System Backup and Restore
Full system backup creates a complete snapshot of your UFM system including Docker images and configurations. This enables complete disaster recovery and version downgrade capability.
The backup includes:
UFM enterprise Docker image
All plugin Docker images
UFM configuration files
Plugin configurations
Install arguments
UFM version and plugin versions
Preserved During Restore (Not Replaced):
PKEY configurations (
/opt/ufm/files/conf/opensm/partitions.conf)Unhealthy ports configuration (
/opt/ufm/files/conf/opensm/opensm-health-policy.conf)Existing backups (
/opt/ufm/files/backup,/opt/ufm/backup)
Only a single full system backup is kept at any time; creating a new backup overwrites the existing one.
Standalone (SA):
Full backup stored at
/opt/ufm/backup/downgrade/1/Accessible to the local system only
High Availability (HA):
Full backup stored at
/opt/ufm/backup/downgrade/1/on the master node's local storageNOT stored on DRBD shared storage (unlike configuration snapshots)
Important: If HA failover occurs, the new master will NOT have access to backups created on the old master
User Action Required: After failover, if you need to restore a backup created on the old master, you must manually copy
/opt/ufm/backup/downgrade/from the old master to the new master node
During backup, the tool performs schema validation on some of the config files; if this step fails, the backup operation stops with a proper error.
Basic Backup
Create a full system backup. Run:
ufm_versions_mgr backup
Backup with Options
Create a backup with a label. Run:
ufm_versions_mgr backup --label "Before production deployment"
Create backup in custom location. Run:
ufm_versions_mgr backup --backup-dir /mnt/external/ufm-backup
Create backup with more workers for faster operation. Run:
ufm_versions_mgr backup --max-workers 10
Command Options
Option | Description |
| Optional description for backup |
| Custom backup location (default: |
| Number of parallel workers (4-10, default: 8) |
| List existing backup |
| Preview operation |
| Enable detailed output |
List existing full system backup. Run:
ufm_versions_mgr backup --list
Preview Backup (Dry-Run)
Preview backup operation. Run:
ufm_versions_mgr backup --dry-run
The UFM service continues to run during the backup, with no downtime.
Standalone (SA) Restore
Preview restore. Run:
ufm_versions_mgr restore --dry-run
Restore full system. Run:
ufm_versions_mgr restor
Restore Process:
Validate backup integrity
Save current PKEY and health policy configurations
Stop UFM service
Uninstall current UFM
Load Docker images from backup
Install UFM with saved install arguments
Restore configurations
Restore preserved files (PKEY, health policies)
Start UFM service
The UFM service is stopped for the duration of the restore operation.
High Availability (HA) Restore
Restore full system in HA environment. Run on master node:
ufm_versions_mgr restore
Restore Process
Validate backup integrity
Save current PKEY and health policy configurations
Stop HA cluster
Get standby node IP from HA configuration
Uninstall UFM on master
Load Docker images on master
SSH to standby: Uninstall UFM and load images
Install UFM on master with saved install arguments
Install UFM on standby with saved install arguments.
Restore configurations
Restore preserved files
Start HA cluster
The restore must be executed from the master node.
SSH trust with the standby node is set up automatically.
The entire HA cluster is offline for the duration of the restore.
Restore from Custom Location
Restore from custom backup directory. Run:
ufm_versions_mgr restore --backup-dir /mnt/external/ufm-backup
During full system restore, the following files from the current system are preserved:
File / Directories | Reason | |
PKey Configurations |
| Represents current fabric partitioning. Changing PKEYs can disrupt running workloads. |
Unhealthy Ports Configuration | / opt /ufm/files/conf/opensm/opensm-health-policy.conf | Current health policies should survive version changes. |
Existing Backups |
| Maintain ability to restore again. |