OpenStack Backups Summary

In OpenStack, backups are crucial for ensuring data integrity and recovering from failures. All Glance snapshots and images are periodically backed up into a tape archive to ensure long-term protection and disaster recovery.

Backups typically involve two key components:

  1. Glance Snapshots (repository of images)

    • Glance snapshots capture the state of a running or stopped instance's root disk.
    • They create an image of the instance’s disk, which can be used to launch new instances or restore the current state.
    • Snapshots are stored in Glance and can be viewed with openstack image list.
    • Keep in mind: If the instance is booted from a volume, the snapshot will be created on the volume only — not in the Glance image repository. However, you will see a snapshot listed in the images repository with a size of 0, which consists only of metadata about block device mappings.
    • When launching a new instance from the snapshot, OpenStack will recreate the original Cinder volumes if they were part of the snapshot.
    • If you want to store the root disk on a volume in the image repository, you need to create a volume from the snapshot and then upload the volume to an image.
    • For detailed info go to Image snapshots page.

  2. Cinder Volume Backups

    • Cinder backups create a full copy of a volume that can be restored or cloned.
    • The backup service stores the volume data independently, allowing recovery even if the original volume is lost. Backup service at PSNC is stored on independent S3 backend.
    • For detailed info go to Volume backups page.
  3. Automating Volume Backups
    • OpenStack allows you to automate volume backups using:
      • Mistral Workflows – You can define automated backup workflows using Mistral, including full, incremental, and rotational backups.
      • Bash Scripts – You can create custom scripts using the OpenStack CLI to automate backup creation, rotation, and cleanup.
      • Cron Triggers – Mistral workflows and Bash scripts can be scheduled using cron to run at specific intervals.
      • For detailed info go to Automating Volume Backups page.

Best Practices:

  • Automate backups using OpenStack CLI or Heat and Mistral templates.
  • Schedule regular backups to minimize data loss.
  • Store backups in a separate storage backend for added resilience.
  • Monitor backup status and test recovery procedures regularly.


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