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How to configure Impossible Cloud Storage as a datastore in Proxmox Backup Server (PBS)

This article is a step-by-step guide to integrate Impossible Cloud as a S3 compatible datastore in Proxmox Backup Server (PBS).

Prerequisites

  • Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) Version 4.2 or higher.
  • Proxmox Virtual Environment (PVE) Version 8.0 or higher.
  • An active Impossible Cloud Storage account.

Note: We strongly recommend running PBS 4.2 or higher, where the S3 connector exits tech preview and becomes a fully supported backup storage backend. It also introduced an important fix to the S3 client retry mechanism for HTTP 500, 503, and 504 responses (see issue #6858), significantly improving reliability during large backup, sync, and verification jobs. Please refer to the PBS release notes for the latest details on supported features.

Step 1: Create a bucket in the Impossible Cloud Storage Console

To create a bucket in the Impossible Cloud Storage Console, simply navigate to the buckets section and click Add Bucket.

Step 2: Create an access and secret key in the Impossible Cloud Storage Console

Access and secret keys are generated under the keys tab in the Impossible Cloud Storage Console. Remember to always securely store your access and secret key. Please find here detailed instructions on how to create an access and secret key.

Step 3: Add the S3 endpoint in your Proxmox Backup Server (PBS)

  1. Log into your PBS.
  2. Navigate to S3 Endpoints and press Add.
  3. Fill in the following information according to the configuration wizard: 
    1. Specify a S3 endpoint ID (custom name) for the endpoint, e.g. 'ic-endpoint'.
    2. Configure the endpoint exactly like this:

      You can use this endpoint for all buckets and regions, as Proxmox will dynamically read this information from the other configuration fields.
    3. Keep the port as default (443).
    4. Leave path style disabled.
    5. Specify the Impossible Cloud region that you want to use, e.g. eu-central-2. Please find a list of all available regions here.
    6. Fill in the access and secret key that you have previously created in Step 2.
    7. Leave the fingerprint empty as Impossible Cloud is not using self-signed certificates.
    8. Enable Advanced settings and select Skip If-None-Match header under Provider Quirks.
    9. Press OK and finish the endpoint setup.

Step 4:  Add a new S3 datastore in your PBS

You can now add a new Impossible Cloud datastore, following these steps:
  1. Navigate to Datastore and press Add Datastore.
  2. Specify a Name for the new datastore and select S3 as type.
  3. Specify a local backing path as a local persistent cache.
  4. Select the S3 Endpoint ID of the IC endpoint that you configured in Step 3.
  5. Specify the garbage collection (GC) and prune schedule according to your requirements and press Add to complete the setup.

Note: You can find all details on adding datastores with a S3 backend in the official PBS documentation.

Step 5: Configure the new datastore as a storage in your Proxmox Virtual Environment (PVE) and create a new backup plan

As a last step, you need to add the created datastore in your PVE and create a new backup plan using the Impossible Cloud datastore: 

  1. Log into your PVE.
  2. Navigate to Storage, press Add and select Proxmox Backup Server.
  3. Follow the storage configuration wizard to add your PBS instance and select the previously created IC datastore as the Datastore.
  4. Navigate to Backup and create a new backup plan using the Impossible Cloud Storage.

Note: Restores use the local cache whenever possible. In case the cache is missing (e.g., after deletion or on a new PBS server), run the Refresh contents from S3 bucket command on the datastore of your PBS to make the backups available for restore.