Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Administration Guide

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Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Administration Guide

Back up data

Updated: August 14, 2026

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Back up Crosswork Network Controller data to a secure SCP server so you can preserve configuration and application data for recovery or migration.

This task describes how to perform a data backup operation from the Crosswork Network Controller UI.

The backup process depends on having SCP access to a server with sufficient storage space. The storage required for each backup varies based on your cluster size, applications in the cluster, and scale requirements. The time taken for the backup process also varies based on the type of backup, cluster size, and applications.

Note

Building a target machine for the backup is out of scope for this document. The operator is expected to have the server in place, know the server credentials, and have a target directory with adequate space for the backups.

Caution

Crosswork Network Controller application backups include Software Image Management (SWIM) ISO images that are stored in the mounted storage location. Because ISO images can be large, they can increase the backup size and the time required to complete the backup. If you do not need to retain SWIM ISO images as part of the backup, you can exclude them by removing images that are no longer required from the rsxftp gluster-volumes location before running the backup job. For example, after the image distribution or activation operation is complete, delete any SWIM images that are no longer needed.

Before you begin

  • Ensure you have a secure SCP server in place, with adequate space for backups.

  • Obtain the hostname or IP address and port number of the SCP server, a file path on the server for backup files, and user credentials with read and write permissions to that path.

  • If you want to include external NSO data in the backup process, follow the instructions in Back up data using external NSO instead of the instructions in this topic.

  • The backup SCP server must have SSH read/write access and support remote terminal commands.

Procedure

1.

Go to Administration > Backup and Restore.
2.

Configure the SCP backup server destination:

  1. Click Destination.

  2. In the Add Destination dialog box, enter the hostname, port, destination path, and credentials for the SCP server.

  3. Click Save to confirm the configuration.
3.

Create a backup job:

  1. Click Actions > Data Backup.

  2. In the Data Backup dialog box, Provide a relevant name in the Job name field.

  3. (Optional) Check the Force checkbox to create the backup despite any application or microservice issues.

  4. (Optional) Uncheck the Backup NSO checkbox if you do not want to include external NSO data in the backup.

    To use the Backup NSO option, you must configure the SSH connectivity protocol in the NSO provider; otherwise, the backup will fail. This option is not applicable for single VM deployments.

  5. Complete any remaining fields as needed. To specify a different remote server upload destination, edit the Host name, Port, Username, Password, and Path fields.

  6. (Optional) Click Verify backup readiness to confirm sufficient resources for the backup. If successful, click OK to acknowledge the warning about the operation's duration.

  7. Click Backup to start the backup.
4.

Monitor the backup progress in the Job details panel.

The system creates a backup job set and adds it to the job list. The Job details panel reports the status of each backup step.

If the backup fails during upload to the remote server, investigate and resolve the issue (e.g., incorrect credentials, invalid destination directory, or lack of space). Then, in the Job details panel, click the Upload backup button to retry the upload.

The system creates and uploads a backup to the specified SCP destination. The backup job appears in the job list with status detail.

What to do next

Keep the build versions and backup files in a safe location for future restores.