Add a backup repository

A backup repository represents a compatible storage location for your backups. A backup repository is also used to store records of backups, backup plans, restore plans, and restores.

This page assumes that you have a compatible endpoint available and that you have created a bucket to use as the backup repository and granted access.

To get the permissions that you need to create a backup repository, ask your Organization IAM Admin to grant you the Organization Backup Admin (organization-backup-admin) role.

Create a repository

Create a repository by using the GDC console or the API.

Console

Sign in to the GDC console.
In the navigation menu, click Backup for Clusters. Ensure no project is selected in the project selector.
Click Create repository.
Enter a repository name. The description is optional.
In the Main cluster (read/write) list, choose a cluster.
In the Linked clusters (read only) list, choose the linked clusters.
In the S3 URI endpoint field, enter an endpoint containing the fully-qualified domain name of your object storage site.
In the Bucket name field, enter the name of the fully qualified name of the bucket, which can be found from the status of the GDC bucket custom resource.
In the Bucket region field, enter the region where the bucket was created.
In the Access Key ID list, enter the access key ID.
In the Access key field, enter the access key.
Click Create.

API

To use the backup and restore APIs, you must configure a valid BackupRepositoryManager custom resource to be the location of your backups, and supply the required credentials.

Fetch the secret generated in Grant and obtain storage bucket access.

Add a BackupRepositoryManager custom resource to use these credentials and apply the new resource to the org admin cluster. Backup repositories are cluster-scoped:

apiVersion: backup.gdc.goog/v1
kind: BackupRepositoryManager
metadata:
  name: backup-repository-object-storage
spec:
  readWriteCluster:
    name: user-1-user
    namespace: user-1-user-cluster
  backupRepositorySpec:
    secretReference:
      namespace: "object-storage-secret-ns"
      name: "object-storage-secret"
    endpoint: "https://objectstorage.google.gdch.test"
    type: "S3"
    s3Options:
      bucket: "fully-qualified-bucket-name"
      region: "us-east-1"
      forcePathStyle: true
    importPolicy: "ReadWrite"

This example includes the following values:

Value	Description
`readWriteCluster`	The cluster where the backup repository is created as `readWrite`.
`readOnlyClusters`	List of clusters where the backup repository is created as `readOnly`.
`secretReference`	A `NamespacedName` referencing the secret that contains access credentials for the `endpoint`.
`endpoint`	The fully-qualified domain name for the storage system.
`type`	The type of backup repository. Only the type of `S3` is supported.
`s3Options`	The configuration for the S3 endpoint. This is required if the `type` is `S3`. `bucket`: the fully qualified name of the bucket, which can be found from the status of the GDC bucket custom resource. `region`: the region of the given endpoint. The region is storage system specific. `forcePathStyle`: this option decides whether to force path style URLs for objects.
`importPolicy`	Set to one of the following: `ReadWrite`: This repository can be used to schedule or create backups, backup plans, and restores. `ReadOnly`: This repository can only be used to import and view backups. No new backups or resources can be created in this repository, but restores can use and reference read-only backups for restoration. There is no restriction on how often a backup repository can be used as `ReadOnly.`

The BackupRepositoryManager propagates the secret into the user cluster and creates a BackupRepository resource in the user cluster.

Deactivate a backup repository

To get the permissions that you need to deactivate a backup repository, ask your Organization IAM Admin to grant you the Organization Backup Admin (organization-backup-admin) role.

Deactivate a backup repository using the GDC console:

Sign in to the GDC console.
In the navigation menu, click Backup for Clusters.
Click the Repos tab.
Click the name of the backup repository that you want to deactivate.
Click the Deactivate Repository button.
Enter the name of the backup repository into the text field.
Click the Deactivate button to confirm the deletion of the backup repository.

Note: After deactivation, you are able to reactivate this backup repository.

Reactivate a backup repository

Reactivate a backup repository using the GDC console:

Sign in to the GDC console.
In the navigation menu, click Backup for Clusters.
Click the Repos tab.
Click the name of the backup repository that you want to reactivate.
Click the Activate Repository button.
From the Main cluster (read/write) dropdown menu, select the cluster that contains the repository you want to reactivate.

Note: You can't select the same cluster that populates the Linked Cluster (read-only) field. This results in an error.
Click the Activate button to confirm the reactivation of the backup repository.

Backup repository import policies

All clusters must have at least one ReadWrite repository to successfully use Backup and Restore features. ReadOnly repositories are optional, have no limit, and are used to gain visibility into other cluster backups for cross-cluster restores.

ReadOnly repositories cannot be used as storage locations for additional backups or for backup plans within the cluster they were imported.

Importing a repository as ReadWrite claims the repository for that cluster, preventing other clusters from importing the same repository as ReadWrite. After importing a ReadWrite repository, all records of previous backups, backup plans, and restores in that repository are imported into the target cluster as local custom resources.

Importing a repository as ReadOnly does not claim the repository, it only imports the backups, backup plans, restores, and restore plans. Backup plans in read-only repositories do not schedule backups, they exist to provide visibility into what backup plans exist in the cluster you are importing from. Removing a ReadOnly repository cleans up any imported resources from the cluster and has no effect on the resources in the storage location as no write operations occur to object storage for read-only repositories.

When a ReadWrite repository is removed from the cluster:

All local custom resources associated with that repository, such as backups and restores, are removed from the current cluster.
That cluster's claim on the repository is removed, allowing the repository to be used as ReadWrite by another cluster. However, these resources are not removed from the storage endpoint.