Backing up the cloud services configuration

It is critical that the cloud services configuration data that is stored in the CCR is always backed up.

To back up the configuration data, issue a command according to the following syntax:
mmcloudgateway service backupConfig --backup-file <name of the file including the path>
The following files are backed up from the CCR:
  • mmcloudgateway.conf
  • _tctkeystore.jceks
  • _nodegroup1.settings
  • _nodegroup2.settings
Note: Files that are collected as part of backup are settings file for each node group.
You can specify a path along with the file name. If the path does not exist, then the command creates the path. The backed-up files are stored in a tar file, which is saved under the specified folder. If the path is not specified, then the tar file is stored in the local directory.
Refer to the following examples:
  • Issue the following command to back up the configuration data to the file, tct_config_backup under /tmp/mydir/, where the folder does not exist:
    mmcloudgateway service backupconfig --backup-file /tmp/mydir/tct_config_backup
    The system displays output similar to this:
    
mmcloudgateway: Directory '/tmp/mydir' does not exist.  Creating it.
mmcloudgateway: Starting backup

  Backup Config Files:
    [mmcloudgateway.conf  -  Retrieved]
    [_tctkeystore.jceks   -  Not Found]
    [_cloudnodeclass.settings  -  Retrieved]
    [_cloudnodeclass1.settings  -  Retrieved]

mmcloudgateway: Creating the backup tar file...
mmcloudgateway: Backup tar file complete.  The file is '/tmp/mydir/tct_config_backup_20170915_085741.tar
mmcloudgateway: The backup file should be archived in a safe location.
mmcloudgateway: Command completed.
  • Issue the following command to back up the configuration data to the file, tct_config_backup, under /tmp/mydir/, where the folder does exist:
    mmcloudgateway service backupconfig --backup-file  /tmp/mydir/tct_config_backup
    The system displays output similar to this:
    
mmcloudgateway: Starting backup

  Backup Config Files:
    [mmcloudgateway.conf  -  Retrieved]
    [_tctkeystore.jceks   -  Not Found]
    [_cloudnodeclass.settings  -  Retrieved]
    [_cloudnodeclass1.settings  -  Retrieved]

mmcloudgateway: Creating the backup tar file...
mmcloudgateway: Backup tar file complete.  The file is '/tmp/mydir/tct_config_backup_20170915_085741.tar
mmcloudgateway: The backup file should be archived in a safe location.
mmcloudgateway: Command completed.
In these examples, tct_config_backup is the name that is given to the tar file. The file name is appended with the date and time when the command is run. The format is filename_yyyymmdd_hhmmss.tar. By doing so, the file names are not overwritten even if an administrator runs this command multiple times, providing the same file name.
Note: It is a best practice to save the backup file in a safe location outside the cluster to ensure that the backup file can be retrieved even if the cluster goes down. For example, when you use encryption no copy of the key library is made to cloud storage by transparent cloud tiering. Therefore, if there is a disaster in which a cluster is destroyed, you must make sure that the key library is safely stored on a remote cluster. Otherwise, you cannot restore the transparent cloud tiering service for files that are encrypted on the cloud because the key to decrypt the data in the cloud is no longer available.

A good way to back up the cloud services configuration is as a part of the SOBAR based backup and restore script that is included. For more information, see Scale out backup and restore (SOBAR) for cloud services.