Terms

Backup source

The data to be backed up. It is typically stored on servers, virtual machines (VMs), or ECS instances.

Client

A client is installed on a server or VM that can access the backup source. You can use clients to perform backup and restore operations. Different backup source systems and platforms require different clients.

Clients support scheduled retries and other mechanisms to ensure backup stability, so backups can still complete during brief network jitter.

Region

A region is a physical data center of Alibaba Cloud. After a resource is created, you cannot change its region. For the regions supported byCloud Backup, see Supported regions.

Backup

UseCloud Backup to create backup copies of ECS instances, ECS databases, Object Storage Service (OSS) buckets, File Storage NAS file systems, Tablestore tables, ECS files, on-premises server files, and on-premises databases, and store the copies in the cloud backup vaults ofCloud Backup. When you need to restore data, restore it from the cloud backup vault to the backup source.

Full backup

A backup method that backs up all data in a specified dataset. A full backup reads all data in the dataset and stores a complete copy. It takes longer and consumes more storage space (storage consumption is manageable in backup services that support deduplication), but recovery is faster because the backup contains the complete dataset.

Incremental backup

A backup method that identifies and backs up the data in a specified dataset that has changed since the last backup. Changes include additions, modifications, and deletions. Incremental backups generally take less time and are more efficient than full backups, but recovery is slower because the backup chain must be traced back to locate the corresponding files.

Incremental-forever backup

A backup method that combines the integrity and recovery efficiency of full backups with the backup efficiency of incremental backups. Typically, a full backup is performed only in the first round, and subsequent rounds use incremental backups. After each incremental backup, the backup service merges the previous backup copy with the current incremental backup data into a full copy in the background to ensure recovery speed. Cloud Backup uses this method for on-premises file backup, NAS backup, OSS backup, and ECS instance backup (snapshot-based).

Restore

Restores original data by reading the specified backup version and its data (for example, a specific folder) from the backup vault, decrypting and decompressing the data, and writing the original data back to the specified system.

Archive

UseCloud Backup to archive data from on-premises NAS file systems, HDFS file systems, and S3-compatible storage to archive vaults on the cloud based on policies. You can graphically analyze, search, and archive large volumes of data, and retrieve the data when needed.

Retrieve

After on-premises data is archived to the cloud, you can retrieve files from the archive vault or cold archive vault based on your business needs. You can retrieve files to the original path or a specified path.

Backup vaults and archive vaults

Storage repositories used during backup or archiving. For more information about backup vaults and archive vaults, see Storage vault types.

Replication target vault

Used for same-account cross-region backup or cross-account vault replication. A replication target vault stores backup data replicated from the source backup vault.

Backup policy

A backup policy defines how backups are performed. It includes parameters such as the first execution time, backup interval, and retention period. A backup policy is independent of backup sources or data sources and can be applied to different backup sources or data sources to generate backup plans. When a backup plan runs, it performs backups based on the settings in the associated backup policy.

First execution time

Configured in a backup policy. This is the start time for running backup jobs.

Backup interval

The interval at which backups are performed, such as daily, weekly, or monthly.

Incremental backup interval

The interval at which incremental backups are performed, such as daily, weekly, or monthly. Only Tablestore requires a separate setting.

Retention period

The duration for which data is retained in a backup vault. The period starts when a backup is completed. After the retention period expires, the backup data is automatically deleted.

Special retention period

Special retention periods are separate retention periods set in a backup policy for the first backup of each week, month, and year. This implements sparse backups, which reduces the number of backup copies and lowers costs while meeting data security and compliance requirements.

Keep at least one backup

After you enable this option in a backup policy, the latest backup version generated by backup plans associated with the policy is not deleted when its retention period expires or due to accidental operations. This prevents the risk of no backup version being available for recovery due to improper backup plan settings or other reasons.

Automatic archiving

If backup data must be retained for a long time but is rarely used, you can use the Automatic archiving feature to move recovery points from the standard tier to the archive tier, reducing data protection costs.

KMS encryption for backup vaults

Cloud Backup provides KMS-based encryption. KMS encryption allows you to manage your own encryption keys. With Alibaba Cloud KMS, you can encrypt backup vaults to prevent malicious data theft and unauthorized backup and restore operations, meeting security and compliance requirements.

Cross-region backup

Replicates backup data to another region in the same account to achieve multiple redundancy for backup data, or to restore data in another region to meet business or compliance requirements.

For more information about cross-region backup, see Cross-region backup.

Cross-region replication for ECS instance backups

In ECS instance backup scenarios, backup data is not stored in Cloud Backup vaults but in snapshots in your account. To implement cross-region backup for ECS instance backups, Cloud Backup uses snapshot replication to directly replicate the snapshots related to ECS instance backups to the destination region. You can also view the ECS instance backup points in the destination region in Cloud Backup and use these backup points for remote restoration and other operations.

Immutable backup

Immutable backup is configured at the backup vault level. Backup data in a vault with immutable backup enabled cannot be deleted or modified before the specified retention period expires. The backup data can be written only once and read multiple times, which is known as WORM (write-once, read-many). This prevents backup data from being accidentally deleted or attacked by ransomware and provides additional protection for backup data.

Backup point virus scanning

Performs virus scanning on backup points. Two methods are supported: automatic scanning based on backup policies and on-demand manual scanning. After scanning, risky backup points or files are marked.

Tag-based backup

Configure backup source tag associations in a backup policy. In each backup cycle, Cloud Backup automatically finds data sources that match the tag settings and backs them up. This way, you can automatically add or remove the data to be backed up, reducing O&M workload.

Tag association takes effect across accounts. You can specify the account to which associated data sources belong.

Backup plan

By associating a backup policy with a specific backup source, Cloud Backup generates a backup plan for that backup source. The backup plan uses the settings in the backup policy to periodically back up data.

Backup job

A backup plan runs on a schedule based on the configuration in the backup policy. Each backup run generates a backup job.

Restore job

Restores data from a backup vault to the backup source or another destination. Parameters include the restore item, restore destination, and restore path.

Centralized cross-account backup

Cloud Backup supports data source backup and restore across Alibaba Cloud accounts, which is commonly used for centralized configuration and management of backups for enterprises with multiple branches. For example, an enterprise has two independent Alibaba Cloud accounts, Account A and Account B, and wants to use Account A to back up and restore the data sources of Account B.

For more information about centralized backup across Alibaba Cloud accounts, see Cross-account backup.

Cross-account vault replication

After the destination account shares the replication target vault with the source account, the source account can select the shared replication target vault when configuring vault replication for a backup vault. The data in the backup vault of the source account is automatically replicated to the replication target vault under the destination account, which implements cross-account vault replication.

For more information about cross-account vault replication, see Cross-account vault replication.