Importing cloud snapshots

You can restore a cloud snapshot for a volume that was backed up from another system to the same container by importing a snapshot version of that volume to the local system.

When you import a cloud snapshot of a volume that is not on the current system, you can choose to use the unique identifier of the snapshot to replace the existing UID on the volume. In this case, the UID of the snapshot replaces the existing UID for the volume that is selected to receive the restored data. Ensure that the new UID is not currently used on any other volume in the system. The management GUI does not support UID replacement when a snapshot is imported from another system.

Note: The cloud account on the target system must use the same login credentials and the same container prefix as the cloud account that was used to back up the volume initially.

To import a cloud snapshot from another system, complete these steps:

Determine the import system ID for the system that the cloud snapshot is being imported from, by entering the following command on the target system:

lscloudaccountimportcandidate

In the results that display, locate and write down the import_system_id that is needed to set the cloud account into import mode. The following example shows possible results from this command:

cloud_account_id cloud_account_name import_system_id import_system_name backup_volume_count backup_size backup_timestamp
0                my_amazon          00002007D40A162  cluster1           0                   0.00GB             
0                my_amazon          00002007F42E813  cluster2           44                  15.25TB     151008084203

To change the mode of the cloud account, you use different commands based on the type of cloud account that is configured. If you use IBM Cloud™ or OpenStack Swift cloud service providers, enter the following command:
```
chcloudaccountswift -mode import -importsystem import_system_id cloud_account_id_or_name
```
where import_system_id is the import system identifier that was displayed in the results of the lscloudaccountimportcandidate and cloud_account_id_or_name is the name or ID of the cloud account.
If you use Amazon as your cloud service provider, enter the following command:
```
chcloudaccountawss3 -mode import -importsystem import_system_id cloud_account_id_or_name
```
where import_system_id is the import system identifier that was displayed in the results of the lscloudaccountimportcandidate and cloud_account_id_or_name is the name or ID of the cloud account.
The target system must have access to the encryption key for the source system. If the encryption key is stored on a USB drive, then a copy of the USB drive must be taken from the source system and placed on the config node of the target system. If the encryption key for the source system is stored on a key server, then the target system must also use the same key server. Additionally, the source and target systems must use the same encryption setting. Either both cloud accounts must be encrypted, or both must be unencrypted. The source and target systems must use a common cloud provider container.
Use the restorevolume command to restore the cloud snapshot for the volume that was backed up. For more information about the restorevolume command, see Restoring cloud snapshots.
To confirm that the cloud account is in import mode, enter the following command:
```
lscloudaccount cloud_account_id_or_name
```
where cloud_account_id_or_name is the name or ID of the cloud account. The target system can now access the data that is in the cloud snapshot of the source system.
To return the cloud account to normal mode, you use different commands based on the type of cloud account. If you use IBM Cloud or OpenStack Swift cloud service providers, enter the following command:
```
chcloudaccountswift -mode normal cloud_account_id_or_name
```
where cloud_account_id_or_name is the name or ID of the cloud account.
If you use Amazon as your cloud service provider, enter the following command:
```
chcloudaccountawss3 -mode normal cloud_account_id_or_name
```
where cloud_account_id_or_name is the name or ID of the cloud account.