Import persistent disk snapshot images

The persistent disk (PD) volume disk snapshots created by the snapshot job are stored in Google Cloud. These backup images do not have any dependencies on the backup/recovery appliance. During the snapshot job, the appliance uploads metadata to an OnVault pool. If the appliance that created the snaps was lost or unavailable, you can recover using a different appliance, using the metadata stored in the OnVault pool.

To accomplish this, the management console user interface supports the import of persistent disk snapshot images between managed appliances using an OnVault pool.

Import with ownership

While importing the images, there is an option to take ownership. Selecting this option causes ownership to be transferred to the appliance to which the metadata is imported. Ownership gives full control over images, including the ability to expire them. This should only be specified if the original appliance has been permanently lost, and you wish for the new appliance to take over responsibility for backup expiration. Selecting Take ownership when the original appliance is still online results in failed backup jobs.

Persistent disk snapshot images can be imported from the Storage Pool page and from the Applications page.

You can forget imported persistent disk snapshot images if they are no longer needed or if they were imported accidentally. See Forget imported persistent disk snapshot image for details.

Validate the importing appliance

Before you perform an import, you need to know the following:

  • The name of the source appliance that created the Compute Engine instance backups.
  • The OnVault storage pool where the source appliance stored the image metadata.
  • The name of the appliance that imports this metadata.

Validate the appliance performing the import has access to the relevant OnVault pool using the following instructions.

  1. Go to Manage > Storage Pools.
  2. Identify all OnVault pools that are known to the appliance performing the import from the Appliance column.
  3. Validate that the OnVault pool that contains the metadata is listed. Note that if the source and target appliances are both managed by the same management console, then the pool should be listed twice—once for each appliance.

If the storage pool is not listed, you first need to add the pool to the target appliance using the procedure in OnVault pool.

Import persistent disk snapshot images from the storage pool

Use these instructions to import persistent disk snapshot images from storage pool:

  1. Click Manage and select Storage Pools from the drop-down menu.
  2. Right-click the OnVault pool and select Import PD Snapshot Images from the drop-down menu.
  3. Select the appliance that was used to run the backups that you want to access.
  4. Select the desired application—Compute Engine instance—or select to import all applications.

  5. Optionally, select the Take Ownership option. For information on importing with ownership, see Import with ownership.

  6. Click Import and the import operation begins. A message is shown once the operation completes.

    When import is complete the application images are listed in the Access page as remote snapshots.

Import persistent disk snapshot images from the Applications page

Importing images from the App Manager's Application list page has the advantage of allowing you to quickly import images for the currently selected application.

Use these instructions to import persistent disk snapshot images:

  1. Click App Manager and select Applications from the drop-down menu.
  2. Right-click on an application that is protected in an OnVault Pool and select the Import PD Snapshot Images option.
  3. From the Select Target Appliance drop-down menu, select the appliance to which the image to be imported.

  4. Optionally, enable the Take Ownership option. For information on importing with ownership, see Import with ownership.

  5. Click Import and the import operation begins.

    A message is displayed when the operation completes.

Forget imported persistent disk snapshot images

If imported images are no longer needed, you can remove them with the Forget Imported PD Snapshot Images option.

Use these instructions to forget imported persistent disk snapshot images:

  1. Click Manage and select Storage Pools from the drop-down menu.

    The Storage Pools page opens.

  2. Right click the OnVault pool and select Forget Imported PD Snapshot Images from the drop-down menu.

  3. Select the source appliance.

  4. Click Forget. After the operation completes, remote snapshots are removed. They no longer appear in the timeline view. You can monitor the progress of a forget job from the Monitor > Jobs.