Cohesity DataProtect with PCD

Configure Cohesity DataProtect as the NFS backup repository for Storware-protected VMs running in Private Cloud Director.

Cohesity DataProtect provides a secure, policy-driven backup repository for virtual machines running in Private Cloud Director (PCD).

Storware manages the OpenStack-aware backup and recovery workflow. It writes backup data to a Cohesity SmartFiles NFS 4.1 View. Cohesity provides immutability, retention, deduplication, compression, encryption, quotas, and fault tolerance.

Cohesity lists Private Cloud Director as a supported OpenStack distribution. Confirm the version pairing on the Cohesity supported versions page.

How it works

Three components work together:

• Private Cloud Director hosts the protected virtual machines.
• Storware discovers VMs, schedules backups, creates snapshots, and transfers data.
• Cohesity DataProtect provides the SmartFiles NFS 4.1 View that stores backup data.

During a backup, Storware snapshots VM data in PCD. It then writes the data to the mounted Cohesity NFS View. See the Cohesity backup architecture for details.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure your environment meets these requirements.

Private Cloud Director and Storware

• PCD version 2025.10-180 or later.
• Storware Backup and Recovery version 7.5 or later.
• Administrator access to the PCD tenants you plan to protect.
• A deployed Storware integration. Follow Storware Integration with PCD to deploy and connect Storware.

If you have a Cohesity-provided Storware license, download the "OpenStack Software Backup and Recovery" package from Cohesity downloads page for your Storware deployment.

Cohesity DataProtect

• DataProtect version 7.4.1 and a healthy Cohesity cluster with a Storage Domain.
• An account with permission to create and manage views.
• The required environment inputs and validations. See Plan and Prepare for OpenStack VMs Protection.

Network requirements

Allow bidirectional traffic between the Storware nodes and the Cohesity cluster. See Validate Network Requirements.

• TCP 2049: NFSv4.1 backup and restore data transfer.

Set up the backup repository

A Cohesity View is a storage location that provides NFS, SMB, S3, or SWIFT access for storing files, backups, snapshots, and VM data.

Authorized systems can mount a view. A view can also act as a datastore for VM cloning and recovery.

Create and secure the Cohesity View

Create the storage location on the Cohesity cluster.

1. In Cohesity DataProtect, go to SmartFiles → Views → Create View.
2. Configure the following settings:

   • Category: Backup Target
   • Type: General Backup
   • Read/Write Protocol: NFS 4.1
   • Performance Policy: Backup Target High
3. Apply a subnet allowlist. Allow access only from Storware node subnets.
4. Set NFS Squash to None for the Storware subnet.
5. Optionally, set a Logical Quota and alert threshold.

NFS squash removes required write permissions. Backups fail with permission denied errors when it remains enabled.

For detailed view-creation steps, see Cohesity Backup Target Setup.

Connect Storware and run the first backup

Next, configure Storware to use the NFS view you just created as its primary backup destination.

1. Mount the Cohesity View on the Storware node. See the reference mount command.
2. Ensure the mount directory is owned by the Storware user, usually vprotect.
3. In Storware, create a File System backup destination.
4. Enter the mounted Cohesity View path as the destination.
5. Create a backup policy for your PCD instances.
6. Select the Cohesity View as the policy's primary backup destination.

For Storware-side policy guidance, see Configure Backup in Storware.

Verify the first backup

Back up one small VM, then confirm the data reached Cohesity.

Open the view in SmartFiles → Views. Confirm its logical and physical usage are no longer zero.

Cohesity View features

Cohesity Views expose features for several protocols. The following features apply to an NFS Backup Target View used by Storware.

Feature	Support	How to use it
IP allowlists	Supported and recommended	Use global or view-level subnet allowlists. Allow only Storware node subnets that require read and write access.
NFS squash	Supported	Root squash and all squash can be configured at the subnet, netgroup, or view level; subnet/netgroup settings supersede view-level settings
NFS root permissions	Supported	The cluster administrator can set UID/GID for the root of the Cohesity view
Logical quota	Supported	A view can inherit quota settings or override them with a Logical Quota and alert threshold
User quotas	Supported	User quotas are supported on views
Directory quotas	Supported	Directory quotas are supported on views
QoS policy	Recommended: Backup Target High	Create the view with Backup Target → General Backup → NFS 4.1 → Backup Target High.
Protect the view	Supported	Views can be protected with snapshots/backup-related capabilities; use this if you need repository-side protection workflows
Snapshot Self-Service	Supported	NFS snapshot self-service can be enabled by turning on the snapshot directory option for the view
Antivirus scanning	Supported	Antivirus scanning can be enabled on a view if an antivirus provider is registered on the cluster
File Services audit logs	Supported	Audit logging can be enabled on views; NFS view operations such as create, delete, rename, ownership change, and content modification are logged
Discoverable Shares	Supported	NFS shares are not discoverable by default; if enabled, they appear in showmount output
Pin View to SSD	Conditionally supported	View pinning is supported only with Test And Dev High or Backup Target SSD QoS policies
File DataLock	Supported	File DataLock can be enabled
File extension filtering	Supported	Views support allowed file type filtering

Known behaviors and limitations

• File size limits: Files larger than 1 TB can occasionally fail over NFSv4.1. Consider this for exceptionally large VMs.
• Virtual Edition storage ratio: The metadata tier limits data-tier capacity to a 16:1 ratio.
• Space reclamation: Deleted backup space can take up to 24 hours to appear in capacity tools.
• For more details, see Considerations.

References

• Cohesity 7.4.1 User Guide
• Cohesity 7.4.1 OpenStack Introduction
• Storware Integration with PCD