In the world of software-defined storage, balancing raw performance with reliable data durability is the ultimate goal. Our latest white paper explores a powerful synergy for OpenStack environments: leveraging Lightbits NVMe®-over-TCP as your high-performance block storage backend while using S3-compatible object storage (such as Garage) for seamless, scalable backups.
This integration solves a critical challenge for cloud architects—how to protect mission-critical NVMe workloads without sacrificing the agility of the OpenStack ecosystem. By offloading Cinder volume backups to an S3 repository, organizations can achieve a cost-effective disaster recovery strategy that bridges the gap between ultra-low latency primary storage and durable, long-term archival tiers.
Why This Architecture Matters
The white paper breaks down the technical “magic” that happens behind the scenes. When you trigger a backup, the Lightbits Cinder driver coordinates a sophisticated workflow of transient snapshots and cloning. This process ensures that even “in-use” volumes are captured with crash consistency, all while maintaining the high IOPS and low latency your applications demand.
Key Highlights from the Paper:
- Streamlined Configuration: A step-by-step guide to modifying cinder.conf for S3 driver integration.
- Operational Workflows: Detailed CLI commands for initiating backups and performing direct-to-volume restores.
- Under-the-Hood Logic: An analysis of how Lightbits handles snapshot lifecycle management to minimize storage overhead.
- Data Integrity: Best practices for navigating the differences between crash-consistent and application-consistent backups.
Whether you are looking to reduce your Recovery Time Objective (RTO) or simply want to leverage the flexibility of cloud-native storage for your private cloud, this guide provides the technical blueprint to make it happen.
To learn more, download the white paper: Lightbits and Cinder backup for OpenStack, an Implementation Guide for OpenStack Cinder Backup with Lightbits Labs.
