Hornetsecurity VM Backup is a powerful, easy-to-use backup software from Hornetsecurity that focuses on safeguarding data against threats like ransomware, hardware failure, and human error.
Impossible Cloud Storage is integrated with Hornetsecurity VM Backup. Through this integration, Hornetsecurity users can set up an offsite location to Impossible Cloud Storage. This article will describe how to add Impossible Cloud Storage as an offsite backup location in Hornetsecurity VM Backup with immutable feature enabled/disabled.
Prerequisites
- You are using the VM Backup version 9.13.3.0 or later and running the Unlimited Plus Edition to make use of this feature.
- You have set up at least one host on Hornetsecurity VM Backup using a user with the necessary permissions to perform backup operations.
- You have set up at least one onsite backup location.
- You have an active Impossible Cloud Storage Account.
Step 1: Create a bucket in Impossible Cloud Storage Console
To prepare the backup destination, you will need to create a bucket in your Impossible Cloud Storage console.
To use the immutability feature in Hornetsecurity VM Backup, you need to enable versioning and object lock when creating the bucket and keep the bucket retention disabled.
Here is a link to the Impossible Cloud Storage documentation, which includes detailed instructions and screenshots for creating a bucket with versioning and object lock.
Step 2: Generate an Access Key and Secret Key
You will require a valid access and secret key giving the access to the bucket you configured. You can generate a new key from the Impossible Cloud Storage console. Keep the access key and secret key for the next step.
Refer to our guide for more detailed information.
If you are using an IAM user, ensure that user has appropriate set of permissions for the bucket you are going to use.
Step 3: Configure Impossible Cloud Storage as an Offsite Backup Location in VM Backup
Open the Hornetsecurity VM Backup management console and go to Setup > Backup Locations Click Add Offsite Location on the top-right corner.
Select Cloud Backup to Impossible Cloud Storage Account and click Next.
Pick the Region where you created the bucket on step 1 and enter the Access Key and Secret Access Key along with the Bucket Name.
To Enable the Immutable backups for Impossible Cloud, simply turn on the switch in the configuration. You will asked to set how long do you want to make the backup immutable. Ensure that the bucket you use has versioning and object lock enabled.
Important Information about Immutable Backup Locations in Hornetsecurity VM Backup:
-
All VMs assigned to offsite location will be automatically configured to a retention policy that matches the immutable policy you configured for VM backup versions.
-
Backups taken on immutable locations cannot be deleted for the duration of the immutable policy.
-
Backing up to an immutable location will incur increased transaction costs.
-
Once immutable backups are enabled on a location you will not be able to change or disable the option at a later stage.
It is a good practice to always Test Connection before finishing the set up. This way, Hornetsecurity VM Backup will run checks to ensure that the bucket exists and everything is correctly configured.
Step 4: Configure the Backup
Configuring the backup for VM in Hornetsecurity is done easily using drag-and-drop.
Before backing up to an offsite location, a primary local backup must be set up.
For a complete guide on how to set up a backup in Hornetsecurity VM Backup, check out the following documentations from Hornetsecurity: