Configuring instance backup options

Before you start protecting instances, you can adjust instance protection to the needs of your data protection environment by configuring backup options.

Backup option	Description
Running pre/post scripts	You can use the pre-snapshot and post-snapshot scripts to perform necessary actions before and after the snapshot of an instance is created. For example, if the instance hosts a database management system, you may want to put the database offline before the snapshot is created to ensure an application-consistent backup and bring the database back online when the snapshot creation completes.
Excluding volumes from the backup	You can specify any volume to be excluded from the instance backup.
Allowing the restore of individual files	You can allow the restore of individual files if your data protection needs require that only individual files are restored, and not the entire instance. As an alternative to allowing the restore of individual files by using the Configuration option described in this procedure, you can also tag an instance in AWS, and by doing so, instruct HYCU for AWS to allow it automatically. For details, see “Allowing the restore of files by tagging the instance in AWS”.

Backup option

Description

Running pre/post scripts

You can use the pre-snapshot and post-snapshot scripts to perform necessary actions before and after the snapshot of an instance is created. For example, if the instance hosts a database management system, you may want to put the database offline before the snapshot is created to ensure an application-consistent backup and bring the database back online when the snapshot creation completes.

Excluding volumes from the backup

You can specify any volume to be excluded from the instance backup.

Allowing the restore of individual files

You can allow the restore of individual files if your data protection needs require that only individual files are restored, and not the entire instance.

As an alternative to allowing the restore of individual files by using the Configuration option described in this procedure, you can also tag an instance in AWS, and by doing so, instruct HYCU for AWS to allow it automatically. For details, see “Allowing the restore of files by tagging the instance in AWS”.

Prerequisites

Only if you plan to use pre-snapshot and post-snapshot scripts.

Access to the instance file system must be enabled. For instructions, see “Enabling access to data”.
A script must be available in an accessible folder.
The user account must have permissions to run a script on the instance with the assigned credentials.

Considerations

Only if you plan to use pre-snapshot and post-snapshot scripts. The scripts are run from the home directory of the user account that HYCU for AWS uses for running the scripts.

The following account is used: the user account that is assigned to the instance in HYCU for AWS through a credential group.
Only if you plan to exclude the boot volume from the backup. When restoring the instance whose boot volume was excluded from the backup, the Restore Instance and Clone Instance options are not available.

Procedure

In the Instances panel, select the instance for which you want to configure backup options.

t Tip To configure the same backup options for multiple instances at once, select the preferred instances.

Keep in mind that you cannot configure volume exclusion from backup for multiple instances at the same time. You can edit other backup options only if they currently have the same settings for all selected instances.
Click  Configuration. The Instance Configuration dialog box opens.
Depending on what you want to do, perform the required action:
- Run the pre-snapshot and post-snapshot scripts:
  
  On the Pre/post scripts tab, do the following:
  - In the Pre‑snapshot script field, enter the script that HYCU for AWS runs before it creates a snapshot of the instance. The following are examples of the scripts:
    - GNU/Linux: bash /home/<UserName>/freeze_db.sh
    - Microsoft Windows: %USERPROFILE%\quiesce_db.bat
  - In the Post‑snapshot script field, enter the script that HYCU for AWS runs after it creates a snapshot of the instance. The following are examples of the scripts:
    - GNU/Linux: bash /home/<UserName>/thaw_db.sh
    - Microsoft Windows: %USERPROFILE%\resume_db.bat
- Exclude volumes from the backup:
  
  On the Exclude from backup tab, select the volumes that you want to exclude from the backup.
- Allow the restore of individual files or folders:
  
  On the Restore individual files tab, enable the Enable restore of individual files switch.
Click Save.

Allowing the restore of files by tagging the instance in AWS

As an alternative to allowing the restore of individual instance files in HYCU for AWS, you can add the hycu-enable-flr tag as the label or the custom tag to the instance in AWS, and by doing so, instruct HYCU for AWS to allow it automatically.

Procedure

In AWS, use the following name/value pair for the instance:

Name	Value
`hycu-enable-flr`	True^a

^a By setting the value to False, you disallow the restore of individual files for the specific instance.

If the instance has credentials assigned, HYCU for AWS automatically allows the restore of its individual files. Otherwise, you must assign the credentials to the instance. For details on how to do this, see “Enabling access to data”.