the list
Auto-add Groups: Define groups so that newly added VMs are automatically included in the policy

Figure 3 — Step 1: Virtual machine selection

Figure 4 — Selected virtual machines

Step 2: Configure Backup Schedule

Configure the backup frequency, retention policy, and additional settings.

Figure 5 — Backup schedule settings

Backup Frequency

Option	Description
Weekly	Weekly backup — specific day and time are selected
Daily	Daily backup — time is selected
Hourly	Hourly backup — time interval is defined

Figure 6 — Retention policy settings

Retention Policy: Determines how long backups are retained. After the specified period, old backups are automatically cleaned up.

Quiesce Guest File System: Freezes the VM’s file system during backup to ensure a consistent backup. Especially recommended for database servers.

Health Check: Runs an automatic health check after backup completion.

Step 3: Policy Name

Provide a name and description for the policy.

Figure 7 — Policy name and description

Tip: Choose a policy name that is easily identifiable. For example: Daily-WebServer-Backup or Weekly-DB-Backup

Step 4: Ready to Complete

Review the summary of all your settings. If the settings are correct, click “Finish” to create the policy.

Figure 8 — Policy summary and confirmation

5. Editing an Existing Policy

To edit an existing backup policy:

Select the policy you want to edit from the Scheduled Backup Policy list
Click the Edit button in the Operation column
Make the necessary changes in the wizard (add/remove VMs, change schedule, etc.)
Click “Finish” to save the changes

Note: Editing a policy does not affect existing backup points. Changes take effect from the next backup cycle.

6. VM Backups

The VM Backups tab displays a list of all backed-up virtual machines. Backup points and restore operations for each VM are managed from this screen.

Figure 9 — VM Backups list

Available operations from this screen:

View Backup Points: Click on a VM row to list all backup points
Restore: Restore a VM from a specific backup point
Delete Backup: Clean up backup points that are no longer needed

Warning: The restore operation replaces the VM's current state with the state from the backup point. This action cannot be undone — consider backing up the current state before restoring.

7. CDP Policy (Continuous Data Protection)

CDP (Continuous Data Protection) is an advanced backup method that continuously protects virtual machine data. Unlike scheduled backup, CDP captures data changes in real-time or at very short intervals.

Figure 10 — CDP Policy page

CDP Policy features:

Near Real-Time Protection: Reduces data loss to seconds
RPO (Recovery Point Objective): Achieves very low RPO values
Continuous Replication: Changes are instantly transferred to the backup repository

Note: CDP uses more storage space and bandwidth than scheduled backup. Recommended for critical workloads.

8. Manual Backup from VM

Outside of scheduled policies, you can initiate a manual backup for a specific VM from the Virtual Machines page.

Select the relevant VM from the Virtual Machines list
Right-click on the VM row or open the More menu
Click the Backup option
Confirm the backup settings and start

Figure 12 — Manual backup from VM context menu

Tip: Manual backup is ideal for providing instant protection before making significant changes (OS updates, application upgrades, etc.).

9. Disaster Recovery

The Disaster Recovery module protects your virtual machines against disaster scenarios by replicating them to a different location.

Figure 11 — Disaster Recovery page

Disaster Recovery features:

DR Policies: Define which VMs are replicated and the replication frequency
Protection Groups: Manage VMs that need to be protected together as groups
Failover: Automatic switch to the DR location when the primary location becomes unreachable
Failback: Transfer data back when the primary location is restored

Warning: Disaster Recovery configuration requires proper planning of network and storage resources. For network configuration, refer to the ECS Network Management Guide.

10. Backup Best Practices

Follow these recommendations to maintain the highest level of data protection:

3-2-1 Rule: At least 3 copies, on 2 different media types, with 1 at a remote location
Regular Testing: Periodically perform restore tests from backups
Use Quiesce: Enable file system quiescing on database servers
Retention Policy: Set retention periods appropriate for your business requirements
CDP + Scheduled: Use CDP together with scheduled backup for critical VMs
DR Plan: Define disaster recovery policies and test them regularly
Monitoring: Regularly check backup statuses and Backup Repository usage

Scenario	Recommended Backup Strategy
Web Server	Daily scheduled backup + 7-day retention
Database Server	Hourly backup + CDP + Quiesce enabled + 14-day retention
File Server	Daily backup + 30-day retention
Critical Application	CDP + DR policy + Hourly scheduled backup
Development/Test	Weekly backup + 3-day retention

Related Guides

ECS VM Creation Guide — Virtual machine creation steps
ECS Network Management Guide — VPC, Subnet, Elastic IP, and ACL configuration
ECS User Management Guide — User accounts and authorization
ECS SSL VPN Guide — Secure remote access configuration

Technical support: destek@narbulut.com | www.narbulut.com

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