Microsoft Azure (AZ-104): Azure VM Backup

You can backup Azure VMs using several methods:

• Single Azure VM: This can be done directly from VM settings.
• Multiple Azure VM: This can be done through setting up “Recovery Services Vault”.

How to backup single VM?

A VM can be backup using Azure VM Backup Agent.

If your VM was created from an Azure Marketplace image, the agent is installed and running.

For custom VM or on-premises machine, agent needs to be installed manually, as summarized here.

How to backup multiple Azure VM?

This can be done through Recovery Services Vault. Recovery Services Vault is a storage entity in Azure that houses data.

The data is typically copies of data, or configuration information for virtual machines (VMs), workloads, servers, or workstations.

When you create an Azure Backup for virtual machines, you need to either create a Recovery services vault or select an existing Recovery services vault.

First step is to create the vault:

Search for “Backup Center” → Create “Recovery Service Vault” → Provide values for “Name, Subscription, Resource Group and Location”.

Next, we need to apply the backup policy to our VMs:

Go to “Backup Center” → Click “+ Backup” → Select “Azure Virtual Machines” as the “Datasource type” → Select the vault you have created → Assign the “Backup Policy” → Under “Virtual Machines”, we can start adding the VMs that we want to backup.

• The default policy backs up the VM once a day.
• The daily backups are retained for 30 days.
• Instant recovery snapshots are retained for two days.

IMPORTANT!!!

By default, vaults use geo-redundant storage (GRS).

• If the vault is your primary backup mechanism, we recommend you use GRS.
• You can use locally redundant storage (LRS) for a cheaper option.
• Zone-redundant storage (ZRS) replicates your data in availability zones, guaranteeing data residency and resiliency in the same region.

You can only select VMs in the same region as the vault.