HP Insight Control Server Provisioning 7.3 Update 1 Administrator Guide

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 does not back upWhat the backup process backs up
• 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
• IC server provisioning database
• System files:
◦ Non-database data
• Log files (except the Audit log file)
◦ Audit log
• Appliance network configuration
• First-time setup configuration files
◦ License files
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 virtual
machine image.
You can use the UI to create a backup file. For more information, see the online help
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.
Best practices for backing up an appliance
DescriptionMethod
Always use the Insight Control server provisioning backup feature to back up your appliance.Creating
CAUTION: Do not use any hypervisor-provided capabilities to back up Insight Control server
provisioning appliances. Also, do not use any hypervisor-provided capabilities for live snapshots
(also called online snapshots). Using these capabilities can cause synchronization errors and result
in unpredictable and unwanted behavior.
HP recommends performing regular backups, preferably daily, and especially after adding hardware,
changing the appliance configuration, and before and after updating the appliance firmware.
Frequency
Although you can take a backup while the appliance is running normally, it is better to take a
backup when the appliance is not performing any tasks.
The backup file format is proprietary, however, HP recommends that after you create and download
the backup file you encrypt, and then safely store the backup file to protect your sensitive data.
Archiving
HP recommends using an enterprise backup product such as HP Data Protector to archive backup
files. For information on HP Data Protector, see the following website:
http://www.hp.com/go/dataprotector
HP provides REST APIs for integration with enterprise backup products.
Backup REST API overview
IC server provisioning provides REST APIs and sample scripts for use in creating and downloading
an appliance backup .
46 Backing up and restoring your appliance