Taking backups to Backbox

[O.K.]

Hello Everyone, 

I would like to take Catalyst Center backups to Backbox.

Backbox tries to SSH/SCP into Catalyst Center but it always fails.

Has anyone already tried/achieved that?

[maflesch]

We don't support this.

[JEFFREY SESSLER]

Backup options continue to be a sore spot.  I would love it if we could get back to the simplicity of the single archive tar file that was Prime. 

[maflesch]

I understand, unfortunately that is very unlikely to happen.

[O.K. · Accepted solution]

Hello Everyone, 

For all the people out there like me, I've been able to back up Catalyst Center physical appliance into Back Box. 
Unfortunately, backup for Catalyst Center virtual appliance doesn't work. 

[maflesch]

Thanks for the update. However, just because you can does not mean it is supported. Running a backup solution that is outside of the scope of the stated design means that it falls outside the scope of support.

[JEFFREY SESSLER]

@maflesch If Cisco is open to feedback, backup of Cat Center is a sore spot in an otherwise decent evolution of prime.  It's overly complicated compared to Prime (or other Cisco platforms), and the support so narrow e.g., Can't for example backup to Azure storage blobs, that it's dragging down our appreciation for the platform.  It just seems odd that we have this modern container-based platform that lacks an equally modern backup process. 

Is back up including assurance to Azure blobs on the roadmap?

Have you considered a Cisco supported/maintained backup service?

What about a Cisco supported/maintained backup appliance?

How about we get back to the Prime monolithic backup file? 

[maflesch]

@JEFFREY SESSLER it is a sore spot and has been for some time, yes. And as you stated, with the advancements in cloud technologies and interoperability, the ability to use other platforms for backup solutions is constantly being looked at. Other options are on the roadmap but as to when they will be introduced is still too vague to be able to provide.

[O.K. · Accepted solution]

Hello @maflesch ,
I haven’t stated anywhere that this is (or should be) officially supported.

Aside from Cisco’s somewhat unreasonable policies, what BackBox does is not fundamentally different from what Cisco does.
It connects to Catalyst Center via SSH, creates a local backup, and then copies it via SCP to a remote (BackBox) server. I mean, the backup is literally taken by Catalyst Center itself. If I were to configure an NFS backup on Catalyst Center, I can't imagine it would be any different from this.

That said, I understand if Cisco doesn’t accept this solution as a “valid” backup. But at the end of the day, I’m responsible for my system, and I know I have a backup—created and verified by Catalyst Center itself—in case I need it.