Video Tutorial
Understanding Data Protection Options
Snapshots and Backups provide different methods of protecting your data, each with specific purposes and benefits. They can be accessed from the My Files section in the sidebar menu.
a. What are Snapshots?
Point-in-time copies of your VMs or Volumes
Stored within the primary infrastructure for quick operations
Perfect for quick rollbacks or creating templates (Images)
Can snapshot OS volumes and data volumes separately
Snapshots are persistent and remain until you delete them
b. What are Backups?
Designed for scheduled data protection and longer-term retention
Can be created instantly or scheduled (daily/weekly)
Allow for complete restoration of your data
Ideal for disaster recovery and data protection strategies
Configurable retention periods (10-100 days/weeks)
Creating Your First Snapshot
Navigate: Log in to your Raff application and go to the My Files section in the sidebar menu.
Select Tab: Click on the Snapshots tab.
Initiate Creation: Click the Create Snapshot button.
Configuration: Fill in the details for your new snapshot:
Select Type: Choose between Volumes or Virtual Machines
Select Resource: Choose the specific VM or Volume you want to snapshot
Name: Give your snapshot a descriptive name that helps you identify it later (identical names to resources can be helpful for recognition)
Create: Review your settings and click Create Snapshot.
Managing Snapshots: Once created, your snapshots will appear in the list:
Expand a resource to see all associated snapshots
Click the three dots (⋮) next to any snapshot for additional options:
Restore: Roll back to this snapshot
Delete: Remove the snapshot
Rename: Change the snapshot name
Creating Backups
Raff Technologies offers two backup methods: Instant and Scheduled.
Instant Backups
Navigate: Go to the My Files section and select the Backups tab.
Initiate Creation: Click the Instant Backup button.
Configuration:
Select Virtual Machines: Choose the VMs you want to back up
Name: Provide a descriptive name for your backup
Create: Click Create Backup to start the process immediately. It will take 5-10 minutes to complete.
Scheduled Backups
Navigate: Go to the My Files section and select the Backups tab.
Initiate Schedule: Click the Schedule Backup button.
Configuration: Fill in the details for your backup schedule:
Select Virtual Machines: Choose the VMs you want to include in this schedule
Schedule Name: Give your schedule a descriptive name
Frequency: Select either Daily or Weekly
Time Window: Choose a 4-hour window when backups should occur
Retention Period: Specify how many backups to keep (10-100 days or weeks)
For example, if you select 10 days retention with daily backups, the 11th backup will replace the oldest one
Maximum retention is 100 days (daily) or 100 weeks (weekly)
Create Schedule: Review your settings and click Create Schedule.
Managing Backups
Your backups will be listed in the Backups tab where you can:
View backup status and details
Restore backups when needed
Delete outdated backups
Modify backup schedule
Best Practices
Use snapshots for short-term needs like before making major changes
Implement scheduled backups for long-term data protection
Create descriptive names that include the date or purpose
Regularly review and clean up old snapshots to optimize storage
Test restoration procedures periodically to ensure they work as expected
Snapshots and Backups are found under the My Files section in the sidebar menu, organized into Snapshot, Backups, and Image tabs. They are crucial for protecting your data.