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Backup & Replication FAQ

This FAQ answers common questions about how Cloudaware Backup & Replication behaves in real environments.

Where Are Backups Stored?​

Cloudaware uses your own AWS cloud accounts for backup media:

  • EC2 instance backups are stored as AMIs and EBS snapshots.
  • RDS backups are stored as RDS snapshots.
  • S3 backups are stored as objects in S3 buckets (often in a dedicated backup bucket).

Cloudaware orchestrates these backups but does not take ownership of the media; you retain full control via your cloud provider.

How Does Cloudaware Know What to Back Up?​

Cloudaware discovers assets via CMDB and then reads backup and replication tags on those assets or their parents (for example, accounts or applications). Tags indicate:

  • Whether an asset should be backed up.
  • How frequently backups should run.
  • How long backups should be retained.
  • Whether replicas should be created in additional regions or accounts.

Assets missing required tags can be flagged as coverage gaps. See Operations.

Will Backed‑Up Instances Be Rebooted?​

No. Cloudaware uses snapshot and image options designed to avoid unnecessary reboots (for example, the EC2 “no‑reboot” option) while still capturing a consistent backup for common workloads. Certain application‑level plug‑ins may coordinate quiescing with the workload where appropriate.

How Long Does It Take for New Backups to Appear After Enabling the Module?​

When you first enable Backup & Replication or apply policies to a large number of assets, it may take several hours for initial jobs to run and for coverage views to reflect the new state. This depends on:

  • How many assets are in scope.
  • The configured backup windows.
  • Provider rate limits and throttling.

Subsequent runs usually complete within the defined schedule windows.

What Happens to Backups for Terminated Instances?​

Backups are retained according to the retention policy, even after the original EC2 or RDS instance is terminated. Cloudaware CMDB keeps historical records so you can still see which backup media belongs to which assets and applications.

You can also configure orphaned backup retention to automatically delete snapshots or images a certain number of days after the source asset is terminated.

See Backup Retention Policies for patterns and orphan retention guidance.

What Happens if We Unsubscribe from Cloudaware?​

If you stop using Cloudaware:

  • You continue to own all backup media (AMIs, snapshots, bucket copies) already created.
  • No new backups or replications will be created.
  • Expiry and deletion of existing media will follow the lifecycle rules you maintain directly in your cloud provider.

Because Cloudaware relies on tags and provider‑native media, you can still map existing backups back to instances and databases using those tags.

Can Cloudaware Store Backups Outside of AWS?​

Yes, depending on the workload type:

  • Application‑level backups can be written to object storage, archival storage, or gateway solutions supported by the relevant plug‑in (for example, S3, Glacier, or Storage Gateway).
  • S3 bucket backups can target buckets in other accounts or regions.
  • Other providers (for example, Azure or GCP) can be used via their own storage services where supported by CMDB and the backup plug‑in.

Confirm supported targets for your specific workloads using Requirements.

Can I Create Custom Workflows for Missing Backups or Failed Jobs?​

Yes. Cloudaware emits events for:

  • Missing or overdue backups for assets that should be protected.
  • Failed backup or replication jobs.
  • Restore tests that did not complete successfully.

You can connect these events to operations, operations integrations, or configure operations to a preferred channel.

Can I Get Daily Backup Reports?​

Yes. You can:

  • Subscribe to email‑based reports that summarize backup success, failures, and coverage.
  • Build dashboards and schedule exports in your reporting platform using the data surfaced by Backup & Replication. See Verify Backup Status.