Tutorial / Cram Notes
A Recovery Services vault is a storage entity in Azure that houses data such as backups, recovery points, and backup policies. Think of it as a “safe deposit box” for your data which is secure and has several features to manage the backup and replication of your data.
How to Create an Azure Backup vault
To create a Recovery Services vault, follow these steps:
- Sign in to the Azure portal:
First, log in to your Microsoft Azure portal using your Azure account credentials. - Navigate to the Recovery Services vaults blade:
On the left-hand menu, click on “All services” and type in “Recovery Services” in the search bar. Then, select “Recovery Services vaults.” - Create a new vault:
Click on the “+ Add” button to create a new vault. - Fill in vault settings:
You will need to enter the following details for your new vault:
– Name: Enter a unique name for your Recovery Services vault.
– Subscription: Choose the Azure subscription where you want to create the vault.
– Resource group: Select an existing resource group or create a new one where your vault will reside.
– Location: Choose the Azure region suitable for you. Ideally, this should be as close to the resources you want to back up as possible. - Review and create the vault:
Review all the settings you have entered, then click “Create” to provision your new Recovery Services vault. - Configure vault settings:
After your vault is created, you should configure the storage replication type (Locally-redundant storage LRS or Geo-redundant storage GRS), set up backup policies, and configure any other settings as per your requirements.
An Example of Creating a Recovery Services vault
Below is an example of creating a Recovery Services vault using Azure PowerShell:
# Login to Azure account
Connect-AzAccount
# Select subscription
Set-AzContext -Subscription “YourSubscriptionName”
# Create a new Resource Group if necessary
New-AzResourceGroup -Name “MyResourceGroup” -Location “East US”
# Create the Recovery Services vault
New-AzRecoveryServicesVault -Name “MyVaultName” -ResourceGroupName “MyResourceGroup” -Location “East US”
Once you have executed these commands, a new Recovery Services vault will be created in the specified subscription and region.
Comparison Between Locally-Redundant and Geo-Redundant Storage
When creating a Recovery Services vault, deciding on the replication type is crucial. Here’s a comparison between Locally-Redundant Storage (LRS) and Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS):
| Feature | LRS | GRS |
|---|---|---|
| Data Replication | Within a single data center | Across multiple data centers |
| Durability | Offers at least 99.999999999% (11 9’s) durability of objects over a given year | Offers at least 99.99999999999999% (16 9’s) durability of objects over a given year |
| Availability | Less compared to GRS | More compared to LRS |
| Recommended Use | Non-critical data requiring lower cost | Critical data requiring higher resiliency |
| Cost | Generally less expensive than GRS | Generally more expensive than LRS |
Choose your replication type based on your business continuity, budget, and compliance requirements.
After the Recovery Services vault is set up, you can proceed to configure your backup infrastructure using Azure Backup, which includes specifying what to back up (such as Azure VMs, SQL databases, Azure File shares, etc.), setting up backup policies, and performing restore operations as needed. Proper configuration and management of the Recovery Services vault are integral to maintaining the safety and accessibility of your backed-up data.
Practice Test with Explanation
True or False: Azure Backup Vaults are limited to one per Azure subscription.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: B) False
Explanation: Azure Backup Vaults are not limited to one per Azure subscription; you can have multiple backup vaults as needed for different workloads and grouping of resources across geographic regions.
When creating an Azure Backup vault, which redundancy option offers geo-replication?
- A) Locally redundant storage (LRS)
- B) Zone redundant storage (ZRS)
- C) Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
- D) Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS)
Answer: C) Geo-redundant storage (GRS)
Explanation: Geo-redundant storage (GRS) is the Azure storage redundancy option that provides geographic replication to maintain data durability and availability even if a region is unavailable.
True or False: The Azure Backup service can be used to back up Azure virtual machines (VMs), SQL Server running on Azure VMs, and Azure Files.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: The Azure Backup service supports a variety of workloads including Azure virtual machines (VMs), SQL Server running on Azure VMs, and Azure Files, in addition to other supported scenarios.
When configuring a new Backup Vault in Azure, which resource is essential to link for the backup job?
- A) Network Security Group
- B) Recovery Services vault
- C) Virtual Network
- D) Load Balancer
Answer: B) Recovery Services vault
Explanation: A 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.
True or False: When using Azure Backup Vault, data encryption is optional and can be disabled at any time.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: B) False
Explanation: Azure Backup Vaults provide encryption of backup data by default using platform-managed keys. It cannot be disabled; however, customers can choose to use their own keys for encryption (customer-managed keys).
Which of the following services can be protected by Azure Backup?
- A) Azure Blob Storage
- B) Azure Managed Disks
- C) Azure File Shares
- D) Azure Cosmos DB
Answer: C) Azure File Shares
Explanation: Azure Backup currently supports the protection of Azure File Shares. It does not directly back up Azure Blob Storage, Azure Managed Disks, or Azure Cosmos DB.
True or False: The Backup Vault in Azure must be in the same region as the resources it is protecting.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: It is a recommended practice to create the Backup Vault in the same region as the resources it is protecting for optimal performance and compliance with data residency requirements.
Select all the factors that can affect the cost of Azure Backup.
- A) Size of data being backed up
- B) Frequency of backups
- C) Retention period of backups
- D) Type of storage redundancy chosen
Answer: A) Size of data being backed up, B) Frequency of backups, C) Retention period of backups, D) Type of storage redundancy chosen
Explanation: All listed factors affect the cost of Azure Backup. Costs increase with more data, more frequent backups, longer retention periods, and higher levels of storage redundancy.
True or False: You can create an Azure Backup Vault using Azure CLI.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: You can create an Azure Backup Vault using different methods, including Azure Portal, Azure PowerShell, and Azure CLI.
In Azure, the Backup Vault that you create is associated with which of the following?
- A) Azure Active Directory
- B) An Azure subscription
- C) A specific virtual network
- D) An Azure resource group
Answer: D) An Azure resource group
Explanation: An Azure Backup Vault is a resource and like other resources in Azure, it must be associated with an Azure resource group within a subscription.
Interview Questions
What is Azure Backup vault?
Azure Backup vault is a unified, centralized backup management system that can protect your data across different services and locations in Azure.
What are the prerequisites to create an Azure Backup vault?
To create an Azure Backup vault, you must have an Azure subscription, a storage account, and a virtual network.
How can you create an Azure Backup vault?
You can create an Azure Backup vault by following these steps 1. Sign in to the Azure portal. 2. Navigate to the Backup + Site Recovery vaults page. 3. Click Add. 4. Enter a name for the vault. 5. Select the subscription, resource group, and location for the vault. 6. Click Create.
What is the difference between a Backup vault and a Site Recovery vault?
A Backup vault is used to manage backups and recovery points of your workloads, while a Site Recovery vault is used for disaster recovery scenarios.
What are the supported workloads for Azure Backup?
Azure Backup supports the following workloads Azure Virtual Machines, SQL Server, SharePoint, Exchange, SAP HANA, and Oracle.
How does Azure Backup protect Azure Virtual Machines?
Azure Backup uses the Azure VM backup extension to take backups of Azure Virtual Machines.
How can you configure backup policies for Azure Backup?
You can configure backup policies for Azure Backup by following these steps Open the Azure portal. > Navigate to the Backup vault. > Click on Backup policies. > Click Add. > Enter a name for the policy. > Select the items to be backed up and the retention period. > Click OK.
How can you restore data from an Azure Backup vault?
You can restore data from an Azure Backup vault by following these steps Open the Azure portal. > Navigate to the Backup vault. > Click on Backup items. > Select the item you want to restore. > Click on Restore. > Select the restore point and the target location. > Click OK.
What is a recovery services vault?
A recovery services vault is an Azure resource used to store data and backup policies for services like Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery.
How can you manage Azure Backup using PowerShell?
You can manage Azure Backup using PowerShell by installing the Azure PowerShell module, connecting to your Azure subscription, and using the available cmdlets for Azure Backup.
Great post! It’s really helpful for preparing for the AZ-104 exam.
Creating an Azure Backup vault was confusing at first, but this blog really simplifies it.
Can someone explain the difference between Azure Backup vault and Recovery Services vault?
Is setting up alerts for backup failures straightforward?
Awesome tutorial. Thanks for sharing!
I followed your steps, but I’m getting an error when trying to back up my VMs. Any ideas?
How does Azure Backup handle retention policies?
This blog is a bit lengthy, can be shortened.