Backup and Restore

About Backup and Restore

Use the backup and restore functions in Catalyst Center VA to create backup files. You can restore the backup files to the same appliance (in case your Catalyst Center becomes unusable) or use them to migrate your Catalyst Center to a different appliance, for example:

  • Back up data from a Catalyst Center hardware appliance and restore the data to a Catalyst Center VA.

  • Back up data from one Catalyst Center VA and restore the data to another Catalyst Center VA.


Important

NetFlow data is not backed up when you back up Catalyst Center's automation and Assurance data.

Backup and Restore—Hardware Appliance to VA

This procedure provides a high-level overview of how you can back up the data from a Catalyst Center hardware appliance and restore it to a Catalyst Center VA. For detailed instructions, see the "Backup and Restore" chapter in the Cisco Catalyst Center Administrator Guide.

Before you begin

  • Make sure that the hardware appliance used for the backup is a 44-core Catalyst Center appliance.

  • If you're using a Cloud backup (NFS) server, you'll need to know the backup password in order to log into the server.

    Your backup server password is dynamically created. The password is composed of the first four characters of the VA pod name and the backup server's IP address without the periods. For example, if the VA pod name is DNAC-SJC and the backup server's IP address is 10.0.0.1, the backup server password is DNAC10001.


    Note

    You can find the VA pod name on the Dashboard pane after you select the region that it's deployed in.

    You can find the backup server's IP address in the View Catalyst Center pane.

Procedure

Step 1

Back up the data from the Catalyst Center hardware appliance.

Make sure that the backup server is connected to Catalyst Center through a VPN.

Step 2

Create a Catalyst Center VA.

Make sure the Catalyst Center VA is up and running.

Step 3

Connect the Catalyst Center VA to the backup server from Step 1.

Make sure that the backup server is reachable from the Catalyst Center VA.

Step 4

Configure the backup server on the Catalyst Center VA.

Step 5

Restore the data on to the Catalyst Center VA.

Backup and Restore—VA to VA

This procedure provides a high-level overview of how you can back up the data from one (source) Catalyst Center VA and restore it to another (target) Catalyst Center VA. For detailed instructions, see the "Backup and Restore" chapter in the Cisco Catalyst Center Administrator Guide.

Before you begin

  • Make sure that you successfully deployed two Catalyst Center VAs with Cisco Global Launchpad, AWS CloudFormation, or AWS Marketplace.

  • Make sure that both Catalyst Center VAs are up and running.

  • Make sure that the backup server is connected to the source Catalyst Center VA through a VPN.

  • Make sure that the backup server is reachable from the target Catalyst Center VA.

  • If you're using a Cloud backup (NFS) server, you'll need to know the backup password in order to log into the server.

    Your backup server password is dynamically created. The password is composed of the first four characters of the VA pod name and the backup server's IP address without the periods. For example, if the VA pod name is DNAC-SJC and the backup server's IP address is 10.0.0.1, the backup server password is DNAC10001.


    Note

    You can find the VA pod name on the Dashboard pane after you select the region that it's deployed in.

    You can find the backup server's IP address in the View Catalyst Center pane.

Procedure

Step 1

Back up the data from the source Catalyst Center VA to a backup server.

Step 2

Bring up the target Catalyst Center VA that you want to restore the data to.

Step 3

Connect the target Catalyst Center VA to the backup server. (See Step 1.)

Step 4

Configure the backup server on the target Catalyst Center VA.

Step 5

Restore the data to the target Catalyst Center VA.

Configure Backup

To configure backup for Catalyst Center:

Procedure

Step 1

Perform these actions to log in to Catalyst Center:

  1. Enter https://server-ip in your browser, where server-ip is the IP address of the server on which Catalyst Center is installed.

  2. Enter your Catalyst Center username and password.

Step 2

From the left pane in the DNA Center page, choose System > Backup & Restore.

Step 3

Click Configure Settings.

Step 4

If you are adding or updating configuration for an NFS, click Add NFS.

Otherwise, skip to Step 8.

Step 5

In the Add NFS area:

  1. In the NFS Server field, enter the IP address of the backup server.

  2. In the Destination Folder field, enter /var/nfsShare.

  3. From the NFS Version drop-down list, choose NFS 4.

  4. In the Port field, enter 2049.

  5. In the Port Mapper field, accept the default value of 111.

  6. Click Save.

Step 6

In the Warning dialog box, click Proceed.

Step 7

Perform these actions to verify that the information for the NFS that you configured is correct:

  1. Click View NFS List .

  2. Review the information in the NFS List .

  3. Close the NFS List .

Step 8

Perform these actions to mount the NFS path for the NFS that you created:

  1. From the Mount Path drop-down list, choose the mount path for the NFS that you configured.

  2. In the Encryption Passphrase and Confirm Passphrase fields, enter a passphrase,

    This passphrase is used when you restore a backup.

  3. Click Submit.

Step 9

Perform these actions to schedule your backups:

  1. From the left pane in the DNA Center page, choose Settings > Backup & Restore

  2. Click Scheduled Backup.

  3. In the Scheduled Backup pane, configure the options for your backup as desired.

  4. Click Save.

Restore a Backup

To restore backup for Catalyst Center:

Procedure

Step 1

Perform these actions to log in to Catalyst Center:

  1. Enter https://server-ip in your browser, where server-ip is the IP address of the server on which Catalyst Center is installed.

  2. Enter your Catalyst Center username and password.

Step 2

From the left pane in the DNA Center page, choose System > Backup & Restore.

Step 3

In the Actions column that corresponds to the backup that you want to restore, click … and choose Restore.

Access the Catalyst Center Backup VM

The following guidelines and restrictions apply when you access the Catalyst Center backup VM:

  • You can access the Catalyst Center backup VM only through the subnet that contains the Catalyst Center VM.

  • When you created Catalyst Center on Launchpad, you downloaded a PEM file that is used to access the Catalyst Center VM. To access your backup VM, log in to Catalyst Center and use this same PEM file.

  • The ports in the backup VM security group communicate only through the backup VM IP address.