Whole-cluster or selective backup
Back up the entire cluster, or select namespaces, labels or individual resources. Namespace and label selections are evaluated at each run, so new workloads are picked up automatically.
OpenShift Backup
Red Hat OpenShift Backup and Restore
CloudCasa by Catalogic provides OpenShift backup and restore for the whole cluster, from namespaces and Kubernetes resources to persistent volumes and the VMs that OpenShift Virtualization runs as KubeVirt workloads. One CloudCasa agent per cluster, installed from OperatorHub or with the Red Hat certified Helm chart, handles backup, restore, migration and replication, with no backup agent inside each VM.
OpenShift backup and restore with CloudCasa
CloudCasa backs up the Kubernetes resources and persistent volume data of an OpenShift cluster, including any virtual machines running on it, and restores them to the same cluster or a different one.
Persistent volume data
PV backups read from CSI snapshots by default for consistency. For volumes whose storage does not support snapshots, live backup methods read the data directly.
OpenShift Virtualization VMs
KubeVirt VMs are detected automatically. Selecting a VM includes its PVCs, DataVolumes, ConfigMaps and Secrets in the backup.
Restore to any cluster
Restore a full cluster, selected namespaces or individual resources to the source cluster or an alternate one, and remap storage classes when the target uses different storage.
File-level restore
Retrieve individual files from PV backups, and from the filesystems inside backed-up VMs, without restoring the whole volume or machine.
Central policies and catalog
Schedules, retention policies and storage destinations are defined once in CloudCasa and apply across every registered cluster.
CloudCasa by Catalogic
One platform for OpenShift containers and VMs
OpenShift Virtualization lets teams run VMs next to containers on the same platform. CloudCasa protects both with the same backup, restore and migration jobs, so a VM follows the same policies as the containerized applications around it.
- One CloudCasa agent per cluster and no backup agent inside each VM
- Whole-cluster backup captures VMs, PVCs and Kubernetes resources together
- Centralized policy, scheduling and retention across every cluster
- Agent installed through the Red Hat certified OpenShift Operator from OperatorHub, or the Red Hat certified Helm chart
- Managed from CloudCasa SaaS or a self-hosted CloudCasa server
OpenShift Virtualization backup for KubeVirt VMs
CloudCasa backs up and restores VMs on KubeVirt-based platforms, including Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization, through the same cluster backup and restore jobs it uses for containers.
Filesystem-consistent VM backup
The QEMU Guest Agent lets CloudCasa quiesce a VM's filesystem before the snapshot is taken.
- Install the QEMU Guest Agent on VMs to enable freeze and unfreeze hooks
- CloudCasa syncs VM state before the snapshot in backup, migration and replication jobs
- VMs without the Guest Agent are still backed up, but freeze and unfreeze hooks are not run
- The VMs page lists VMs from all registered clusters with their running state and Guest Agent status, and lets you define backups and restores per VM
- Changed block tracking for running VMs is available in Preview on OpenShift 4.22 and later
Granular file-level restore
Recover a single file or a full VM from the same recovery point.
- Open a recovery point in the File Browser and browse the filesystems of a backed-up VM
- CloudCasa mounts the VM filesystem image on a proxy cluster that can run VMs and reach the backup storage (the source cluster by default)
- Download selected files directly or as a zip archive
- No per-VM agent is required for file-level recovery
- Restore complete VMs when a full rebuild is needed
VM restore options
Selective VM restore
Restore a whole cluster, the namespaces that contain VMs, or individual VMs. Selecting a VM in the resource browser brings its associated resources with it.
Run strategy on restore
Choose Always, RerunOnFailure, Once, Manual or Halted for restored VMs, or keep the strategy saved in the backup.
Network and identity conflicts
Clear MAC addresses so restored VMs receive new ones, and generate new firmware UUIDs to avoid clashes with licensing servers and management tools.
Restore prerequisites
KubeVirt and CDI must be installed on the target cluster before a VM restore. OpenShift Virtualization clusters already include them.
OpenShift disaster recovery and migration
OpenShift disaster recovery
CloudCasa offers several recovery paths for OpenShift, depending on the recovery time you need.
- Restore backups to the original cluster or to a rebuilt or alternate cluster
- Replication jobs copy a cluster or part of it on a schedule to keep a DR or standby cluster ready
- CloudCasa DR for Storage orchestrates failover for containers and VMs using storage-based replication on SUSE Storage (Longhorn), HPE Alletra and Dell PowerStore arrays
OpenShift migration between clusters and clouds
Migration jobs make a one-time copy of a cluster or part of it on another cluster.
- Move applications and VMs to a new OpenShift cluster or version
- Migrate from on-premises OpenShift to managed OpenShift in the cloud, such as ROSA or ARO, or the other way round
- Move workloads between cloud accounts or between clouds
- Remap storage classes when the target cluster uses different storage
Ransomware protection and compliance for OpenShift backups
Immutable backups and SafeLock
Recovery points can be protected against deletion and alteration on the storage side and in CloudCasa itself.
- Immutable backups on S3-compatible storage with Object Lock or Azure Blob Storage with immutability enabled
- SafeLock keeps recovery points from being deleted until they expire, which helps with legal holds and ransomware recovery
- Backup data is encrypted over the network and at rest
- Immutable storage and SafeLock require a paid CloudCasa service plan
Access control and audit
CloudCasa keeps a record of who changed what across your backup configuration.
- Role-based access control for the CloudCasa console
- Audit log of create, update and delete requests on CloudCasa resources, available for download
- Retention policies applied the same way across all clusters
OpenShift installation and etcd backup
Install the CloudCasa agent on OpenShift
The CloudCasa agent connects each OpenShift cluster to CloudCasa SaaS or to a self-hosted CloudCasa server.
- Red Hat certified CloudCasa Operator, installed from OperatorHub, which also keeps the agent updated
- Red Hat certified Helm chart from the OpenShift Helm Charts repository
- The self-hosted CloudCasa server can itself run on OpenShift
etcd and OpenShift cluster state
CloudCasa backs up the manifests of all selected resources, so most restores do not need an etcd restore.
- For DR scenarios that require etcd, CloudCasa runs the OpenShift cluster-backup.sh script through an app hook template
- A provided script deploys the runner pod and a PVC that holds the etcd snapshot and static pod manifests
- CloudCasa backs up that PVC, and you restore etcd with Red Hat's documented procedure
OpenShift support and requirements
CloudCasa supports CNCF certified Kubernetes distributions and hosted services based on Kubernetes 1.20 or later, and compatibility with Red Hat OpenShift has been verified. Check the CloudCasa compatibility documentation before planning production protection.
| Component | Verified support |
|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform | Supported as a CNCF certified Kubernetes distribution (Kubernetes 1.20 or later) |
| Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization | Tested with OpenShift Virtualization 4.16.10 |
| KubeVirt | v1.0.0 and above |
| CDI (Containerized Data Importer) | v1.57.0 and above |
| Changed block tracking for VMs (Preview) | OpenShift 4.22 and later (KubeVirt 1.8), with the incrementalBackup feature gate enabled |
| Persistent volume snapshots | CSI driver with volume snapshot support; live backup for PVs without snapshot support |
| Agent deployment | Red Hat certified OpenShift Operator (OperatorHub) or Red Hat certified Helm chart |
| Self-hosted CloudCasa server on OpenShift | OpenShift 4.14 or later recommended; 4.12 and 4.13 with the CronJobTimeZone feature gate |
KubeVirt and CDI must be present on the target cluster before a VM restore. CDI is not required when the restored VMs do not consume virtual disks.
CloudCasa does not create volume snapshot classes automatically for the OpenShift Data Foundation Ceph CSI drivers. Create a VolumeSnapshotClass with the driver-specific parameters and associate it with the storage class in the cluster's advanced options.
Supported versions change over time. Always verify the current compatibility details in the CloudCasa User's Guide.
Common OpenShift backup use cases
Protect production applications and VMs
Schedule backups of namespaces, persistent volumes and VMs, with filesystem-consistent VM recovery points when the QEMU Guest Agent is installed.
Cluster upgrades and rebuilds
Recover applications, VMs and cluster resources when moving to a new OpenShift version or rebuilding a cluster after failure.
Hybrid and multi-cloud
Migrate workloads between on-premises OpenShift and managed OpenShift services in the cloud as part of a hybrid strategy.
Accidental deletion
Restore a single namespace, resource or file without rolling back the rest of the cluster.
Ransomware recovery
Restore to a recovery point taken before the attack. Immutable object storage and SafeLock keep those recovery points from being deleted or altered.
Unified data protection
Manage backup for VMs and containerized applications under one set of policies and one console.
OpenShift backup FAQ
What does CloudCasa back up on OpenShift?
CloudCasa backs up Kubernetes resources and persistent volume data from OpenShift clusters, either the whole cluster or a selection by namespace, label or resource. VMs running under OpenShift Virtualization are detected automatically and backed up with the rest of the cluster. Recovery points can be restored to the same cluster or a different one, and individual files can be restored from PV and VM backups.
How does CloudCasa relate to OADP and Velero?
OADP (OpenShift API for Data Protection) is Red Hat's operator based on the open source Velero project. CloudCasa is a separate backup product with its own agent, which it uses for backup, restore, migration and replication, and it does not require OADP or Velero on the cluster. Configuration, schedules, retention and the recovery point catalog are managed centrally in CloudCasa. CloudCasa no longer offers management of existing Velero installations. Restore resource modifiers use a YAML format compatible with Velero's. See CloudCasa and Velero on cloudcasa.io.
Does CloudCasa back up OpenShift Virtualization VMs?
Yes. CloudCasa backs up, restores and migrates VMs running on KubeVirt-based platforms, including Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization. VM detection is automatic, and VMs are protected alongside the containers and Kubernetes resources in the same cluster. See the KubeVirt VM backup reference.
Do I need a separate agent inside each VM?
No. CloudCasa protects VMs at the cluster level and does not require a backup agent inside each VM. The CloudCasa agent is installed once per OpenShift cluster through the Red Hat certified Operator or Helm chart. Installing the QEMU Guest Agent on VMs is recommended so CloudCasa can freeze the filesystem for consistent backups, but it is optional.
Can I restore individual files from a VM backup?
Yes. The Recovery Point File Browser mounts an image of the VM filesystem on a proxy cluster, which can be any cluster that runs VMs and can reach the backup storage. You can then browse the filesystems and download individual files without restoring the whole VM and without any per-VM agent.
What restore options are available for VMs?
On restore, you can set the VM run strategy (Always, RerunOnFailure, Once, Manual or Halted, or reuse the strategy from the backup), clear MAC addresses to prevent network conflicts, and generate new firmware UUIDs to avoid licensing or management-tool conflicts.
How does CloudCasa support OpenShift disaster recovery?
CloudCasa can restore a backed-up cluster, namespaces or VMs to a rebuilt or alternate cluster, and replication jobs can keep a standby cluster updated on a schedule. For lower recovery times, CloudCasa DR for Storage orchestrates failover of containers and VMs using the replication features of supported storage, currently SUSE Storage (Longhorn), HPE Alletra and Dell PowerStore.
Can CloudCasa migrate OpenShift workloads between clusters or clouds?
Yes. Migration jobs copy a cluster, or part of it, to another cluster, for example from on-premises to the cloud or from one cloud account or provider to another. This covers applications and VMs and is useful for OpenShift upgrades and hybrid-cloud moves, including managed OpenShift services such as ROSA and ARO. See Kubernetes migration on cloudcasa.io.
Does CloudCasa back up etcd on OpenShift?
CloudCasa backs up the manifests of the resources you select, so most restores do not need etcd. For OpenShift DR scenarios that do, an app hook template runs Red Hat's cluster-backup.sh script and CloudCasa backs up the resulting etcd snapshot and static pod manifests. The steps are in the OpenShift state application note.
Is CloudCasa available as SaaS and self-hosted, and how is it priced?
Both. CloudCasa runs as a SaaS service, and a self-hosted CloudCasa server is available for teams that need to run the control plane themselves, including on OpenShift. The OpenShift Operator works with either. Charges are based on the average number of worker nodes in the managed clusters. See CloudCasa pricing and self-hosted CloudCasa.
Does this use DPX?
No. OpenShift and OpenShift Virtualization protection is delivered by CloudCasa, Catalogic's Kubernetes and cloud-native data protection platform. DPX protects physical and virtualized servers, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux, VMware and Hyper-V.
Ready to protect OpenShift?
CloudCasa by Catalogic protects OpenShift applications, persistent volumes, cluster resources and OpenShift Virtualization VMs. Start with CloudCasa SaaS or talk to Catalogic about a self-hosted deployment.
OpenShift backup resources
Documentation for teams planning or operating CloudCasa protection for Red Hat OpenShift and OpenShift Virtualization.
KubeVirt VM Backup & Restore
Reference for automatic VM detection, consistent backup, restore options and file-level recovery.
Kubernetes Backup Guide
Step-by-step guide to adding a cluster, creating a policy and defining backups in CloudCasa.
Install with the OpenShift Operator
Install the CloudCasa agent from OperatorHub using the Red Hat certified operator.
OpenShift Backup with CloudCasa
Overview of CloudCasa backup, disaster recovery and migration for OpenShift and OpenShift Virtualization.
Protect OpenShift clusters and VMs with CloudCasa
Talk to Catalogic about OpenShift backup and restore, or start protecting namespaces, persistent volumes and OpenShift Virtualization VMs with CloudCasa SaaS.
Explore CloudCasa