How to schedule EBS snapshots in AWS

AWS provides Data Lifecycle Manager to automate the process of backing up of EBS volumes. We can configure lifecycle policeis to schedule the EBS snapshots.

This article explains the steps to configure lifecycle policy to schedule the EBS snapshots.

Step1: Login to AWS console.

Step2: Navigate to EC2 managemanet console.

Step3: Select Lifecycle Manager under Elastic Block Store.

Step4: Select EBS Snapshot Lifecycle Policy and proceed next.

Step5: Select a resource type. Select Volume if you want to schedule snapshots for volumes with a specific tag and select Instance if you want to schedule snapshots for instances with a specific tag.

Step6: Add the Target resource tags according to the previous option.

Step7: Enter a Description for the policy.

Step8: Select an AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) role that has snapshot create and delete permissions. The Default role has all the required permissions.

Step9: Select the Policy status as Enabled and proceed next.

Step10: Add a Schedule name to your policy. Any snapshot created with this policy is automatically tagged with the schedule name entered here.

Step11: Enter the Frequency that the policy need to be executed.

Step12: Enter the number of hours that will elapse between policy runs.

Step13: Enter the policy run start time. Snapshot creation starts within one hour of the specified start time.

Step14: Set the Retention rule to the maximum number of snapshots that you want to retain. The oldest snapshot beyond this number will be deleted.

Step15: Review the Policy Summary to verify that the specified rules meet your requirements.

Step16: Select Create Policy.

That's all…