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Firepower Management Center Configuration Guide, Version 6.0

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The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.

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Book Title

Firepower Management Center Configuration Guide, Version 6.0

Chapter Title

Backup and Restore

Results

Updated:
April 28, 2019

Chapter: Backup and Restore

Backup and Restore

About Backup and Restore

The ability to recover from a disaster is an essential part of any system maintenance plan. As part of your disaster recovery plan, we recommend that you perform periodic backups.

You can use the FMC to back up itself and the 7000/8000 series devices it manages. You can also use the 7000/8000 series local GUI to back up an individual device.


Note
Especially before you upgrade, we strongly recommend you back up to a remote location and verify transfer success. When you upgrade an appliance, it purges locally stored backups. For more information, see Remote Storage Management.

The following table summarizes Firepower backup capabilities.

Table 1. Firepower Backup Capabilities
Platform Backed Up Data Save Backup To

Firepower Management Center

Any of:

  • Configurations

  • Events (does not include captured file data)

In a multidomain deployment you cannot back up only events. You must also back up configurations.

FMC

or

Remote storage

7000/8000 series

Configurations

If backed up on the FMC GUI, save to the device and optionally the FMC, or save to remote storage.

If backed up on the device GUI, save to the device only.

NGIPSv

ASA FirePOWER

Not supported.

If you need to replace once of these devices, you must manually recreate device-specific configurations.

However, backing up the FMC does back up policies and other configurations that you deploy to managed devices, as well as events already transmitted from the devices to the FMC.

Guidelines and Limitations for Backup and Restore

Note the following guidelines and limitations for backup and restore on the Firepower Management Center and the 7000 & 8000 Series device:

  • The backup file must not be manually modified for the restore and upgrade process to function properly. You must ensure there is no unauthorized access to the backup file.

  • While the system collects backup data, there may be a temporary pause in data correlation, and the system may prevent you from changing configurations related to the backup.

  • You can restore a backup onto a replacement appliance or device only if the two appliances or devices are the same model and are running the same version of the Firepower System software.

  • On Firepower Management Centers, the backup and restore functions are available only in the Global domain. You can use the export and import functions as substitutes for backup and restore within the scope of a subdomain.

  • Cisco recommends that you backup your Firepower Management Center if you make any modifications to Specific or Permanent License Reservation.

  • Do not use the backup and restore process to copy configurations between appliances or devices. A backup file contains information that uniquely identifies an appliance, and cannot be shared.

  • After you restore a Firepower Management Center, you must apply the latest intrusion rule update.

  • Private keys associated with PKI objects are encrypted with a randomly generated key when stored on the appliance. If you perform a backup that contains private keys associated with PKI objects, the private keys are decrypted before being included in the unencrypted backup file. Store the backup file in a secure location.

  • If you restore a backup that contains private keys associated with PKI objects, the system encrypts the keys with a randomly generated key before storing them on the appliance.

  • If you restore a backup that includes a file policy with either a clean list or custom detection list enabled, the system merges any existing file lists(s) with the file lists(s) being restored.

  • If you perform a backup, then delete reviewed intrusion events, then restore using that backup, the system restores the deleted intrusion events but does not restore their reviewed status. You view those restored intrusion events under Intrusion Events, not under Reviewed Events.

  • If you restore a backup that contains intrusion event data on an appliance that already contains that data, duplicate events are created. To avoid this, restore intrusion event backups only on appliances without prior intrusion event data.

Back up the Firepower Management Center

Smart License

Classic License

Supported Devices

Supported Domains

Access

Any

Any

FMC

Global only

Admin/Maint

Use this procedure to back up the Firepower Management Center.

Before you begin

Ensure the FMC has enough disk space; backups may fail if the backup process uses more than 90% of available disk space. If necessary, delete old backup files, transfer old backup files off the appliance, or use remote storage; see Remote Storage Management.

Procedure

Step 1

Select System > Tools > Backup/Restore.

Step 2

Click Firepower Management Backup.

Step 3

Type a Name.

Step 4

Choose what to back up:

  • To archive the configuration, select Back Up Configuration. In a multidomain deployment, you cannot disable this option.

  • To archive the entire event database, select Back Up Events.

Step 5

If you want to be notified when the backup is complete, select the Email check box and type your email address in the accompanying text box.

To receive email notifications, you must configure a relay host as described in Configuring a Mail Relay Host and Notification Address.

Step 6

To use secure copy (SCP) to copy the backup archive to a different machine, select the Copy when complete check box, then type the following information in the accompanying text boxes:

  • In the Host field, the hostname or IP address of the machine where you want to copy the backup

  • In the Path field, the path to the directory where you want to copy the backup

  • In the User field, the user name you want to use to log into the remote machine

  • In the Password field, the password for that user name. If you prefer to access your remote machine with an SSH public key instead of a password, you must copy the contents of the SSH Public Key field to the specified user’s authorized_keys file on that machine.

With this option cleared, the system stores temporary files used during the backup on the remote server; temporary files are not stored on the remote server when this option is selected. Cisco recommends that you periodically save backups to a remote location so the appliance can be restored in case of system failure.

Step 7

You have the following options:

  • To save the backup file to the appliance, click Start Backup. The backup file is saved in the /var/sf/backup directory.

  • To save this configuration as a backup profile that you can use later, click Save As New.

What to do next

Store the backup file in a secure location if it contains PKI object data, as the private keys are stored unencrypted within the backup.

Back up 7000 & 8000 Series Devices Remotely

Smart License

Classic License

Supported Devices

Supported Domains

Access

Any

Any

7000 & 8000 Series

Global only

Admin/Maint

Use this procedure to perform a remote device backup with the Firepower Management Center.

Before you begin

Ensure you have enough disk space. Backups may fail if the backup process uses more than 90% of available disk space. If necessary, delete or transfer old backup files, or use remote storage; see Remote Storage Management.

Procedure

Step 1

Select System > Tools > Backup/Restore.

Step 2

Click Managed Device Backup.

Step 3

Choose one or more Managed Devices.

Step 4

To back up event data that has not yet been sent to the FMC, select Include All Unified Files.

Step 5

Specify where you want to save backup files by enabling or disabling Retrieve to Management Center.

  • Enabled: Saves device backups to the device, and also copies the file to the FMC.

  • Disabled (default): Saves device backups on the device only.

If you configured remote backup storage, backup files are saved remotely and this option has no effect.

Step 6

Click Start Backup.

What to do next

Locate the backup file using the following information:

  • The backup file is saved in the /var/sf/backup directory on the device. If you choose to save a copy of the backup file on the Firepower Management Center, it is saved in the /var/sf/remote-backup directory on the FMC.


Note
If the backup contains PKI object data, store the backup in a secure location, as the private keys are stored unencrypted within the backup.

Back up 7000 & 8000 Series Devices Locally

Smart License

Classic License

Supported Devices

Supported Domains

Access

N/A

Any

7000 & 8000 Series

N/A

Admin/Maint

You must perform this procedure using the 7000 or 8000 Series device's local web interface.

Before you begin

Ensure your appliance has enough disk space; backups may fail if the backup process uses more than 90% of available disk space. If necessary, delete old backup files, or transfer old backup files off the appliance.

Procedure

Step 1

Select System > Tools > Backup/Restore.

Step 2

Click Device Backup.

Step 3

In the Name field, type a name for the backup file.

Step 4

If you want to be notified when the backup is complete, select the Email check box and type your email address in the accompanying text box.

To receive email notifications, you must configure a relay host as described in Configuring a Mail Relay Host and Notification Address.

Step 5

If you want to use secure copy (SCP) to copy the backup archive to a different machine, select the Copy when complete check box, then type the following information in the accompanying text boxes:

  • In the Host field, the hostname or IP address of the machine where you want to copy the backup.

  • In the Path field, the path to the directory where you want to copy the backup.

  • In the User field, the user name you want to use to log into the remote machine.

  • In the Password field, the password for that user name. If you prefer to access your remote machine with an SSH public key instead of a password, you must copy the contents of the SSH Public Key field to the specified user’s authorized_keys file on that machine.

With this option cleared, the system stores temporary files used during the backup on the remote server; temporary files are not stored on the remote server when this option is selected. Cisco recommends that you periodically save backups to a remote location so the appliance can be restored in case of system failure.

Step 6

You have the following options:

  • To save the backup file to the appliance, click Start Backup. The backup file is saved in the /var/sf/backup directory.

  • To save this configuration as a backup profile that you can use later, click Save As New.

What to do next

Store the backup file in a secure location if it contains PKI object data, as the private keys are stored unencrypted within the backup.

Create Backup Profiles

Smart License

Classic License

Supported Devices

Supported Domains

Access

Any

Any

FMC

7000 & 8000 Series

Global only

Admin/Maint

You must perform this procedure using the device's web user interface or the Firepower Management Center web interface, as applicable.

You can create backup profiles that contain the settings that you want to use for different types of backups. You can later select one of these profiles when you back up the files on your appliance.


Tip
When you create a backup file for a Firepower Management Center using a new file name, the system automatically creates a backup profile with that name.

Procedure

Step 1

Select System > Tools > Backup/Restore.

Step 2

Click the Backup Profiles tab.

Step 3

Click Create Profile.

Step 4

Type a name for the backup profile.

Step 5

Configure the backup profile.

See Back up the Firepower Management Center for information on your options.

Step 6

Click Save As New to save the backup profile.

Upload a Backup File

Smart License

Classic License

Supported Devices

Supported Domains

Access

Any

Any

FMC

7000 & 8000 Series

Global only

Admin/Maint

You can upload a backup file from your local host to a Firepower Management Center, 7000 Series device or a 8000 Series device using the Firepower Management Center web interface or the device's local web interface respectively.

If your backup file contains PKI objects, on upload the system re-encrypts private keys associated with internal CA and internal certificate objects with a randomly generated key.

Before you begin

  • Download a backup file to your local host using the download function as described in The Backup Management Page.

  • Copy backups larger than 4GB from your local host via SCP to a remote host and retrieve it from there to your Firepower Management Center, as web browsers do not support uploading files that large. See Remote Storage Management for more information.

Procedure

Step 1

Select System > Tools > Backup/Restore.

Step 2

Click Upload Backup.

Step 3

Click Browse, then navigate to and select the backup file you want to upload.

Step 4

Click Upload Backup.

Step 5

Click Backup Management to return to the Backup Management page.

What to do next

Refresh the Backup Management Page to view the detailed file system information after the appliance verifies the file integrity.

The Backup Management Page

You can access the Backup Management page on the Firepower Management Center web interface at System > Tools > Backup/Restore > Backup Management.

If your backup file contains PKI objects, on upload the system re-encrypts private keys associated with internal CA and internal certificate objects with a randomly generated key.

If you use local storage, backup files are saved to /var/sf/backup, which is listed with the amount of disk space used in the /var partition at the bottom of the Backup Management page. On Firepower Management Centers, select Remote Storage at the top of the Backup Management page to configure remote storage options; then, to enable remote storage, select the Enable Remote Storage for Backups check box on the Backup Management page. If you use remote storage, the protocol, backup system, and backup directory are listed at the bottom of the page.

The following table describes each column and button on the Backup Management page.

Table 2. Backup Management

Functionality

Description

System Information

The originating appliance name, type, and version

Note 
you can only restore a backup to an identical appliance type and version.

Date Created

The date and time that the backup file was created

File Name

The full name of the backup file

VDB Version

The build of the vulnerability database (VDB) running on the appliance at the time of backup.

Location

The location of the backup file

Size (MB)

The size of the backup file, in megabytes

Events?

“Yes” indicates the backup includes event data

View

Click the name of the backup file to view a list of the files included in the compressed backup file.

Restore

Click with the backup file selected to restore it on the appliance. If your VDB version does not match the VDB version in the backup file, this option is disabled. For more information, see Restore from Backup: FMC and 7000/8000 Series

Download

Click with the backup file selected to save it to your local computer.

Delete

Click with the backup file selected to delete it.

Move

On a Firepower Management Center, when you have a previously created local backup selected, click to send the backup to the designated remote backup location.

Restore from Backup: FMC and 7000/8000 Series

Smart License

Classic License

Supported Devices

Supported Domains

Access

Any

Any

FMC

7000 & 8000 Series

Global only

Admin/Maint

You can restore a Firepower Management Center, 7000 Series device or 8000 Series device from backup files using the Backup Management page on the Firepower Management Center web interface or the device's web interface.


Caution
This action overwrites all configuration files and, on the managed device, all event data.

Note
If you add licenses after a backup has completed, these licenses will not be removed or overwritten if this backup is restored. To prevent a conflict on restore, remove those licenses before restoring the backup, noting where the licenses were used, and add and reconfigure them after restoring the backup. If a conflict occurs, contact Support.

Before you begin

  • Confirm that the VDB version in the backup file matches the current VDB version on your appliance. See Viewing Dashboards for more information.

  • Remove any licenses added to your appliance after a backup has completed before restoring the backup to avoid a conflict on restore. See About Firepower Licenses for more information.

  • Confirm the appliance does not have the same intrusion event data as stored in the backup, because restoring the backup under such conditions creates duplicate events. See About Intrusion Events for more information.

Procedure

Step 1

Select System > Tools > Backup/Restore.

Step 2

Click on the backup file to view its contents. Details include file owner, file permissions, file size, and date.

Step 3

Select System > Tools > Backup/Restore to return to the Backup Management page.

Step 4

Select the backup file that you want to restore.

Step 5

Click Restore.

Note 
If the VDB version in the backup does not match the VDB version currently installed on your appliance, the Restore button is grayed out.
Step 6

To restore files, select either or both of the following options:

  • Restore Configuration Data

    Note 
    When you restore the configuration of a managed device from a backup file, any device configuration changes you made from the device’s managing Firepower Management Center will also be restored. Restoring a backup file will overwrite changes you made after you created that backup file.

  • Restore Event Data (FMC only)

Step 7

Click Restore.

Step 8

(Optional) Wait for the system to reboot automatically.

The system reboots automatically only if the backup contains configuration data.

What to do next

  • Import the latest Cisco Rule Update; see Update Intrusion Rules One-Time Manually. If you re-deploy policies as part of the import, you do not need to deploy configuration changes (below).

  • Deploy configuration changes; see Deploy Configuration Changes.

  • Add and reconfigure any licenses you removed from your appliance before restoring the backup.

  • Contact Support if your appliance shows a license conflict on restore.

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