Using instance backups to create or restore an instance
Find out how to restore an instance or create a new one from a backup
Last updated 19th March 2021
Objective
The OVHcloud Control Panel enables you to create backups of your instances within a few clicks, as well as automating this process. You can make use of these instance backups for two basic purposes:
- Creating a new instance with the backup as a template in order to duplicate the original instance, for example if you are configuring a load balancing infrastructure.
- Restoring instances from a backup, for example if recent changes broke critical configurations on the instance.
This guide explains how to use backups to duplicate and restore your instances.
Requirements
- a backup of a Public Cloud instance
- access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
Instructions
Creating an instance from a backup
Log in to the OVHcloud Control Panel and switch to the Public Cloud section. Click on Instance Backup in the left-hand sidebar.
Click on the ... button in the row of the relevant backup, then select Create an instance.
You will see a shortened version of the instance creation page where you can decide on some options.
Some elements are pre-defined:
- Region: Your instance will be created in the same data centre as your backup.
- Image: The image will correspond to your backup.
- Model: Only the models that are compatible with your image are available, depending on your quota.
Choose the new instance's name, SSH key, vRack and billing period, then click on the Create the instance button.
For further information on creating an instance, please refer to this guide.
In order to create the instance in a different data centre, you will first need to transfer the backup to the appropriate region. Please refer to our guide to transferring an instance backup.
Restoring an instance from a backup
Log in to the OVHcloud Control Panel and switch to the Public Cloud section. Click on Instances in the left-hand sidebar.
Click on the ... button in the row of the relevant instance, then select Edit.
This opens the page for editing an instance where you can change:
- the instance's name
- the instance's image
- the instance's model
- the instance's billing mode (from
hourlytomonthlyonly)
Make your changes if necessary and switch to the Backups tab of the Image section.
Select from the list of available backups. Click on Modify image if you are certain that you want to overwrite the current image with the backup.
The instance will have the status Re-installation until the process is completed. It might be necessary to refresh the page in the browser in order to see the current status.
As stated in the warning message, any data added after the backup creation will be lost.
Go further
Join our community of users on https://community.ovh.com/en/.
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