Image Backup
Image backup saves an image of the entire device. This saved image will recreate the device the exact same way as it was at the time of the backup.
This offers a more complete backup option than Manufacturing Connect Edge’s configuration backup feature. However, the drawback is additional storage (disc) space will be needed and that it must be done externally through a third party (non-Manufacturing Connect Edge) software tool.
- Veeam Backup and Replication
- Acronis
In addition to the list of configuration settings stored by Manufacturing Connect Edge’s backup feature, an image backup also consists of the following:
- Data stored in the internal InfluxDB
- Third-party pallets installed in Flows
- Container images and internal Container volumes
- Files stored in the FTP folder
- Running containers
An image backup should be created in conjunction with (and not replace) an automatically generated configuration backup in Manufacturing Connect.
As both file and data are preserved, the image backup itself offers a Manufacturing Connect Edge instance the potential for immediate operation after a restore. The drawback to an image backup is in the case of some accidental deletes. When accidental deletes occur, an image backup may not be available to restore the pre-deleted information. A configuration backup (that was automatically generated by Manufacturing Connect) could be used instead.