Configuring Backups to and from S3

Vertica supports backing up to S3-compatible storage either in the cloud (AWS S3) or on-premises (Pure Storage FlashBlades, Minio, etc.) in both Enterprise Mode and Eon Mode. To back up to S3, you add parameters to your backup configuration file. You can create these backups from your local cluster or from Amazon EC2 virtual servers. Some additional configuration is required.

See Additional Considerations for AWS for information about configuring authentication and encryption on AWS.

Creating an S3 Configuration File (Required for All Database Types)

To back up any cluster to an S3 destination, you must add an [S3] section to your backup configuration file. This section describes the backup location. For more information, refer to [S3]. Vertica also provides a sample S3 configuration file that you can copy and edit.

For databases running on-premises, see the additional requirements in the next section.

Backing Up an On-Premises Database

You can back up an Enterprise Mode or Eon Mode database that is running on-premises to either AWS or another destination that supports the S3 protocol. You must specify the following in environment variables:

Enterprise and Eon Mode:

Eon Mode only:

For on-premises databases you must specify your credentials with these environment variables. You cannot use other methods of credentialing with cross-endpoint backups.

The following is a summary of the environment variables:

# Eon Mode only:		
$ export VBR_COMMUNAL_STORAGE_ENDPOINT_URL=communal_storage_endpoint

# Eon Mode only:
$ export VBR_COMMUNAL_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY_ID=communal_storage_access_key

# Eon Mode only:
$ export VBR_COMMUNAL_STORAGE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=communal_storage_secret_key

# For backups to on-premises S3 destinations only:		
$ export VBR_BACKUP_STORAGE_ENDPOINT_URL=backup_storage_endpoint_not_AWS

$ export VBR_BACKUP_STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY_ID=backup_storage_access_key

$ export VBR_BACKUP_STORAGE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=backup_storage_secret_key