How do you backup and restore thin and thick provisioned storage data?

1 Backup methods

Backing up thin and thick provisioned storage data can be done in a number of ways, depending on the level of granularity, performance, and efficiency needed. A snapshot is a point-in-time copy of the data that can be used for quick recovery or cloning; it can be taken at the storage array, hypervisor, or application level and is usually fast and space-efficient. An image is a full copy of the data that can be used for restoring the entire system or disk; it can be taken at the physical or logical level, and can be incremental or differential. Lastly, a file backup is a selective copy of the data that can be used for restoring individual files or folders; it can be taken at the operating system level or application level, and can be full or incremental. File backups are more flexible and granular than snapshots or images, but may not capture metadata or permissions of the data.

2 Restore methods

Data restoration for thin and thick provisioned storage can take many forms, depending on the type of backup, the target location, and the recovery objective. For instance, restoring from a snapshot is often fast and simple, but may not be effective if the snapshot is corrupted or outdated. Alternatively, restoring from an image is more reliable and comprehensive than a snapshot but can take longer and require more space. Finally, restoring from a file backup is more flexible and granular than other methods but may require more steps and configurations.

3 Thin vs thick provisioning

When deciding between thin or thick provisioning for your storage data, there are several factors to consider. Thin provisioning is more space efficient, as it only allocates the amount of data written, while thick provisioning allots the entire capacity upfront, potentially wasting space. Performance-wise, thick provisioning is better as it eliminates the need to allocate space on demand, while thin provisioning introduces overhead and latency. In terms of consistency, thin provisioning provides better results by capturing only the changes in the data, whereas thick provisioning captures all data regardless of changes. It is important to note that thin provisioning requires less backup frequency and retention, but you must make sure that the backup tool supports thin provisioning and does not inflate the data size or lose the thin attributes.

4 Backup tools

When choosing a backup tool, it is essential to consider compatibility, functionality, and scalability. The tool should be compatible with the storage type, format, protocol, and vendor, as well as the hypervisor, operating system, and application. It should also provide the desired functionality such as compression, deduplication, encryption, verification, scheduling, reporting, alerting and automation. Additionally, the tool should be able to scale with storage data size and complexity; it should also be able to handle multiple backups and restores simultaneously and efficiently.

5 Restore best practices

When restoring thin and thick provisioned storage data, there are certain best practices to keep in mind. It’s important to plan ahead and have a documented backup and restore plan that outlines the strategy, policy, schedule, and location. You should also verify the integrity and validity of the backup data before restoring it, as well as verify the compatibility and availability of the restore target. Additionally, you should restore selectively by choosing the appropriate backup method, level, and date, as well as the restore method, location, and objective. Be sure to follow the restore instructions, steps, and configurations when restoring data, while monitoring the progress, status, and results.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?