Configure application-consistent backups

This document shows you how to configure scheduled, application-consistent backups and point-in-time recovery (PITR) workflows for self-managed databases running on Compute Engine Linux virtual machine (VM) instances.

When you back up stateful database workloads—such as IBM Db2, SAP HANA, MySQL, or PostgreSQL—standard crash-consistent snapshots taken by Backup and DR can capture the database while transactions are still in progress. These incomplete transactions can corrupt data, leave tables in inconsistent states, and require lengthy database repair routines upon crash recovery. Application-consistent backups resolve these issues by integrating with the VM guest agent to quiesce the database and optionally freeze the file system before creating a snapshot.

Before you begin

Complete the following tasks before configuring application-consistent backups.

Required roles

To get the permissions that you need to configure application-consistent backups, ask your administrator to grant you the following IAM roles on your project:

To configure and manage backup plans: Backup and DR Backup User (roles/backupdr.backupUser)
To manage Compute Engine instances: Compute Instance Admin (v1) (roles/compute.instanceAdmin.v1)
To access Secret Manager secrets from scripts: Secret Manager Secret Accessor (roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor)

For more information about granting roles, see Manage access to projects, folders, and organizations.

You might also be able to get the required permissions through custom roles or other predefined roles.

Prerequisites

In the Google Cloud console, on the project selector page, select or create a Google Cloud project.

Go to project selector
Verify that billing is enabled for your project.

Learn how to confirm that billing is enabled
Enable the Backup and DR and Secret Manager APIs.

Enable the APIs
Ensure that your database data and log files are stored on standard Persistent Disks. Google Cloud Hyperdisk volumes don't support guest-flush operations.
If you plan to configure point-in-time recovery, configure your database to archive its transaction and redo logs to a dedicated, separate Persistent Disk—for example, mounted at /db2/ACT/log_archive.

Use the bring-your-own-script (BYOS) guest-flush framework

Backup and DR uses the Bring-Your-Own-Script (BYOS) guest-flush framework to quiesce your database before a snapshot is taken. The guest environment relies on two scripts residing in the /etc/google/snapshots/ directory on your Linux VM instance:

Pre-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh): Executes before the snapshot is taken. This script must quiesce database operations and can optionally freeze the file system.
Post-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/post.sh): Executes after the snapshot is taken. This script must optionally unfreeze the file system and resume database operations.

To learn more about database-specific script templates, see Review sample scripts by database type.

Optional: Freeze and unfreeze file systems

Freezing the file system using the standard Linux utility fsfreeze is optional and not mandatory. Quiescing your database ensures application-level transaction consistency. However, if you require additional file-system-level consistency, you can optionally include the following file system freeze and unfreeze commands in your scripts.

Ensure your pre.sh and post.sh scripts on the VM are configured to handle optional file system freezing for log volumes without suspending database operations.

Add file system freeze instructions to pre.sh

If you choose to freeze file systems, add the following discovery and freeze logic at the end of your pre.sh script after quiescing the database:

# Discover local writeable mount points
MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

# FREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
    if ! sudo fsfreeze -f "$mnt"; then
        logger "Error: Failed to freeze $mnt. Cleaning up..."
        # Attempt emergency thaw
        for thaw_mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do sudo fsfreeze -u "$thaw_mnt" 2>/dev/null; done
        # Add your database-specific resume/cleanup commands here before exiting
        exit 1
    fi
    logger "Filesystem $mnt is frozen."
done

Add file system unfreeze instructions to post.sh

If you freeze file systems in pre.sh, add the following unfreeze logic at the beginning of your post.sh script before resuming the database:

# Discover local writeable mount points
MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

# UNFREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
    sudo fsfreeze -u "$mnt"
    logger "Filesystem $mnt is unfrozen."
done

Fetch credentials dynamically with Secret Manager

Avoid hardcoding static database credentials or passwords inside your shell scripts. Instead, use Secret Manager to fetch credentials dynamically at runtime. Replace static password variables in your scripts with the following logic:

# Fetch the database password from Secret Manager dynamically
DBPASSWORD=$(gcloud secrets versions access latest \
    --secret="SECRET_NAME" \
    --format='get(payload.data)' | tr -d '\n')

if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
    logger "Critical Error: Unable to fetch the password from Secret Manager."
    exit 1
fi

Replace SECRET_NAME with the name of the secret in Secret Manager.

Review sample scripts by database type

The following samples provide pre.sh and post.sh implementations for supported database engines running on Linux instances.

IBM Db2

Pre-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh
 # 1. Define Mount Points for the Database
 MOUNT_POINTS=("DATA_MOUNT_POINT" "LOG_MOUNT_POINT")
 logger "BYOS Framework: Starting pre-snapshot script."

 # 2. QUIESCE DATABASE (Generic Hook)
 # Replace with DB-specific command (e.g., 'db2 set write suspend')
 logger "Suspending Database I/O..."
 # [INSERT DB QUIESCE COMMAND HERE]

 # 3. FREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in "${MOUNT_POINTS[@]}"; do
     if ! sudo fsfreeze -f "$mnt"; then
         logger "Error: Failed to freeze $mnt."
         # Attempt emergency thaw
         for thaw_mnt in "${MOUNT_POINTS[@]}"; do sudo fsfreeze -u "$thaw_mnt" 2>/dev/null; done
         # [INSERT DB RESUME COMMAND HERE]
         exit 1
     fi
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is frozen."
 done

Post-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/post.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/post.sh
 MOUNT_POINTS=("DATA_MOUNT_POINT" "LOG_MOUNT_POINT")
 logger "BYOS Framework: Starting post-snapshot script."

 # 1. UNFREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in "${MOUNT_POINTS[@]}"; do
     sudo fsfreeze -u "$mnt"
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is unfrozen."
 done

 # 2. RESUME DATABASE (Generic Hook)
 # Replace with DB-specific command (e.g., 'db2 set write resume')
 logger "Resuming Database I/O..."
 # [INSERT DB RESUME COMMAND HERE]
 logger "BYOS Framework: Cleanup complete."

Oracle

Pre-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh)

 sudo mkdir -p /etc/google/snapshots
 sudo tee /etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh > /dev/null << 'EOF'
 #!/bin/bash
 # Place Oracle (ASM) into hot backup mode before Backup and DR captures disks
 su - oracle -c "sqlplus -s / as sysdba" << 'SQL'
 WHENEVER SQLERROR EXIT FAILURE;
 ALTER DATABASE BEGIN BACKUP;
 EXIT;
 SQL

 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
   echo "Error: Failed to place Oracle in backup mode. Aborting snapshot." >&2
   exit 1
 fi
 EOF

 sudo chmod 750 /etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh

Post-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/post.sh)

 sudo tee /etc/google/snapshots/post.sh > /dev/null << 'EOF'
 #!/bin/bash
 # Release Oracle from backup mode and archive current redo log to +FRA
 su - oracle -c "sqlplus -s / as sysdba" << 'SQL'
 WHENEVER SQLERROR EXIT FAILURE;
 ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP;
 ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT;
 EXIT;
 SQL

 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
   echo "Warning: Failed to execute ALTER DATABASE END BACKUP." >&2
   exit 1
 fi
 EOF

 sudo chmod 750 /etc/google/snapshots/post.sh

SAP HANA

Pre-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh

 DISK_ARG="$1"

 # 1. Configuration & Discovery
 DBSID="DBSID"
 DBADM="DBADM"
 ID_FILE="/tmp/hana_snapshot_id_$DBSID"
 HDB_KEY="HDB_KEY"

 if [[ "$DISK_ARG" == "," ]] || [[ "$DISK_ARG" == "1/0" ]] || [[ "$DISK_ARG" == "sda" ]]; then
     # Dynamically discover all local writeable mount points for full VM image consistency
     # Filters out pseudo, temporary, and read-only filesystems
     MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

     logger "SAP HANA Full VM BYOS: Starting pre-snapshot script for $DBSID."

     # 2. QUIESCE DATABASE (Create SAP HANA Snapshot)
     logger "SAP HANA Full VM BYOS: Creating database snapshot..."

     # Determine HANA Version
     # Versions 2.0+ use 'FOR FULL SYSTEM' syntax
     HANAVERSION=$(su - $DBADM -c "HDB version" | grep "version:" | awk '{print $2}' | cut -d'.' -f1)

     if [ "$HANAVERSION" = "1" ]; then
         SQL="BACKUP DATA CREATE SNAPSHOT COMMENT 'SNAPSHOT_$(date +%Y%m%d)'"
     else
         SQL="BACKUP DATA FOR FULL SYSTEM CREATE SNAPSHOT COMMENT 'SNAPSHOT_$(date +%Y%m%d)'"
     fi

     # Execute the snapshot command via hdbsql
     su - $DBADM -c "hdbsql -j -U $HDB_KEY \"$SQL\""
     if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
         logger "Error: Failed to create SAP HANA snapshot."
         exit 1
     fi

     # Retrieve the BACKUP_ID for the prepared snapshot
     ID=$(su - $DBADM -c "hdbsql -j -t -U $HDB_KEY \"SELECT BACKUP_ID FROM M_BACKUP_CATALOG WHERE STATE_NAME = 'prepared' ORDER BY SYS_START_TIME DESC\"" | head -n 2 | tr -d '"' | tail -n 1)

     if [ -z "$ID" ]; then
         logger "Error: Could not retrieve BACKUP_ID for prepared snapshot."
         exit 1
     fi

     echo "$ID" > "$ID_FILE"
     logger "SAP HANA Full VM BYOS: Database snapshot prepared with ID $ID."
 fi

Post-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/post.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/post.sh

 DISK_ARG="$1"

 # 1. Configuration & Discovery
 DBSID="DBSID"
 DBADM="DBADM"
 ID_FILE="/tmp/hana_snapshot_id_$DBSID"
 HDB_KEY="HDB_KEY"

 if [[ "$DISK_ARG" == "," ]] || [[ "$DISK_ARG" == "1/0" ]] || [[ "$DISK_ARG" == "sda" ]]; then
     # Discover all local writeable mount points to perform unfreeze
     MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

     logger "SAP HANA Full VM BYOS: Starting post-snapshot script for $DBSID."

     # 3. RESUME DATABASE (Close SAP HANA Snapshot)
     if [ -f "$ID_FILE" ]; then
         ID=$(cat "$ID_FILE")
         logger "SAP HANA Full VM BYOS: Closing database snapshot ID $ID..."

         # Determine HANA version for correct syntax
         HANAVERSION=$(su - $DBADM -c "HDB version" | grep "version:" | awk '{print $2}' | cut -d'.' -f1)

         if [ "$HANAVERSION" = "1" ]; then
             SQL="BACKUP DATA CLOSE SNAPSHOT BACKUP_ID $ID SUCCESSFUL 'SNAPSHOT_COMPLETED'"
         else
             SQL="BACKUP DATA FOR FULL SYSTEM CLOSE SNAPSHOT BACKUP_ID $ID SUCCESSFUL 'SNAPSHOT_COMPLETED'"
         fi

         # Execute the close snapshot command
         RESULT=$(su - $DBADM -c "hdbsql -j -U $HDB_KEY \"$SQL\"")
         if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
             logger "Error: Failed to close SAP HANA snapshot. $RESULT"
         else
             logger "SAP HANA Full VM BYOS: Database snapshot closed successfully."
         fi

         # Cleanup the temporary ID file
         rm -f "$ID_FILE"
     else
         logger "Error: Snapshot ID file not found. Manual intervention required to close HANA snapshot."
     fi

     logger "SAP HANA Full VM BYOS: Cleanup complete."

 else
     MOUNT_POINTS="/hanabackup"

     for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
         sudo fsfreeze -u "$mnt"
         logger "Filesystem $mnt is unfrozen."
     done
 fi

Replace the following:

DBSID: the SAP HANA system identifier (SID) in uppercase.
DBADM: the SAP HANA administrator OS user (such as <sid>adm).
HDB_KEY: the SAP HANA userstore key configured for database access.

SAP ASE

Pre-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh
 # 1. Configuration
 OSUSER="OS_USER"
 SYB_SERVER="SYB_SERVER_NAME"
 SYB_USER="SYB_USER"
 SYB_PASS="SYB_PASSWORD"
 SYB_DBLIST="DATABASE_LIST"
 TAG_NAME="SNAPSHOT_$(date +%Y%m%d)"
 MANIFEST_DIR="/var/tmp/sybase_manifests" # Directory for manifest files
 # 2. Discovery
 # Dynamically discover local writeable mount points
 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

 logger "Sybase Full VM BYOS: Starting pre-snapshot script."
 # 3. QUIESCE DATABASE
 mkdir -p "$MANIFEST_DIR"
 chown $OSUSER "$MANIFEST_DIR"

 logger "Sybase Full VM BYOS: Quiescing databases: $SYB_DBLIST..."
 # Command logic from act_sybase_pre.sh
 # We use 'hold' to suspend activity and create the manifest file
 su - $OSUSER -c "isql -U$SYB_USER -P$SYB_PASS -S$SYB_SERVER -X --retserverror" <<EOF
 quiesce database $TAG_NAME hold $SYB_DBLIST for external dump to '$MANIFEST_DIR/manifest_$TAG_NAME.dat' with override
 go
 exit
 EOF
 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     logger "Error: Failed to quiesce Sybase databases."
     exit 1
 fi
 # 4. FREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     if ! sudo fsfreeze -f "$mnt"; then
         logger "Error: Failed to freeze $mnt."
         # Attempt emergency thaw
         for thaw_mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do sudo fsfreeze -u "$thaw_mnt" 2>/dev/null; done
         # Release the database quiesce
         su - $OSUSER -c "isql -U$SYB_USER -P$SYB_PASS -S$SYB_SERVER -X" <<EOF
         quiesce database $TAG_NAME release
         go
         exit
 EOF
         exit 1
     fi
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is frozen."
 done

Post-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/post.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/post.sh

 # 1. Configuration
 OSUSER="OS_USER"
 SYB_SERVER="SYB_SERVER_NAME"
 SYB_USER="SYB_USER"
 SYB_PASS="SYB_PASSWORD"
 TAG_NAME="SNAPSHOT_$(date +%Y%m%d)"
 MANIFEST_DIR="/var/tmp/sybase_manifests"

 # 2. Discovery
 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

 logger "Sybase Full VM BYOS: Starting post-snapshot script."

 # 3. UNFREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     sudo fsfreeze -u "$mnt"
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is unfrozen."
 done

 # 4. RESUME DATABASE
 logger "Sybase Full VM BYOS: Releasing databases for tag $TAG_NAME..."

 # Command logic from act_sybase_post.sh
 su - $OSUSER -c "isql -U$SYB_USER -P$SYB_PASS -S$SYB_SERVER -X" <<EOF
 use master
 go
 quiesce database $TAG_NAME release
 go
 exit
 EOF

 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     logger "Error: Failed to release Sybase databases."
 else
     logger "Sybase Full VM BYOS: Databases released successfully."
     # Cleanup manifest
     rm -f "$MANIFEST_DIR/manifest_$TAG_NAME.dat"
 fi

 logger "Sybase Full VM BYOS: Cleanup complete."

Replace the following:

OS_USER: the operating system user running SAP ASE (such as sybase).
SYB_SERVER_NAME: the SAP ASE server name.
SYB_USER: the database user with permissions to quiesce databases.
SYB_PASSWORD: the database user password (or fetch dynamically with Secret Manager).
DATABASE_LIST: a comma-separated list of databases to quiesce.

SAP IQ

Pre-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh

 # 1. Configuration
 OSUSER="OS_USER"
 DB_NAME="DB_NAME"
 CONN_STR="uid=DB_USER;pwd=DB_PASSWORD;dbn=$DB_NAME;eng=ENGINE_NAME"
 BKP_DIR="/var/tmp/sybaseiq_bkp"
 FULL_BKP_FILE="$BKP_DIR/FULL_VIR_DEC"

 # 2. Discovery
 # Dynamically discover all local writeable mount points for full VM consistency
 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

 logger "SybaseIQ Full VM BYOS: Starting pre-snapshot script."

 # 3. QUIESCE DATABASE (Virtual Decoupled Backup)
 mkdir -p "$BKP_DIR"
 chown $OSUSER "$BKP_DIR"

 logger "SybaseIQ Full VM BYOS: Preparing virtual decoupled backup..."

 # Execute the quiesce command logic from act_sybaseiq_pre.sh
 su -m $OSUSER -c "dbisql -nogui -c '$CONN_STR' \"BACKUP DATABASE FULL VIRTUAL DECOUPLED TO '$FULL_BKP_FILE'\""

 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     logger "Error: Failed to freeze (not able to take full_vir_dec backup)."
     exit 1
 fi

 # 4. FREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     if ! sudo fsfreeze -f "$mnt"; then
         logger "Error: Failed to freeze $mnt."
         # Attempt emergency thaw
         for thaw_mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do sudo fsfreeze -u "$thaw_mnt" 2>/dev/null; done
         # Cleanup quiesce file as backup is invalid
         rm -f "$FULL_BKP_FILE"
         exit 1
     fi
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is frozen."
 done

Post-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/post.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/post.sh
 # 1. Configuration
 OSUSER="OS_USER"
 DB_NAME="DB_NAME"
 CONN_STR="uid=DB_USER;pwd=DB_PASSWORD;dbn=$DB_NAME;eng=ENGINE_NAME"
 BKP_DIR="/var/tmp/sybaseiq_bkp"
 FULL_BKP_FILE="$BKP_DIR/FULL_VIR_DEC"
 INC_BKP_FILE="$BKP_DIR/INC_BKP"
 # 2. Discovery
 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)
 logger "SybaseIQ Full VM BYOS: Starting post-snapshot script."
 # 3. UNFREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     sudo fsfreeze -u "$mnt"
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is unfrozen."
 done
 # 4. RESUME DATABASE (Post-Snapshot Cleanup)
 logger "SybaseIQ Full VM BYOS: Performing incremental since full backup..."
 # Logic from act_sybaseiq_post.sh to finish the decoupled sequence
 su -m $OSUSER -c "dbisql -nogui -c '$CONN_STR' \"BACKUP DATABASE INCREMENTAL SINCE FULL TO '$INC_BKP_FILE'\""
 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     logger "Error: Failed post-quiesce incremental backup."
 fi
 # Remove temporary files created during quiesce
 rm -f "$FULL_BKP_FILE"*
 logger "SybaseIQ Full VM BYOS: Cleanup complete."

Replace the following:

OS_USER: the operating system user running SAP IQ (such as sybiq).
DB_NAME: the SAP IQ database name.
DB_USER: the database user with DBA privileges.
DB_PASSWORD: the database user password (or fetch dynamically with Secret Manager).
ENGINE_NAME: the SAP IQ database engine name.

SAP MaxDB

Pre-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh

 # 1. Configuration
 DBSID="DBSID"
 OSUSER="OS_USER"
 MAXDB_KEY="-user DBM_USER,DBM_PASSWORD"
 AUTOLOG_TMPLT="LOG_BACKUP"

 # 2. Discovery
 # Dynamically discover all local writeable mount points for full VM consistency
 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

 logger "MaxDB Full VM BYOS: Starting pre-snapshot script for $DBSID."

 # 3. QUIESCE DATABASE
 # Optional: Trigger a log backup first to ensure point-in-time recovery readiness
 logger "MaxDB Full VM BYOS: Triggering log backup..."
 su -m $OSUSER -c "dbmcli -d $DBSID $MAXDB_KEY -uUTL -c backup_start $AUTOLOG_TMPLT LOG"

 # Suspend logwriter to quiesce the database
 logger "MaxDB Full VM BYOS: Suspending logwriter..."
 su -m $OSUSER -c "dbmcli -d $DBSID $MAXDB_KEY -uUTL -c util_execute suspend logwriter"
 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     logger "Error: Failed to suspend MaxDB logwriter."
     exit 1
 fi

 # 4. FREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     if ! sudo fsfreeze -f "$mnt"; then
         logger "Error: Failed to freeze $mnt."
         # Attempt emergency thaw
         for thaw_mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do sudo fsfreeze -u "$thaw_mnt" 2>/dev/null; done
         # Resume the logwriter as the backup is no longer consistent
         su -m $OSUSER -c "dbmcli -d $DBSID $MAXDB_KEY -uUTL -c util_execute resume logwriter"
         exit 1
     fi
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is frozen."
 done

Post-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/post.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/post.sh

 # 1. Configuration
 DBSID="DBSID"
 OSUSER="OS_USER"
 MAXDB_KEY="-user DBM_USER,DBM_PASSWORD"

 # 2. Discovery
 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

 logger "MaxDB Full VM BYOS: Starting post-snapshot script for $DBSID."

 # 3. UNFREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     sudo fsfreeze -u "$mnt"
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is unfrozen."
 done

 # 4. RESUME DATABASE
 logger "MaxDB Full VM BYOS: Resuming logwriter..."
 su -m $OSUSER -c "dbmcli -d $DBSID $MAXDB_KEY -uUTL -c util_execute resume logwriter"
 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     logger "Error: Failed to resume MaxDB logwriter."
 else
     logger "MaxDB Full VM BYOS: Logwriter resumed successfully."
 fi

 logger "MaxDB Full VM BYOS: Cleanup complete."

Replace the following:

DBSID: the SAP MaxDB system identifier (SID) in uppercase.
OS_USER: the operating system user running MaxDB (such as sdba).
DBM_USER: the Database Manager (DBM) user.
DBM_PASSWORD: the DBM user password (or use a stored DBM key: -k KEY_NAME).

PostgreSQL

Pre-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # 1. Configuration
 OSUSER="OS_USER"
 PG_HOME="PG_HOME"
 DBUSER="DB_USER"
 PORT=PORT_NUMBER
 DBNAME="DB_NAME"
 FIFO="/tmp/pg_backup_fifo_$PORT"
 PID_FILE="/tmp/pg_backup_pid_$PORT"
 ACT_JOBNAME="SNAPSHOT_$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S)"

 # 2. Discovery
 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)
 export PATH=$PG_HOME/bin:$PATH

 logger "PostgreSQL Full VM BYOS: Starting pre-snapshot script."

 # 3. QUIESCE DATABASE (Session-Bound)
 rm -f "$FIFO"
 mkfifo "$FIFO"
 chown "$OSUSER" "$FIFO"

 su "$OSUSER" -c "psql -p $PORT -U $DBUSER -d $DBNAME -f $FIFO" > /tmp/pg_backup_output.log 2>&1 &
 echo $! > "$PID_FILE"

 psql_version=$(su "$OSUSER" -c "psql --version" | awk '{print $3}' | cut -d'.' -f1)
 if [ "$psql_version" -ge 15 ]; then
     CMD="SELECT pg_backup_start('$ACT_JOBNAME');"
 else
     CMD="SELECT pg_start_backup('$ACT_JOBNAME');"
 fi

 echo "$CMD" > "$FIFO"
 sleep 2

 # 4. FREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     if ! sudo fsfreeze -f "$mnt"; then
         logger "Error: Failed to freeze $mnt. Cleaning up..."
         for thaw_mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do sudo fsfreeze -u "$thaw_mnt" 2>/dev/null; done
         echo "SELECT pg_backup_stop(); exit;" > "$FIFO"
         rm -f "$FIFO" "$PID_FILE"
         exit 1
     fi
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is frozen."
 done

Post-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/post.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 PORT=PORT_NUMBER
 FIFO="/tmp/pg_backup_fifo_$PORT"
 PID_FILE="/tmp/pg_backup_pid_$PORT"

 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)
 logger "PostgreSQL Full VM BYOS: Starting post-snapshot script."

 # 1. UNFREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     sudo fsfreeze -u "$mnt"
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is unfrozen."
 done

 # 2. RESUME DATABASE (Close Session)
 if [ -p "$FIFO" ]; then
     logger "PostgreSQL Full VM BYOS: Closing backup session via FIFO..."
     echo "SELECT pg_backup_stop(); SELECT pg_stop_backup(); exit;" > "$FIFO"
     if [ -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then
         wait "$(cat "$PID_FILE")" 2>/dev/null
     fi
     rm -f "$FIFO" "$PID_FILE"
     logger "PostgreSQL Full VM BYOS: Database session closed."
 else
     logger "Error: FIFO not found. Session may have terminated unexpectedly."
 fi
 logger "PostgreSQL Full VM BYOS: Cleanup complete."

Replace the following:

OS_USER: the operating system user running PostgreSQL (such as postgres).
PG_HOME: the path to the PostgreSQL installation directory.
DB_USER: the PostgreSQL database user with superuser privileges.
PORT_NUMBER: the port number that PostgreSQL listens on (default: 5432).
DB_NAME: the name of the database to connect to.

MySQL

Pre-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # 1. Configuration
 DBUSER="DB_USER"
 DBPASSWORD="DB_PASSWORD"
 PORTNO=PORT_NUMBER
 SOCKET_FILE="/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock"
 MYSQL_PATH="/usr/bin/mysql"
 FIFO="/tmp/mysql_backup_fifo_$PORTNO"
 PID_FILE="/tmp/mysql_backup_pid_$PORTNO"

 # 2. Discovery
 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

 logger "MySQL Full VM BYOS: Starting pre-snapshot script."

 # 3. QUIESCE DATABASE (Session-Bound Lock)
 rm -f "$FIFO"
 mkfifo "$FIFO"

 $MYSQL_PATH -u"$DBUSER" -p"$DBPASSWORD" -S"$SOCKET_FILE" -P"$PORTNO" < "$FIFO" > /tmp/mysql_backup_output.log 2>&1 &
 echo $! > "$PID_FILE"

 logger "MySQL Full VM BYOS: Issuing FLUSH TABLES WITH READ LOCK..."
 echo "FLUSH TABLES WITH READ LOCK; SELECT SLEEP(86400);" > "$FIFO"
 sleep 2

 # 4. FREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     if ! sudo fsfreeze -f "$mnt"; then
         logger "Error: Failed to freeze $mnt. Cleaning up..."
         for thaw_mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do sudo fsfreeze -u "$thaw_mnt" 2>/dev/null; done
         kill $(cat "$PID_FILE") 2>/dev/null
         rm -f "$FIFO" "$PID_FILE"
         exit 1
     fi
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is frozen."
 done

Post-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/post.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 PORTNO=PORT_NUMBER
 FIFO="/tmp/mysql_backup_fifo_$PORTNO"
 PID_FILE="/tmp/mysql_backup_pid_$PORTNO"

 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)
 logger "MySQL Full VM BYOS: Starting post-snapshot script."

 # 1. UNFREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     sudo fsfreeze -u "$mnt"
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is unfrozen."
 done

 # 2. RESUME DATABASE (Unlock)
 if [ -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then
     logger "MySQL Full VM BYOS: Releasing locks..."
     kill $(cat "$PID_FILE") 2>/dev/null
     rm -f "$FIFO" "$PID_FILE"
     logger "MySQL Full VM BYOS: Locks released and session closed."
 else
     logger "Error: PID file not found. Lock may have been lost prematurely."
 fi
 logger "MySQL Full VM BYOS: Cleanup complete."

Replace the following:

DB_USER: the MySQL database user with administrative privileges.
DB_PASSWORD: the MySQL database password (or fetch dynamically with Secret Manager).
PORT_NUMBER: the port number that MySQL listens on (default: 3306).

MariaDB

Pre-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh

 # 1. Configuration
 DBUSER="DB_USER"
 DBPASSWORD="DB_PASSWORD"
 PORTNO=PORT_NUMBER
 SOCKET_FILE="/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock"
 MARIADB_PATH="/usr/bin/mariadb" # or /usr/bin/mysql
 SRV_TYPE="Master" # Set to "Slave" for standby nodes
 FIFO="/tmp/mariadb_backup_fifo_$PORTNO"
 PID_FILE="/tmp/mariadb_backup_pid_$PORTNO"
 STARTPOS_FILE="/tmp/STARTPOS_FILE_$PORTNO.txt"

 # 2. Discovery
 # Dynamically discover all local writeable mount points for full VM consistency
 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)

 logger "MariaDB Full VM BYOS: Starting pre-snapshot script."

 # 3. QUIESCE DATABASE (Session-Bound)
 # Create a FIFO to hold the session open
 rm -f "$FIFO"
 mkfifo "$FIFO"

 # Start a background mariadb session that reads from the FIFO
 # This keeps the session (and locks) active until the process is killed
 $MARIADB_PATH -u"$DBUSER" -p"$DBPASSWORD" -S"$SOCKET_FILE" -P"$PORTNO" < "$FIFO" > /tmp/mariadb_backup_output.log 2>&1 &
 echo $! > "$PID_FILE"

 # Prepare quiesce query (Logic from act_mariadb_pre.sh)
 if [ "$SRV_TYPE" != "Slave" ]; then
     # Primary node: lock all tables
     logger "MariaDB Full VM BYOS: Issuing FLUSH TABLES WITH READ LOCK..."
     echo "FLUSH TABLES WITH READ LOCK; SELECT SLEEP(86400);" > "$FIFO"

     # Capture master status for PITR/replication info
     $MARIADB_PATH -u"$DBUSER" -p"$DBPASSWORD" -S"$SOCKET_FILE" -P"$PORTNO" -e "SHOW MASTER STATUS;" > "$STARTPOS_FILE"
 else
     # Replica node: stop the slave thread
     logger "MariaDB Full VM BYOS: Issuing STOP SLAVE..."
     echo "STOP SLAVE; SELECT SLEEP(86400);" > "$FIFO"

     # Capture slave status
     $MARIADB_PATH -u"$DBUSER" -p"$DBPASSWORD" -S"$SOCKET_FILE" -P"$PORTNO" -e "SHOW SLAVE STATUS \G;" > "$STARTPOS_FILE"
 fi

 # Wait a brief moment to ensure the command is processed
 sleep 2
 # 4. FREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     if ! sudo fsfreeze -f "$mnt"; then
         logger "Error: Failed to freeze $mnt. Cleaning up..."
         # Attempt emergency thaw
         for thaw_mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do sudo fsfreeze -u "$thaw_mnt" 2>/dev/null; done
         # Kill the background session to release locks
         kill $(cat "$PID_FILE") 2>/dev/null
         rm -f "$FIFO" "$PID_FILE"
         exit 1
     fi
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is frozen."
 done

Post-snapshot script (/etc/google/snapshots/post.sh)

 #!/bin/bash
 # Location: /etc/google/snapshots/post.sh
 # 1. Configuration
 PORTNO=PORT_NUMBER
 SRV_TYPE="Master"
 DBUSER="DB_USER"
 DBPASSWORD="DB_PASSWORD"
 SOCKET_FILE="/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock"
 MARIADB_PATH="/usr/bin/mariadb"
 FIFO="/tmp/mariadb_backup_fifo_$PORTNO"
 PID_FILE="/tmp/mariadb_backup_pid_$PORTNO"
 # 2. Discovery
 MOUNT_POINTS=$(findmnt -n -l -o TARGET -t xfs,ext4,ext3,ext2,btrfs)
 logger "MariaDB Full VM BYOS: Starting post-snapshot script."
 # 3. UNFREEZE FILESYSTEMS (Optional)
 for mnt in $MOUNT_POINTS; do
     sudo fsfreeze -u "$mnt"
     logger "Filesystem $mnt is unfrozen."
 done
 # 4. RESUME DATABASE
 if [ -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then
     logger "MariaDB Full VM BYOS: Resuming database operations..."
     # Kill the background sleep process to automatically release session-bound locks
     kill $(cat "$PID_FILE") 2>/dev/null
     # For slave nodes, explicitly ensure replication is started
     if [ "$SRV_TYPE" = "Slave" ]; then
         $MARIADB_PATH -u"$DBUSER" -p"$DBPASSWORD" -S"$SOCKET_FILE" -P"$PORTNO" -e "START SLAVE;"
     fi
     rm -f "$FIFO" "$PID_FILE"
     logger "MariaDB Full VM BYOS: Cleanup complete."
 else
     logger "Error: PID file not found. Database state might be inconsistent."
 fi

Replace the following:

DB_USER: the MariaDB database user with administrative privileges.
DB_PASSWORD: the MariaDB database password (or fetch dynamically with Secret Manager).
PORT_NUMBER: the port number that MariaDB listens on (default: 3306).

Deploy guest-flush scripts

After preparing your pre.sh and post.sh scripts for your database, deploy them to the Linux VM instance:

Connect to the Linux VM instance running your self-managed database by using SSH.
Create the /etc/google/snapshots/ directory if it doesn't already exist:
```
sudo mkdir -p /etc/google/snapshots
```
Save your custom pre.sh and post.sh scripts to the /etc/google/snapshots/ directory on the VM instance.

Ensure that the scripts have execute permissions:

sudo chmod 755 /etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh /etc/google/snapshots/post.sh

Enable the guest agent for snapshots

To allow Backup and DR to run pre-snapshot and post-snapshot scripts, enable snapshot integration in the Compute Engine guest environment on your Linux VM instance:

Connect to the Linux VM instance running your self-managed database by using SSH (if not already connected).
Open the guest environment configuration file in a text editor:
```
sudo nano /etc/default/instance_configs.cfg
```
Add or modify the following settings under the [Snapshots] section to enable snapshots:
```
[Snapshots]
enabled = true
timeout_in_seconds = 120
```
Note: The timeout_in_seconds parameter specifies the maximum time the guest agent waits for the pre.sh and post.sh scripts to finish. Adjust this value to accommodate the duration of your database quiesce or file system freeze operations.
Restart the guest agent on the VM instance to apply the changes:
```
sudo systemctl restart google-guest-agent
```

Configure the backup plan

Now that the VM instance is configured with the guest-flush scripts and the guest agent is enabled for snapshots, configure a backup plan in the Google Cloud console:

In the Google Cloud console, go to the Backup and DR page.

Go to Backup and DR
From the navigation menu, select Backup Plans.
Click Create Backup Plan, or select an existing backup plan and click Edit.
Under the Instance Backup configuration steps, locate the consistency options.
Select the Enable Application Consistency option.
Save and apply the backup plan to your VM instance. On schedule, the backup plan triggers the guest agent to run your pre.sh script, take the snapshot, and run the post.sh script.

Configure the Persistent Disk backup for database point-in-time recovery

For self-managed databases such as Db2 and SAP HANA, you can configure standalone Persistent Disk backups to capture database archive logs, enabling point-in-time recovery. If you don't require point-in-time recovery, you can skip to Disable guest-flush scripts.

Best practices for point-in-time recovery log backups

Frequency: Configure the backup plan schedule for this dedicated log disk to be equal to your point-in-time recovery log granularity, for example, every 15 minutes or hourly.
Cost optimization: Storing frequent snapshots can increase storage costs. To minimize overhead, configure the minimum retention period and the corresponding immutability vault period to the minimum allowable time that still satisfies your point-in-time recovery window.

Recover a self-managed database to a specific point in time

If you have configured regular VM backups alongside dedicated Persistent Disk log backups, follow this procedure to restore your database to a specific point in time. If you didn't configure dedicated log backups or don't require point-in-time recovery, see Restore a Compute Engine instance from a backup vault to restore your VM directly, and skip to Perform post-restore tasks.

Recovery workflow

Restore the base VM: Select the instance backup (machine image) from the backup vault that precedes your target recovery time. Restore it following standard Compute Engine restore procedures. For instructions, see Restore a Compute Engine instance from a backup vault.

If you didn't configure dedicated log backups or don't require point-in-time recovery, skip to step 4.
Attach log disks: Identify and restore the relevant log disk snapshots captured up to your target recovery time. Attach these newly created disks to the restored instance.

Note: You can restore the persistent disk by using the Google Cloud console or by using gcloud CLI during the roll-forward procedure. You might need to mount multiple log backup disks to ensure all essential archived logs are available.
Roll forward the database: Connect to the restored instance by using SSH and execute the database-specific roll-forward command—such as ROLLFORWARD DATABASE in Db2—by using the logs located on the newly attached persistent disks.
Perform post-restore tasks: Perform any database-specific steps required to bring the application online.

Caution: Ensure database configurations are updated if the name of the restored VM or the attached disk paths differ from the source environment.

Disable guest-flush scripts

To remove the custom guest-flush scripts and disable application consistency:

Unassign the backup plan from your instance: In the Google Cloud console, go to the Backup and DR page, locate your VM instance under Protected Resources, and unassign or delete the backup plan association.
Remove guest-flush scripts: Connect to your Linux VM instance by using SSH and remove the custom guest-flush scripts:
```
sudo rm -f /etc/google/snapshots/pre.sh /etc/google/snapshots/post.sh
```
Disable snapshot integration in the guest agent: Open /etc/default/instance_configs.cfg on your VM instance, set enabled = false under [Snapshots], and restart the guest agent:
```
sudo systemctl restart google-guest-agent
```

Configure application-consistent backups Stay organized with collections Save and categorize content based on your preferences.

Before you begin

Required roles

Prerequisites

Use the bring-your-own-script (BYOS) guest-flush framework

Optional: Freeze and unfreeze file systems

Add file system freeze instructions to pre.sh

Add file system unfreeze instructions to post.sh

Fetch credentials dynamically with Secret Manager

Review sample scripts by database type

IBM Db2

Oracle

SAP HANA

SAP ASE

SAP IQ

SAP MaxDB

PostgreSQL

MySQL

MariaDB

Deploy guest-flush scripts

Enable the guest agent for snapshots

Configure the backup plan

Configure the Persistent Disk backup for database point-in-time recovery

Best practices for point-in-time recovery log backups

Recover a self-managed database to a specific point in time

Recovery workflow

Disable guest-flush scripts

What's next

Configure application-consistent backups