Backup Management

Backup and Restore

Cisco UCS Central enables you to backup and restore Cisco UCS Central and the registered UCS domains. You can schedule a backup and restore policy. You can also perform an immediate on-demand backup of Cisco UCS Central, or a selected domain.

From the Backup & Restore page, you can schedule a full state backup for Cisco UCS Central and the registered Cisco UCS Domains. For Cisco UCS domains, you can also create the full state backup policy locally.

Scheduled backup policies are disabled by default. If you want to back up Cisco UCS Central or the registered UCS domains, enable the backup state for both. The backup process does not interrupt or impact any server or network traffic. You can perform a backup while the domain is up and running. The backup operation saves information from the management plane.

Cisco UCS Central restricts remotely configured policies to using the Cisco UCS Central repository for backups, which is internally mounted by Cisco UCS Manager.

When you schedule a regular backup, the backup repository can start accumulating data. To manage the backup archives, you can specify the maximum number of backup versions that are saved. Use policy specifications to indicate the number of backups to maintain for each Cisco UCS domain.


Note

The maximum number does not impact the number of backup image files you can store on a remote location.

You can view the list of backups for each Cisco UCS domain from the Cisco UCS Central GUI and you can also delete saved or unused backup directories and configurations.

Important:

  • You must have a user account that includes the admin role to create and run backup and import operations.

  • You can delete backups only after a Cisco UCS domain (from which the backup has been taken) has been unregistered.

Backup Image Files

You can save the database or configuration backup files in the following locations:

  • Local File System: In a local file system.

  • Remote Location: Remote locations using a protocol such as TFTP, FTP, SCP, or SFTP.

    Important:

    You must have Cisco UCS Manager, release 2.2(2x) and above, registered with Cisco UCS Central to specify a global backup policy with the option to store the image file in a remote location.

When you schedule the backup, you can also specify the maximum number of backup files that you want to save for either system.

Restoring Configuration

You can restore the full state backup for Cisco UCS Central during setup only. For more information, see the appropriate Cisco UCS Central Installation and Upgrade Guide.

For Cisco UCS Manager, you can restore the full state backup configuration from the fabric interconnect's console during initial configuration.

Considerations and Recommendations for Backup Operations

Before you create a backup operation, consider the following:

Backup Locations

The backup location is the destination or folder on the network where you want Cisco UCS Central to export the backup file. You can maintain only one backup operation for each location where you plan to save a backup file.

Potential to Overwrite Backup Files

If you rerun a backup operation without changing the filename, Cisco UCS Central overwrites the existing file on the server. To avoid overwriting existing backup files, change the filename in the backup operation or copy the existing file to another location.

Multiple Types of Backups

You can run and export more than one type of backup to the same location. Change the backup type before you rerun the backup operation. We recommend that you change the filename for easier identification and to avoid overwriting the existing backup file.

Scheduled Backups

You can create a backup operation in advance and leave the admin state disabled, until you are ready to run the backup. Cisco UCS Central does not run the backup operation, save, or export the configuration file until you set the admin state of the backup operation to enabled.

Incremental Backups

You cannot perform incremental backups.

Encryption of Full State Backups

Full state backups are encrypted so that passwords and other sensitive information are not exported as clear text.

Backups from Cisco UCS Manager

Port configurations that include global VLANs and VSANs are not restored when you do an all-config backup in Cisco UCS Manager. Reconfigure the ports from Cisco UCS Central.

Backup Types

You can perform one or more of the following types of backups in Cisco UCS Central:

  • Full-state— You can specify full state backup only during installation. Full state backup is a binary file that includes a snapshot of the entire system. You can use the file generated from this backup to restore the system during disaster recovery. You cannot use this file for an import.


    Note

    You can only use a full state backup file to restore a system that is running the same version as the system from which the backup file was exported.

  • Config-all— All configuration back up is an XML file that includes all system and logical configuration settings. You cannot use this file for a system restore during installation.

  • Config-logical— Logical configuration back up is an XML file that includes all logical configuration settings. These include service profiles, VLANs, VSANs, pools, policies, users, locales, LDAP, NTP, DNS authentication and administration settings. You can use the file generated from this backup to import these configuration settings. You cannot use this file for a full state system restore during installation.

  • Config-system— System configuration back up is an XML file that includes statistics configuration and scheduler information. You can use the file generated from this backup to import these configuration settings. You cannot use this file for a full state system restore during installation.

Scheduling a Full State Backup for Cisco UCS Central

To watch a video on scheduling a backup, see Video: Creating Scheduled Backup for UCS Central.

Before You Begin

If you specify a remote location, make sure that location exists. Make sure to have the following information ready for saving a backup file in the remote location:

  • Absolute remote path. For example, if the transfer protocol is SCP: /home/user01/central

  • Host name or IP address for the remote server

  • User name and password for the remote server

Procedure
    Step 1   In the Actions bar, type Schedule Central Backup and press Enter.
    Step 2   (Optional) In the Central Backup dialog box Description field, enter a description for this backup policy.
    Step 3   From the Schedule drop-down, choose a schedule for this backup:

    • One Time Schedules—Backup occurs at the scheduled date and time only.

    • Recurring Schedules—Backup occurs at the scheduled frequency.

    Note   

    You must associate this full state backup with a pre-defined schedule. To create a schedule, see Creating or Editing a Schedule.

    Step 4   In Maximum No of Backup Files field, specify the number of backup files you want to keep in the system.

    After the maximum number of backup files is reached, the oldest backup file is overwritten by the newest backup file.

    Step 5   (Optional) If you want to save the backup file in a remote location, in the Remote Copy field, click Enabled.
    Note   

    The remote absolute path is /home/user01/central.

    Complete the following fields to add the remote location related information.

    Field Name

    Description

    Transfer Protocol

    Choose the transfer protocol:

    • FTP

    • SFTP

    • TFTP

    • SCP

    Absolute Remote Path

    The absolute remote path.

    Remote Server Host Name/IP Address

    The IP address for the remote server.

    User Name

    The user name for the remote server.

    Password

    The password for the remote server.

    Scheduling a Full State Backup for Cisco UCS Domain

    • You can create a full state backup for registered Cisco UCS domains only at the domain group level.

    • To watch a video on scheduling a backup, see Video: Creating Scheduled Backup for a UCS Domain.

    • To setup a manual backup, provide the Absolute remote path in this format: /path/filename.tgz

    • To setup a scheduled backup, provide the home folder path (/) without the filename. For SFTP, you must create the path and the required subfolders/directories in the SFTP server before you provide the home folder path. Exportation will fail if the folder is not setup in advance. For example, if you want to setup the home folder path of the SFTP server to C:\sftp, and if no other folder is present in the hierarchy, and if you provide the Absolute remote path as C:sftp\abc the exportation will fail because no such directory would be present in the system.

    Before You Begin

    If you specify a remote location, make sure that location exists. Make sure to have the following information ready for saving backup file in the remote location:

    • Absolute remote path. For example if the transfer protocol is SCP: scp://user@<ip>/x/y/z

    • Host name or IP address of the remote server

    • Username and password for the remote server

    Procedure
      Step 1   In the Actions bar, type Schedule Domain Backup.
      Step 2   Select a Domain Group for which you want to schedule the full state backup.

      This selection displays Schedule and No of Backup Files options.

      Step 3   From the Schedule drop-down, select a schedule for this backup.
      Step 4   In the Maximum No of Backup Files field, specify the number of backup files that you want to keep in the system.
      Step 5   (Optional)If you want to save the backup file in a remote location, in the Remote Copy field, click Enabled.

      Complete the following fields to add the remote location-related information.

      Field Name

      Description

      Transfer Protocol

      Choose the transfer protocol. it can be one of the following:

      • FTP

      • SFTP

      • TFTP

      • SCP

      Absolute Remote Path

      The absolute remote path.

      Remote Server Host Name/IP Address

      The IP address for the remote server.

      User Name

      The user name for the remote server.

      Password

      The password for the remote server.

      Creating On-Demand Full State Backup

      You can create a full state backup for Cisco UCS Central at any time, and save the file in both local and remote locations. However, for registered Cisco UCS domains, you can create a backup on a remote location only.

      To watch a video on creating a on-demand backups, see Video: Creating On-Demand Backup for UCS Central or Video: Creating On-Demand Backup for a UCS Domain.

      Before You Begin

      Make sure you have the following information ready to save the on-demand backup file in a remote location:

      • Absolute remote path. For example if the transfer protocol is SCP: /home/test/central/file.tgz

      • Host name or IP address of the remote server

      • Username and password for the remote server

      Procedure
        Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Backup & Restore.
        Step 2   In the UCS Central and Domains list, click UCS Central or select a domain group.
        Step 3   Click the Backup icon.
        Step 4   In the Backup dialog, choose whether to enable or disable Remote Copy.

        If you select Disabled, a local backup copy is made, and you can proceed to step 6.

        Step 5   Select the Transfer Protocol, and entire the required remote location information.
        Step 6   Click Create.

        Cisco UCS Central creates and saves the full state backup file in the specified remote location. To view the backup state for Cisco UCS domains, click the domain group name.


        Note
        The following error message displays when Cisco UCS Central or Cisco UCS Manager on-demand full state backup fails: 
        End point timed out. Check for IP, password, space or access related issues.
        To fix this error, resubmit the configuration. On successful resubmission, Cisco UCS Central creates a backup file in the backup repository.

        Removing Full State Backup for Cisco UCS Domain

        In addition to the procedure described below, you can disable or delete a full state backup in the following scenarios:

        • When you remove a root domain group policy, backup/export policy is disabled.

        • When you remove a subdomain group policy, backup/export policy is deleted.

        Procedure
          Step 1   On the menu bar, click the System Tools icon and choose Backup & Restore.
          Step 2   In the Backup and Restore page, click the Tools icon and choose Remove Domain Backup Schedule.
          Step 3   In the Domain Backup Schedule dialog box, select the Domain Group from which you want to remove the backup.
          Step 4   Verify the information in the fields that display after the selection to make sure that this is the backup schedule that you want to remove.
          Step 5   Click Remove.

          Removing Full State Backup for Cisco UCS Central

          In addition to the procedure described below, you can disable or delete a full state backup for Cisco UCS Central in the following scenario:

          • When you remove a Cisco UCS Central policy, the backup/export policy is disabled.

          Procedure
            Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Backup & Restore.
            Step 2   In the Backup and Restore page, click the Tools icon, and choose Remove Central Backup Schedule.
            Step 3   In the Central Backup Schedule dialog box, verify the information in the fields that display to make sure that this is the backup schedule that you want to remove.
            Step 4   Click Remove.

            Viewing Backup Files in Cisco UCS Central

            Procedure
              Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Backup & Restore.
              Step 2   In the UCS Central and Domains list, choose UCS Central or a domain.
              Step 3   In the right side pane, view the list of backup files. For each backup file, you can view the status, schedule, maximum number of files and the location for the remote copy.

              Configuration Export and Import

              From the Export & Import, you can schedule configuration backups for Cisco UCS Central and the registered Cisco UCS domains. You can schedule export or import policy or, perform an immediate on demand configuration export of Cisco UCS Central or a selected domain. For a Cisco UCS domain, on demand backups are stored remotely. If you schedule a backup, it can be stored locally or remotely.

              Scheduled backup policies are disabled by default. If you want to backup Cisco UCS Central, or the registered Cisco UCS domains, you must enable the backup state for both. Backup process does not interrupt or impact any server or network traffic. You can perform a backup while the domain is up and running. The backup operation saves information from the management plane.

              Cisco UCS Central restricts remotely configured policies to using the Cisco UCS Central repository for backups, which is internally mounted by Cisco UCS Manager.

              When you schedule regular backup, the backup repository can start accumulating data. To manage the backup archives, you can specify the maximum number of backup versions that are saved. Use policy specifications to indicate the number of backups to maintain for each Cisco UCS domain.


              Note

              The maximum number does not impact the number of backup image files you can store on a remote location.

              You can view the list of backups for each Cisco UCS domain from the Cisco UCS Central GUI (See: Viewing Backup Files in Cisco UCS Central), and you can also delete saved or unused backup directories and configurations.

              Important:

              • You must have a user account that includes the admin role to create and run backup and import operations.

              • You can delete backups only after they unregister from their Cisco UCS domains.

              Backup Image Files

              You can save the database or configuration backup files in the following locations:

              • Local: In a local file system.

              • Remote Location: Remote locations using any one of the following protocol: TFTP, FTP, SCP, or SFTP.

                Important:

                You must have Cisco UCS Manager, release 2.2(2x) in registered Cisco UCS domains to specify a global backup policy with the option to store the image file in a remote location. If you do not have Cisco UCS Manager release 2.2(2x) in the Cisco UCS domain, the global backup policy with remote backup does not work.

              When you schedule the backup, you can also specify the maximum number of backup files you want to save for either system.

              Importing Configuration Files

              You can use the saved configuration from a backup repository to import and configure any of the managed Cisco UCS domaina. Use the TFTP protocol to access the backup configurations.

              Scheduling Configuration Export for Cisco UCS Central

              To watch a video on using configuration export, see Video: Creating UCS Central Configuration Export.

              Before You Begin

              If you specify a remote location, make sure that location exists. Make sure to have the following information ready for saving backup file in the remote location:

              • Absolute remote path. For example if the transfer protocol is SCP: scp://user@<ip>/x/y/z

              • Host name or IP address of the remote server

              • Username and password for the remote server

              Procedure
                Step 1   On the menu bar, click the System Tools icon and choose Export & Import.
                Step 2   In the UCS Central and Domains list, click UCS Central.
                Step 3   Click the Tools icon and choose Schedule Central Export.

                This launches the Schedule Central Configuration Export dialog box.

                Step 4   (Optional) In the Description field, enter a description for the this backup policy.
                Step 5   Click Schedule drop down to select a schedule for this backup.
                Note   

                You must associate this configuration backup with a pre-defined schedule.

                Step 6   In Maximum No of Backup Files field, specify the number of backup files you want to keep in the system.
                Step 7   (Optional)If you want to save the backup file in a remote location, in the Remote Copy field, click Enabled and enter the required remote location information.

                Scheduling Configuration Export for Cisco UCS Domains

                You can create configuration backup for registered Cisco UCS domains only at the domain group level.

                To watch a video on using configuration export, see Video: Creating UCS Domain On-Demand Configuration Export

                Before You Begin

                If you specify a remote location, make sure that location exists. Make sure to have the following information ready for saving backup file in the remote location:

                • Absolute remote path. For example if the transfer protocol is SCP: scp://user@<ip>/x/y/z

                • Host name or IP address of the remote server

                • Username and password for the remote server

                Procedure
                  Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Export and Import.
                  Step 2   In the UCS Central and Domains list, click the Tools icon and choose Schedule Domain Export.
                  Step 3   Select the domain group for which you want to schedule the configuration backup.
                  Step 4   Click the Schedule drop-down to select a schedule for this backup.
                  Note   

                  You must associate this configuration backup with a pre-defined schedule.

                  Step 5   In the Maximum No of Backup Files field, specify the number of backup files to keep in the system.
                  Step 6   (Optional)If you want to save the backup file in a remote location, in the Remote Copy field, click Enabled.

                  Enter the remote location and related information in the displayed fields.

                  Step 7   Click Schedule.

                  Exporting UCS Central Configuration Backup

                  Before You Begin

                  If you specify a remote location, make sure that location exists. Make sure to have the following information ready for saving the backup file in the remote location:

                  • Absolute remote path. For example if the transfer protocol is SCP: scp://user@<ip>/x/y/z

                  • Host name or IP address of the remote server

                  • Username and password for the remote server

                  Procedure
                    Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Export and Import.
                    Step 2   In the UCS Central and Domains list, click UCS Central.
                    Step 3   Select the configuration backup file that you want to export.
                    Step 4   Click the Config Export icon.
                    Step 5   If you want to save the backup file in a remote location, in the Remote Copy field, click Enabled.

                    If Disabled is selected, then the file will be saved locally.

                    Step 6   For remote locations, choose a Transfer Protocol, and enter the required remote location information in the displayed fields.
                    Step 7   Click Export.

                    Exporting Configuration On-Demand Backup for Domains

                    You can create configuration backup for registered Cisco UCS Domains only at the domain group level.

                    Before You Begin

                    An on-demand back up is possible only for a remote location. For a local Cisco UCS domain on-demand backup is not supported. Make sure that you have the following information ready for saving the backup file in the remote location:

                    • Absolute remote path. For example if the transfer protocol is SCP: scp://user@<ip>/x/y/z

                    • Host name or IP address of the remote server

                    • Username and password for the remote server

                    Procedure
                      Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Export and Import.
                      Step 2   In the UCS Central and Domains list, choose a domain.
                      Step 3   Select the domain backup file that you want to export.
                      Step 4   Click the Config Export icon.
                      Step 5   If you want to save the backup file in a remote location, in the Remote Copy field, click Enabled.

                      If Disabled is selected, then the file will be saved locally.

                      Step 6   Choose a Transfer Protocol, and enter the required remote location information in the displayed fields.
                      Step 7   Click Export.

                      Importing Configuration for Cisco UCS Central

                      You can import a configuration from another Cisco UCS Central, or an xml file you have exported to a local or remote location.

                      Procedure
                        Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Export and Import.
                        Step 2   In the UCS Central and Domains list, choose UCS Central.
                        Step 3   Click the Config Import icon.
                        Step 4   In Behavior on Configuration Import, select one of the following options based on your requirements:

                        Option

                        Description

                        Replace

                        For each object in the imported file, replaces the corresponding object in the current configuration.

                        Merge

                        Merges the configuration information in the imported file with the existing configuration information. If there is a conflict, the information in the current configuration is replaced with that in the imported configuration file.

                        Step 5   In Config File Location, select the location from which you want to import the configuration into Cisco UCS Central:

                        • UCS Central: Select a configuration backup from the Config File drop down.

                        • Local: Browse to the local file location and select the file.

                        • Remote: Enter the remote server related information and file path.

                        Step 6   Click Import.
                        The following error message appears when Cisco UCS Central import fails: 
                        End point timed out. Check for IP, password, space or access related issues.
                        To fix this error, you can resubmit the configuration. On successful re-submission, the import process will begin.

                        Importing Configuration for Cisco UCS Domain


                        Note

                        If a Cisco UCS domain is in suspended state, has lost visibility, or lost connectivity, the import configuration feature is disabled.

                        Before You Begin

                        Make sure that you have created config-all backup files using backup policies.

                        Procedure
                          Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Export and Import.
                          Step 2   In the UCS Central and Domains list, click the domain where you want to import the backup.
                          Step 3   Click the Config Import icon.
                          Step 4   In Behavior on Configuration Import, select Replace or Merge based on your requirements.

                          Option

                          Description

                          Replace

                          For each object in the imported file, replaces the corresponding object in the current configuration.

                          Merge

                          Merges the configuration information in the imported file with the existing configuration information. If there is a conflict, the information in the current configuration is replaced with that in the imported configuration file.

                          Step 5   In Import From drop-down, select the domain from which you want to import all configuration into this domain.
                          Step 6   Click Config File drop-down to select the configuration file.
                          Step 7   Click Import.

                          Removing Configuration Export Schedule for Cisco UCS Central

                          Procedure
                            Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Export and Import.
                            Step 2   On the Config Export & Import page, click the Tools icon and choose Remove Central Export Schedule.
                            Step 3   View the entries in the schedule.
                            Note   

                            There is only one schedule for Cisco UCS Central.

                            Step 4   Click Remove.

                            Removing Configuration Export Schedule for Cisco UCS Domain

                            In addition to the procedure described below, full state backup for Cisco UCS Central can be disabled or deleted in the following scenarios:

                            • When you remove a subdomain group policy, the backup/export policy is deleted.

                            • When you remove either a central or root domain group policy, the backup/export policy is disabled.

                            Procedure
                              Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Export and Import.
                              Step 2   On the Config Export & Import page, click the Tools icon and choose Remove Domain Export Schedule.
                              Step 3   Select the domain group where you want to remove the configuration backup.
                              Step 4   Select the schedule that you want to remove.
                              Step 5   Click Remove.

                              Viewing Backup Files in Cisco UCS Central

                              Procedure
                                Step 1   Click the System Tools icon and choose Backup & Restore.
                                Step 2   In the UCS Central and Domains list, choose UCS Central or a domain.
                                Step 3   In the right side pane, view the list of backup files. For each backup file, you can view the status, schedule, maximum number of files and the location for the remote copy.