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Today I had a discussion that touched on cloud storage and backing up to the cloud. I obviously mentioned PHD’s CloudHook product but the conversation also inspired me put up this article on cloud storage!
Getting Started with Cloud Storage
Working with cloud storage is easy, especially when compared to managing tape or removable media. However, it is still new for many, and as with anything new, it can take a little time to get used to its concepts and interfaces.
Believe it or not you really don’t need to do a lot to start backing up to cloud storage with PHD Virtual Backup!
This post is going to cover backing up with three of the major cloud storage providers – Amazon, Rackspace, and Google.
- Creating a Cloud Storage Account
Like many online services, setting up cloud storage consists of an easy and straightforward registration process. You will need to provide a credit card so that your monthly charges can be billed. The trick is finding the right area on the providers’ websites. It is often easier simply to search for the cloud storage product using Google, or another search engine.
Searching for any of the following will help:
Results of these searches will quickly take you to their respective cloud storage landing pages where you can sign up. There is plenty of great information about each provider’s offering on these landing pages, and they will step you through the setup process.
- Cloud Management Console - Buckets and Containers
The provider’s cloud management portal is where you manage your cloud storage. There is very little management needed when it comes to using PHD Virtual Backup because once configured to back up to the cloud, you will generally use the PHD Virtual interface for all management of the backup files. That being said, there are a few quick points that you should be aware of when connecting PHD to the cloud. First, you will need to set up a place to put your backups.
Each provider uses a slightly different concept:
- Amazon uses the Bucket
- Rackspace uses the Container
- Google uses the Bucket within a Project and Project ID - Note: The Google Project ID must be unique among all users.
These objects reflect the locations where the backup files will be written to within your cloud storage account. Multiple PHD VBAs can back up to the same location. PHD allows you to provide your own File Prefix in the storage configuration interface when connecting to your storage account, which is a string added to the beginning of each file stored in the cloud for backups. Using different prefixes from different VBAs allows you to back up to the same bucket or container with multiple VBAs.
However, with Amazon and Google, you can better organize your cloud storage with the use of Folders. You can add a folder for each VBA, which is preferred due to the large number of files that will be stored in the cloud for PHD backups.
- Authentication Credentials
Each provider requires credentials to authenticate into the cloud storage account. The terms used for the credentials are slightly different for each of them:
- Amazon uses Access Key ID and Secret Access Key
- Rackspace uses Username and API Key
- Google uses Developer Access Key and Developer Secret
Locating the credentials is not always easy so you will have to do a bit of digging on whichever site you choose!
- Configuring Cloud Storage in the PHD Virtual Console
Now that you have created your storage location (bucket or container, plus any folders you optionally created) and you have your credentials, you are ready to connect your PHD VBA to your cloud storage account for backups.
Remember when entering backup storage info that the File Prefix is a set of characters that you choose, which will be placed at the beginning of each file written to your cloud storage location. Additionally, you will choose the Encryption Passphrase. This passphrase is a word or string you choose that will be used to secure your backups in-transit over the Internet and at-rest in the cloud.
DO NOT LOSE YOUR PASSPHRASE!!!!
If you ever need to replace a VBA that is backing up to the cloud, the passphrase will be required to access those backups!
Wrap up
Signing up and configuring cloud storage for backup is a straightforward and simple task. There are just a few key steps:
1. Create an account with a cloud storage provider
2. Use the cloud provider web site to create a location (bucket or container)
3. Record your cloud storage credentials
4. Enter the location, credentials, and a prefix and encryption passphrase of your choosing into the PHD Virtual Console
You now have configured powerful, secure, and affordable backup to cloud storage. From there, you will manage both the backup and recovery processes just as you would with local backup storage!!!
Awesome!!! Offsite backup is a lot easier with PHD Virtual Backup!