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Protect your virtual machines by using Azure Backup | AZ-104 | Episode 26

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Overview of VM backup concepts

  1. The session introduces ways to back up and recover Azure virtual machine workloads and operating systems.
  2. Virtual machine data is stored durably in VHD files, and backups can capture this file-based state for recovery.
  3. Snapshots provide a point-in-time capture of disk state so a VM can be restored to that moment.
  4. Volume Shadow Copy Services helps create consistent point-in-time copies, including files that may otherwise be locked while in use.

Backup and recovery options

  1. VM snapshots are built-in and provide file-consistent or crash-consistent recovery, but may not capture all in-memory or application state.
  2. Azure Backup provides application-consistent backups and can handle pending or incomplete writes for better recovery consistency.
  3. Azure Site Recovery is intended for business continuity and disaster recovery by replicating data and infrastructure to another site or region.
  4. ASR uses delta replication at configurable intervals, such as seconds or minutes, depending on business tolerance for data loss.

Recovery Services Vault and agents

  1. Recovery Services Vault supports Azure workloads and on-premises workloads through agents or backup servers.
  2. A backup agent can be installed on a virtual or physical server to back up data directly into the vault.
  3. A backup server can aggregate local backups, store cached copies temporarily, and then send them to the Azure vault.
  4. Backup agents support operating system backup and restore, while backup servers can support bare metal recovery.

Azure portal demonstration

  1. The demo shows VM backup and disaster recovery options from the virtual machine blade in the Azure portal.
  2. Traditional backup requires a Recovery Services Vault, either newly created or already available.
  3. Backup policy settings control retention range, dates, frequency, infrastructure type, and selected disks.
  4. Disaster recovery uses Azure Site Recovery to replicate infrastructure to another region, though the demo does not walk through the full ASR setup.
  5. Restore points are shown as point-in-time snapshots that can be crash-consistent or application-consistent.
  6. Crash-consistent restore points capture what has already been written to disk, while app-consistent restore points complete pending writes before capture.

Azure Site Recovery behavior

  1. ASR can replicate environments from region to region or from on-premises infrastructure to an Azure region.
  2. A replicated environment can include VMs, network layers, disks, and databases from a production deployment.
  3. ASR typically replicates changed data rather than repeatedly copying unchanged operating system data.
  4. During failover, monitoring detects site failure, powers on replica resources, attaches current replicated data, and reroutes traffic to the recovery site.

Closing summary

  1. Azure provides multiple VM protection options: snapshots, traditional backups, application-consistent or crash-consistent recovery, and ASR infrastructure replication.
  2. Organizations should choose one option or a combination based on business continuity and disaster recovery needs.

Actiepunten

  1. Create a Recovery Services Vault before configuring VM backup.
  2. Choose the workload type and define the backup type in the Azure portal.
  3. Use either the backup agent or backup server to back up the virtual machine to the selected location.
  4. Select a restore point name, restore point collection, region, consistency type, and disks, then review and create the restore point.
  5. Continue learning by watching other course videos or exploring Microsoft Learn.