Managed Backup - Frequently Asked Questions

Updated by Bryan Friedman on Aug 04, 2015
Article Code: kb/731

Managed Backup went End of Sale 6/25/19. All existing subscriptions will still continue to function

You will not be able to add Managed Backup to new servers, but it can be removed from existing servers

Q: What is included in the Managed Backup service?

A: Managed Backup makes Lumen's backup solution available in the Lumen Cloud. Customers can deploy the new managed backup service on existing virtual machines in the Lumen Cloud, as well as on new VMs. By default, all servers with Managed Backup enabled have their volumes backed up nightly. The backup data is stored for two weeks in the same data center as the virtual machine and in a remote data center – this offers geographic redundancy. Customers also get 24x7 support from managed backup engineers to help troubleshoot any backup issues or change configurations such as schedules or retention policies. This support staff is available by contacting the Lumen Client Service Center at 1-888-638-6771.

Q: How do I create a VM that uses Managed Backup?

A: From the Control Portal menu, select “Create Server.” You will then be prompted to select the data center, group membership, and other VM properties. Select a data center that supports Managed Backup (an updated list is available here), and then click the “managed server” element to “Yes.” Once this is selected, you will see the option for "managed backup" appear. Set this to yes, and the operating system drop-down menu will then automatically refresh to show available options. Choose your version, and then proceed with the remainder of the server creation process. You may also review a more detailed walkthrough of enabling (and disabling) Managed Backup on a server.

Why don’t I see an option for Managed Backup in the Lumen Cloud Control Panel?

We discontinued consumption from within the Lumen Cloud Control Portal when Managed Backup went End of Sale on June 25, 2019. All existing subscriptions will still continue to function, but you cannot add Managed Backup to new servers. It can be removed from existing servers.

Q: How much does the Managed Backup service cost? Why is the cost not included in the estimates shown in Control Portal?

A: Managed Backup uses a tiered pricing model and will cost anywhere from $0.42 to $0.49 per GB per month,and depending on how much average protected storage is being used (see table below). Note: Existing managed hosting customers using Data Protect Backup will have cloud usage contribute to overall protected data utilization and also may have different pricing based on existing term commit agreements. Though the costs for Managed Backup does not currently show up as part of the estimates in Control Portal, they will appear on your monthly invoice from Lumen as a separate line item. If you have detailed questions regarding billing, please contact your Lumen Sales Representative using one of the numbers above.

Avg Protected Data Utilization Monthly Price per GB
0 - 1,024 $0.49
1,025 - 5,120 $0.47
5,121 - 10,240 $0.46
10,241 - 25,600 $0.45
25,601 - 51,200 $0.43
51,201 - 102,400 $0.42

For information on how "average protected data utilization" is calculated, review the attachment at the end of this KB.

Q: When do my scheduled backups run? What if I want my backups to run more frequently or on a different schedule?

A: Managed backups are scheduled to run daily. The time of the backup will be within 12 hours from the time of server creation (if a server was created at 8:05am, backup will run sometime before 8:05pm each day). If you would like to change this schedule, you may contact the Lumen Technology Solutions Client Service Center at 1-888-638-6771 and enter a request to customize the scheduled backup time for a particular server or set of servers.

Q: How can I see the status of my recent backups?

A: Status for recent backups can be seen from the Netbackup Client agent on the server itself. For details, see instructions on using the Netbackup Client. The Lumen Technology Solutions Client Service Center is also available to assist you with any issues you may have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Simply call us at 1-888-638-6771.

Q: If I delete my VM, what happens to the backups?

A: The backups will eventually be expired off the storage. Backups are managed in storage per a data retention policy which is 14 days, after which, the backups will expiration off the storage.

Q: What if I only want to backup some of the data on my server? Can I target a specific set of files or folders?

A: In order to make sure you are using only the amount of backup storage that you need, you can configure an exclusions list to prevent certain paths on the server from being sent to backup. You can configure this list from the Netbackup Client agent on the server itself. For details, see instructions on using the Netbackup Client.

The Lumen Technology Solutions Client Service Center is also available to assist you with any issues you may have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Simply call us at 1-888-638-6771.

Q: What if I want my backups to be kept for longer than two weeks?

A: At this time 2 weeks is the only retention period available. Our Simple Backup Service provides options for customer defined retention periods.

Q: What should I do if I need a restore?

A: Contact the Lumen Technology Solutions Client Service Center at 1-888-638-6771.

Q: How can I remove Managed Backup from a VM? Can I add Managed Backup to an existing VM?

A: From the Control Portal you can enable and disable managed backup on existing managed servers. On the Server Details page,you will see the option for managed backup on the right side under Server Info. Just click the disable (or enable) button and you will be presented with a switch to allow you to turn managed backup on or off. You may also review a more detailed walk through of enabling (and disabling) Managed Backup on a server.

Q: Who do I contact if I have trouble with or questions about Managed Backup on my VM?

A: The Lumen Technology Solutions Client Service Center is available to assist you with any issues you may have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Simply call us at 1-888-638-6771.

Q: Is there a customer accessible API which allows for turning on/off backups, configuring backups, and triggering restores?

A: This feature is not available currently.

Q: As a customer can I leverage Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)?

A: The Master server in the DPB infrastructure is already configured to support this. There is no need to configure the backup agent on the VM. However, VSS must be configured appropriately on the Operating System.

Q: As a customer can I request on-demand backups out of the normal scheduled jobs?

A: This is possible through a request to the Client Service Center at 1-888-638-6771. The backup will have the standard product feature of 2 weeks retention at the local data center and a simultaneous copy at the secondary data center.

Q: Is hot backup offered in Managed Backup for (a) databases and for (b) Exchange? What options/suggestions are available?

A: Hot backup is not offered in Managed Backup. Managed Backup is for file/folder level backups and restores.

For SQL, Mysql , Oracle and other databases, a suggested method is to put the data to a file/folder for inclusion in the backups.

To safely backup and restore Microsoft Exchange mailbox data Lumen Cloud customers must implement and operate their own solution. Using 3rd party backup clients allows customers to perform recovery of message/mailbox (Exchange) data, define retention periods and backup frequency. Customers can speak to a Lumen Cloud sales representative for guidance.

Q: Where are my offsite vault copies stored?

A: The table below provides the offsite vault locations:

Lumen Cloud Location Offsite Vault Location
US West (Santa Clara) - UC1 Lumen CH3
US East (Sterling) - VA1 Lumen DL2
Great Britain (Slough) - GB3 Lumen LO6
APAC (Singapore) - SG1 Lumen SG8
US Central (Chicago) - IL1 Lumen DL2
Canada (Toronto - Mississauga) - CA3 Lumen TR3