Snapshots

In Google Cloud Platform, backups are done using snapshots of persistent disk volumes that are attached to resources like VM instances and GKE hosts. When it comes to VM instances, you run a backup by taking snapshots either manually or by using a scheduler, which is the recommended method.

When you run your first snapshot, GCP will take a full disk backup; however, after the first snapshot, any further backups will only contain the changes that were made to the instance. Using this method, backup size is smaller and so are the costs of running backups and keeping them for a long period of time.

Create Snapshot

Go ahead and create your first snapshot to learn by example and understand how back up and restore works in GCP. In my case, I have a running VM instance of which I will take a snapshot.

Figure 9-1 shows the Snapshots page.

Figure 9-2 shows the Create a Snapshot screen.

After creating the backup, GCP will start the snapshotting process, regardless if the VM is running or not. When the process is complete, you will see the snapshot in the Snapshots page, as shown in Figure 9-3.

If you look at Figure 9-3, my snapshot has completed, and it is 369.86 MB in size.

Create a Snapshot Using Cloud SDK and gcloud

Schedule Snapshots

To schedule the operation of your backup infrastructure in GCP so as to not worry about taking backups, it is smart to automate the entire process. Using a snapshot schedule, you can configure the backup process to take place on specific days and times.

The process to use the snapshot schedule is simple. First, you create a schedule in the Snapshot Schedule console. Second, you configure the VM to use the schedule. Let’s see how this process works.

From the Snapshot Scheduler tab, located in the Snapshots console, click on Create Snapshot Schedule, as shown in Figure 9-4.

When you finish, save the configuration. You can see the Create a Snapshot Schedule page in Figure 9-5.

Attach VM Instance Disk to Snapshot

Now that you have the schedule ready, it is time to associate the schedule with a VM. When you attach a VM to a snapshot schedule, the VM will be backed up in accordance with the schedule.

You attach a schedule to a VM by opening the Disks section located on the left-hand navigation menu of the Compute Engine console, as shown in Figure 9-6. In the Disks section, select the disk that belongs to the VM to which you need to attach a schedule. In my case, the name of the disk is dockerhost.

On the Disk Details page, scroll down and select the snapshot from the Snapshot Schedule drop-down menu, as shown in Figure 9-6.

If you go back to the Snapshot Schedules page, you will see that the schedule is attached or being used by my dockerhost machine, as shown in Figure 9-7.

Create a New Instance from a Snapshot

To create a new VM instance from a disk snapshot, open the Snapshots console and click on the snapshot you would like to spin a VM from. Figure 9-8 shows my snapshots.

On the Snapshot Details page, click on the Create Instance button located on the top menu, as shown in Figure 9-9. Follow the Create Instance wizard to deploy a VM.

In the wizard under Boot Disk, you will notice that the disk will be created from a snapshot, as shown in Figure 9-10.

Replace Boot Disk

The second restore option is handier if you need to restore a running VM instance, because it will replace an existing boot disk or a secondary disk.

Create a New Disk from Snapshot

To use this option, you need to create a new disk first using the following process:

• Open the Disks section from the Compute Engine console and click on Create Disk.

• Name the disk.

• On the Create Disk wizard, in the Source Type section, click on Snapshot and select the snapshot you would like to use.

Figure 9-11 shows the source type options.

Replace Disk of an Existing VM

Now it is time to attach the disk to an existing VM. Do so as follows:

• First, stop the VM and click on it.

• From the VM Details page, click on Edit and scroll down to the Boot Disk section, as shown in Figure 9-12.

• Remove the existing disk using the X sign and click on the Add Item button.

From the Add Item menu, click on the drop-down box under Name and select the disk you created in the previous subsection. In my case, the disk is called disk-1, and it appears in the list, as shown in Figure 9-12.

• When you finish, save the settings and start the VM.

About Cloud Storage

Create Bucket

To create a storage bucket, you need to use the Create Bucket button on the top menu, as shown in Figure 9-17.

On the Create Storage Bucket page, start by giving the bucket a name. You also need to set the bucket location. As previously advised, always place the storage next to your applications for quick access. Figure 9-18 shows the name and region selection.

Set Retention Policy

When it comes to Cloud Storage, backup and restore are different—and I mean completely different, because there is no backup option. Cloud Storage uses retention policies to control data and prevent you from losing your data.

It is very important you understand this point: without using a retention policy, deleted data is gone forever and cannot be restored. The retention policy will keep any deleted data in the storage bucket for the life of the configured retention policy.

For example, if I set a retention policy of two years, deleted data would be kept in the bucket and be visible for two years before being deleted automatically.

Set a retention policy in the Retention Policy section on the Create Bucket setup page. By default, the retention policy is disabled. In my case, I will enable the retention policy with two days of retention just for testing purposes.

Figure 9-19 shows the Retention Policy section.

Add and Delete Files from Cloud Storage

To add files to Cloud Storage, you can use the GUI for GCP API tools by using the following link:

https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/uploading-objects#rest-upload-objects

For the purpose of this demo, we will use the GUI.

Click on the bucket name on the Cloud Storage console and then click on the Upload Files button. You can also upload a folder using the Upload Folder button. In Figure 9-20 you can see that I have uploaded a file.

I will go ahead and delete the file by selecting it and clicking the Delete button that is located on the top menu. Figure 9-21 shows the Delete File menu.

After deleting the file, it will stay visible in the console; however, you will notice that the column of Retention Expiry Date shows the date on which the file will be deleted completely. Figure 9-22 shows the retention expiry date.

Configure or Add Retention Policy

To reconfirm the retention policy or add a retention policy to an existing bucket, click on the bucket name and then click on the Bucket Lock tab, as shown in Figure 9-23. On the Bucket Lock page, you can add, modify, or delete a retention policy.

Create Lifecycle Rules

Using lifecycle rules, you can automate tasks like deleting data from storage buckets. To create a lifecycle policy, on the Bucket page, click on the Bucket Lock option and select the Age option.

In my case, I will use 100 days, as shown in Figure 9-24.

In the Select Action section, there are four options; the first three can move old data to a different tier of storage that costs less. This is very useful if you use Cloud Storage to store data that you do not need very often.

The fourth option is to delete, and in my case, any data that is older than 100 days will get deleted from the bucket.

Figure 9-25 shows the Select Action menu.