About backing up the appliance

HPE OneView provides the ability to save your configuration settings and management data to a backup file and enables you to use that backup to restore a corrupted appliance in the event of a catastrophic failure.

The backup process involves creating a backup file and then downloading that file so that you can store it to a safe and secure (off-appliance) location for future use. You can schedule automatic backup operations and designate a remote location for the backup file.

For advice on creating and archiving a backup file, see Best practices for backing up an appliance .

For the procedure on creating a backup file from the UI, see Back up an appliance manually . To configure automatic backups stored remotely, see Configure automatic remote backups.

For a list of remote backup server host key algorithms supported by HPE OneView, see Algorithms, cipher suites and protocols for securing the appliance in the HPE OneView User Guide.

IMPORTANT:

In the unlikely event you need to restore the appliance, Hewlett Packard Enterprise recommends backing up your appliance configuration on a regular basis, preferably daily and especially:

  • After adding hardware

  • After changing the appliance configuration

  • Before and after updating the appliance firmware

  • After performing a factory reset of the frame

Backup files are encrypted with a simple symmetric key cryptography and the key is unique per appliance. This form of encryption helps prevent casual attempts at reading or tampering the backup files. Hewlett Packard Enterprise strongly recommends that you encrypt backup files on the backup server with an encryption key that you generate to ensure confidentiality and the integrity of the backup file.

To prevent a backup file from being overwritten or deleted, download it and save it to an off-appliance location before running the next backup process. The appliance stores one backup file or one support dump file on the appliance at a time. Creating a backup file replaces the current backup file or support dump file. Likewise, creating a support dump file replaces the previous support dump or the backup file.

If you start a backup while a support dump is in progress, the backup operation does not proceed until the support dump operation completes. If you (as the Infrastructure administrator) start a support dump while a backup operation is in progress, you have the option of cancelling the backup and proceeding with the support dump.

HPE OneView provides a Backup administrator user role specifically for backing up the appliance by permitting access to other resource views without permitting actions on those resources, or other tasks. Only the Infrastructure administrator or the Backup administrator can create a backup file, either through the UI or REST APIs.

What the backup process backs up

What the backup process does not back up

  • HPE OneView database

  • System files:

    • Non-database data

    • Audit log

    • License files

  • Non-data files: Static files that are installed as part of the execution environment, and are not specific to the appliance or managed environment configuration

  • Log files (except the Audit log file)

  • Appliance network configuration

  • First-time setup configuration files

  • Firmware bundles

  • Any server settings, such as the following, that HPE OneView has not set:

    • Boot and BIOS configuration settings.

    • SAN and Local storage configurations

    • Network configurations

    Settings such as these are neither validated by nor persisted by HPE OneView

Use a backup file to do the following:

  • Restore the appliance from which the backup file was created.

  • Restore the settings to a different appliance. For example, if an appliance fails and cannot be repaired, you can use a backup file to restore the management configuration settings and management data to a replacement appliance created from the same version of the machine image.

REST APIs let you:

  • Schedule a backup process from outside the appliance.

  • Collect backup files according to your site policies.

  • Integrate with enterprise backup and restore products.

Considerations for a clustered appliance

  • In a clustered appliance, the backup covers both cluster members.

  • In an appliance cluster, you can perform the following:

    • Create a backup file from an appliance cluster and use it to restore an appliance cluster.

    • Create a backup file from a standalone appliance and use it to restore an appliance cluster.

    • Create a backup file from an appliance cluster and use it to restore a standalone appliance.

    However, both the backup appliance and the restored appliance must be the same model and their versions must be compatible.

    See also Appliance panel screen details.

More information