In the modern Kubernetes ecosystem, VMware Tanzu has emerged as a popular platform for enterprises deploying containerized workloads. To meet Tanzu Backup and disaster recovery needs, Tanzu relies on Velero, an open-source solution, for backing up and restoring cluster resources and persistent volumes. However, implementing Velero within Tanzu environments often requires significant configuration and management expertise, and it still leaves certain gaps that can be addressed with advanced solutions like CloudCasa.
Configuring Velero for VMware Tanzu Backups
Velero, while powerful, is not plug-and-play. Configuring Velero for Kubernetes backups in a Tanzu environment involves multiple steps:
- Setting Up a Storage Backend
Velero supports various object storage backends like AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, or Google Cloud Storage. To configure a backend:
- Set up credentials with appropriate IAM permissions.
- Install Velero with the –bucket and –provider parameters to connect to your object storage.
- Customizing Backup Resources
- Define Backup and Restore objects to specify namespaces, resources, and volume data for protection.
- Schedule regular backups using Velero schedules.
- Restoring Applications
Restoring applications and PVs involves:
- Creating Restore objects to pull data from stored backups.
Challenges with Velero and Kopia
While Velero provides foundational backup and restore capabilities, its limitations become apparent in enterprise environments:
- Complex Setup and Management: Configuring Velero and Kopia requires expertise in Kubernetes, YAML, and cloud storage integration.
- No Support for Immutable Backups: Velero lacks immutability for backups, leaving data vulnerable to ransomware and accidental deletions.
- Scaling Limitations: Velero struggles to handle large-scale Kubernetes environments, as it doesn’t support parallel backups within a cluster.
- Manual Intervention: Restoring applications with Kopia often involves manual steps, particularly for large or complex PVs.
- Limited Central Management: Managing backups across multiple clusters requires additional tooling or custom scripts.
How CloudCasa Addresses These Gaps
To bridge these gaps, CloudCasa offers an easy-to-use, SaaS-based or self-hosted solution with the following capabilities:
- Managed Backup Service:
- CloudCasa handles the burden of setting up Velero and Kopia, reducing the burden on IT teams.
- Simplified configuration for storage backends and backup policies.
- Snapshot Management:
- Provides centralized management of snapshots and backups across clusters.
- Handles CSI and non-CSI snapshots seamlessly.
- Immutable Backups:
- CloudCasa’s managed service provides immutable backups, safeguarding data from ransomware.
- Enhanced Scalability:
- Supports scaling backup operations across large clusters and multiple environments.
- Enterprise Features:
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for secure multi-tenant environments.
- Integration with enterprise identity providers for Single Sign-On (SSO).
- Notification and alerts to keep teams informed of backup and recovery activities.
Why Transition to CloudCasa?
While CloudCasa provides significant improvements, enterprises requiring robust, enterprise-grade backup and disaster recovery should consider using CloudCasa’s agent deployment. The CloudCasa agent provides:
- Complete Snapshot Management:
- Automates snapshot and data movement tasks across cloud providers.
- Immutable Backups and Ransomware Protection:
- Ensures backups are tamper-proof, meeting compliance and security needs.
- Data Movement for Disaster Recovery:
- Simplifies data migration and restoration across regions or cloud platforms.
- Superior Performance:
- Optimized for faster backup and recovery operations, including support for parallel backups.
- Unified Management:
- A single pane of glass for managing all backup and restore activities across Kubernetes clusters.
Conclusion
While Azure’s native AKS backup is an excellent starting point for protecting your Kubernetes workloads, CloudCasa enhances these capabilities by addressing gaps and providing extended support for hybrid and multi-cloud environments. With CloudCasa, you can achieve comprehensive data protection across all your Kubernetes clusters, ensuring resilience and continuity no matter where your workloads run.
Interested in learning more about how CloudCasa can enhance your Kubernetes backup strategy? Visit our Azure Marketplace listings, CloudCasa for AKS and CloudCasa for Azure Arc, or reach out to us at casa@cloudcasa.io for a free consultation.
Ryan Kaw
CloudCasa