HP Matrix 7.2 KVM Private Cloud Backup and Restore

Triggering a backup of the appliance
Backups are taken and downloaded from the appliance using REST APIs (Appendix E). A sample backup script is
provided in Appendix F.
It is recommended to save the following data before the initial backup and subsequently whenever the appliance
specification (XML) is redefined or the hostname/IP Address of the appliance is changed. This information will be
needed when performing a restore.
1. Save the current appliance specification XML. Log in to the management VM host on which the appliance is
running and enter the command (ISC-VM refers to the domain name of the appliance):
virsh dumpxml ISC-VM > ISC-VM.xml
2. Note the appliance hostname and IP Address.
The backup file name has the format <appliance host name>_backup_<yyyy-mm-dd_hhmmss>.bkp. An
example of a backup file name is myhost_backup_2012-01-01_033000.bkp. In this example, the backup was
taken of an appliance with the host name myhost on January 1, 2012 at 3:30 AM.
After a backup is taken, the backup file must be downloaded from the appliance and stored in a safe place. The
backup file must be downloaded before the next backup is performed. If it is not downloaded, it will be overwritten
by the next backup.
Restore of Matrix KVM Private Cloud
An appliance restore can be triggered using REST APIs (Appendix E). A sample restore script is provided in
Appendix G.
To restore a backup successfully, the appliance must be running a version of the software that is compatible with the
backup. Versions are compatible if the first two components of the version number are the same. During a restore, the
appliance software reconciles the data in the backup with the current state of the managed environment. If there are
any discrepancies that the restore cannot resolve automatically, they are presented as alerts and audit messages after
the restore completes. These need to be resolved manually by the appliance administrator.
Warning
Restoring a backup replaces all management data and most configuration settings
on the appliance. The appliance is not operational during a restore. It can take
several hours to perform a restore. A restore cannot be cancelled or undone once it
has started. If a non-recoverable error occurs during a restore, the appliance is
automatically reset to factory default state. Restore should be used only to recover
from catastrophic failures. It should not be used for minor problems that can be
resolved in other ways.
Note
On restore, all partially completed activities will be cancelled. Any new resources
created after the time of backup will not be managed. Restore will only retain the
managed resources that are existing or active both at the time of backup and at the
time of restore.
Before Restore
• If you are performing a restore on a new appliance, the new appliance should have completed the “First time
Setup”. The appliance should be created using the same appliance specification XML, and should have the same
hostname and IP Address as that of the original appliance from which the backup was downloaded.
• Stop all automatically scheduled backups before starting a restore. After the restore completes, restart the
automatically scheduled backups.
• Before starting a restore, you may want to download a support dump. The support dump can be used to
diagnose failures that happened before the restore.
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