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NetApp Cloud backup is the preferred backup solution for customers to protect their ONTAP systems deployed across multiple cloud environments. NetApp Cloud Backup now supports a Google-like search and restore feature for customers to search through all available backups for a specific file and then restore it.
In this blog we will explore this feature in detail, how it works and its features in detail. Use the links below to jump directly to the sections on:
- Indexed Catalog: Google-Like Search and Restore in Netapp Cloud Backup
- The First Cloud-Native Indexed Catalog
- Indexed Catalog in Action
- Conclusion
Indexed Catalog: Google-Like Search and Restore in Netapp Cloud Backup
NetApp Cloud Backup already has a “browse and restore” feature, where customers can browse the backup data and then decide which file to restore. Now with the new “Search and Restore” feature, customers can search file metadata for details such as file names, partial file names, file paths, creation dates, sizes, edit dates, and more to pinpoint and restore required files.
This makes it easier to find and restore specific files from multiple available backups. This capability is extremely relevant when it comes to long-term archives, because you typically won’t remember which files will need to be restored without a search.
Let’s look at some of the features of Cloud Backup search and restore capability:
- Convenient: It provides an option to perform Google-like search across all backups created by Cloud Backup, with browsable results to find the right file to restore.
- Flexible: Customers can search using any available information about the file—file name, type, working environment, volume, size, metadata attributes, etc.
- Optimized: The search function is built on cloud-native technologies (see more below) and is fast, lean and cost effective
- Granular: Different levels of granularities are available—search and restore can be done at volume level or for single files.
- Hybrid: Restores can be done to the source or to an alternate ONTAP cluster deployed in the cloud or on-premises. It can handle both on-premises ONTAP as well as cloud backups.
- Versatile: It is designed to handle newly created/deleted/renamed files as well as directories.
- Simple: The search and restore feature works with existing configurations and doesn’t require an additional cloud restore instance.
The First Cloud-Native Indexed Catalog
The Cloud Backup search and restore feature uses a combination of NetApp technologies including ONTAP Snapdiff v3 SDK with full file system representation and cloud-native services. The cloud native services such as AWS Athena, Azure Synapse, GCP Bigquery used to build this service make it optimized for operating in the cloud. It is a one-of-a-kind indexing service with no external components being plugged into it.
Developing an indexed catalog service is an effort intensive endeavor. With Cloud Backup’s indexed catalog service being delivered out of the box, organizations can use it from day one and eliminate all the development and testing efforts required in building one from scratch. Plus, there’s no management overhead involved, which is unique, as there are no dedicated servers used in the backend to deliver the service that would add to its cost and complexity.
If a similar capability was to be delivered on-premises it often involves a complex indexing appliance that has to be maintained by storage admins in addition to the efforts involved in developing the solution. SaaS-based indexing solutions can eliminate the management overhead, but require data to be moved from the customer environment to a third party environment for indexing. When that happens, users lose full control over their data and that impacts data security. Both on-premises and SaaS solutions might address indexing requirements, but the solutioning approach is inefficient and expensive.
What makes Cloud Backup’s indexed catalog on the other hand is deployed within the cloud environment and is fully managed, controlled, and secured in house. It never leaves the customer environment, unlike other SaaS-based index catalog solutions. And there are no additional expensive components required, as cloud native services are leveraged in a pay-as-you-go manner.
Cloud native services also enhance the efficiency of the process. For example, AWS Athena is used to search through the indexed data in S3 storage and delivers a faster and more efficient search and restore experience. Security is assured as the data does not leave the customer environment for indexing. Thus, the indexed catalog service is cheaper and more effective than similar third-party or homegrown solutions.
Watch the Indexed Catalog in Action
The search and restore functionality can be centrally managed from the Cloud Manager control plane. It provides centralized visibility of all the working environments and can be used as a single pane of glass to view and manage search-and-restore related operations.
Files that you want to restore can be located by utilizing the search function. You can search for files and then choose which you want to be restored from the restore tab for backup and restore.
Watch the full demo of Cloud Backup’s search and restore capability here.
Conclusion
For storage admins, browsing through all available backups to restore a single file may not work well in all scenarios, especially if the data and backup estate is very large. There’s now an easier way to search through and restore from their backup data.
NetApp Cloud Backup’s new Google-like search and restore functionality via the indexed catalog eases this very common challenge. Built on trusted NetApp and native cloud technologies, Cloud Backup’s search and restore function delivers the highest level of efficiency and convenience.
There’s a lot more to find out about Cloud Backup and how it can make storage admin’s jobs easier, including its dark site deployment option and end-to-end security features.
