Storage Providers Backup and Recovery
Back up the storage itself — not just the VMs on top of it. Storware protects Ceph RBD, Nutanix Files, Nutanix Volume Groups, and NAS file shares as first-class backup sources: agentless, incremental, with granular file-level restore, under one universal license.
Key Highlights
Storage as a first-class source
Protect Ceph RBD, Nutanix Files, Nutanix Volume Groups, and file systems directly — for storage that runs with no virtualization layer, or that VM- and app-centric backup never reaches.
Genuinely agentless Ceph
The Ceph RBD provider uses RBD-NBD to read snapshots straight from the cluster — no proxy VM, no in-guest agent.
Efficient incrementals
Snapshot difference for Ceph RBD, plus API-based, change-aware backups for Nutanix Files and Nutanix Volume Groups — only what changed moves.
Granular or full recovery
Restore individual files from mounted backups, share them over iSCSI, or recover entire volumes.
Storage protection, source by source
Ceph RBD backup with RBD-NBD
Supply the Ceph keyring and configuration; the provider detects pools and volumes and applies policy-driven backups, mounting remote RBD snapshots over NBD to read directly from the cluster — no proxy VM.
Nutanix Files (AFS) — Nutanix v4 API
Full and incremental backups of Nutanix Files through the Nutanix v4 API, using a flexible agent-based processing model. File-level access is available through Protected Data, and restores support skip and overwrite options without removing existing content at the destination.
Nutanix Volume Groups — Nutanix v4 API
Protection of Nutanix Volume Groups on AHV via the Nutanix v4.x API (Prism Central 7.5 and newer), with an API-based data transfer approach that reduces infrastructure dependencies and simplifies the workflow.
File systems and NAS shares
Protect file systems mounted on the Storware Node, including remote NAS file shares, under the same policies as everything else.
Full and incremental backups
Efficient incrementals across every storage-provider source.
Granular and full recovery
File- and folder-level restore from mounted backups, iSCSI share of backup data, or full-volume recovery.
Flexible destinations, with deduplication
Write to file systems, S3-compatible and cloud object storage, or enterprise backup platforms — including the 9livesdata deduplication target as a synthetic file system option. Deduplication reduces storage consumption, and Ceph RBD can also serve as a secondary backup destination.
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Ceph replicates. Replication isn't backup.
Ceph's built-in replication protects against hardware failure — not against deletion, corruption, or ransomware, and not when you can't afford to duplicate the whole cluster. Storware backs up the storage layer itself.
Ceph, with or without a hypervisor
Whether Ceph backs an OpenStack cloud or runs standalone, the storage-provider path protects RBD volumes directly and agentlessly over RBD-NBD.
Nutanix Files and Volume Groups
Change-aware backups of Nutanix Files (AFS) and Volume Groups through the Nutanix v4 API, with granular file recovery — a layer beyond native snapshots.
File systems and NAS
Traditional file systems and NAS shares protected under the same policies and the same license as the rest of your estate.
Backing up Ceph and storage systems with Storware
See agentless Ceph RBD backup over RBD-NBD, plus Nutanix Files and Volume Groups protection with change tracking and granular restore.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Storware protect under Storage Providers?
Ceph RBD block volumes, Nutanix Files (AFS), Nutanix Volume Groups, and file systems — including remote NAS file shares. The focus is protecting the storage itself, rather than the VMs or applications running on top of it.
Is Ceph backup agentless?
Yes. The Ceph RBD storage provider uses the RBD-NBD approach — mounting a remote RBD snapshot over NBD and reading data directly from the cluster. There’s no proxy VM and no in-guest agent.
How does Storware protect Nutanix Files and Volume Groups?
Through the Nutanix v4 API. Nutanix Files uses a flexible agent-based processing model with file-level access via Protected Data; Nutanix Volume Groups use an API-based data transfer approach on Prism Central 7.5 and newer. Both support full and incremental backups.
Can I back up standalone Ceph with no OpenStack?
Yes. Ceph running with no virtualization layer is a primary use case — the storage provider protects RBD volumes the same way Storware protects VMs or applications, without needing a hypervisor.
How do restores work?
You can restore individual files and folders from mounted backups, share backup data over iSCSI, or recover entire volumes. For Nutanix Files, restores support skip and overwrite options without removing existing content at the destination.
Is this different from backing up Ceph inside OpenStack?
Yes. Inside OpenStack, Ceph-backed VMs are protected through Cinder disk-attachment. The storage-provider path protects Ceph RBD directly over RBD-NBD — no proxy VM. Both are available; you choose based on what you’re protecting.
Is synthetic backup available for storage providers?
No. Synthetic backup destinations aren’t available for storage-provider sources; protection uses full and incremental backups.
Where can storage backups be stored?
File systems, S3-compatible and cloud object storage, or enterprise backup platforms — including the 9livesdata deduplication target. Deduplication reduces footprint, and Ceph RBD can also be used as a secondary backup destination.