Restricted Use of Generic Storage Backup

Effective with the release of Kasten K10 6.5.0, currently targeted for Q4 CY2023, Generic Storage Backup (GSB) will be disabled for all new deployments of Kasten K10, as well as existing deployments when upgraded to 6.5.0 or later.

GSB is a feature developed by Kasten to provide backup capabilities to Kubernetes applications with persistent volumes using a storage provisioner that lacks snapshot capabilities. While this feature provided flexibility in the early stages of Kubernetes storage, it comes with certain limitations. GSB essentially copies the live filesystem of a persistent volume, and any changes occurring to that filesystem during the file copy operation can lead to inconsistent backup data. This inconsistency could potentially result in unexpected behavior when restoring applications using a GSB backup.

Unlike GSB, storage snapshots allow for the creation of crash-consistent and data-consistent backups. The general availability of VolumeSnapshot APIs for Container Storage Interface (CSI) drivers allowed storage vendors to integrate their snapshot and cloning capabilities using a standardized interface. Since 2018, the list of production-ready CSI drivers has grown to over 100, with the majority now supporting VolumeSnapshots. Given the increasing availability and adoption of snapshot-capable CSI drivers, the utility of GSB has become limited.

To prepare for the upcoming change, it is highly recommended for existing customers to migrate to a CSI driver with snapshot and clone capabilities based on their storage requirements. In rare cases where migration to a CSI driver is not at all possible, existing customers can contact Kasten by Veeam Support via MyVeeam, to open a support case and request the activation of GSB.

For all current prospects who are evaluating Kasten K10, we recommend reaching out to your local Kasten Sales team through the local point of contact within the Veeam channel.