# Snapshots - restoring an index from a large repository with long term storage (LTO ...)

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshots-restoring-an-index-from-a-large-repository-with-long-term-storage-lto/259198>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [December 20, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshots-restoring-an-index-from-a-large-repository-with-long-term-storage-lto/259198 "2020-12-20T18:25:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rysiu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/rysiu/32/61919_2.png) [@Rysiu](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Rysiu)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshots-restoring-an-index-from-a-large-repository-with-long-term-storage-lto/259198/1 "2020-12-20T18:25:32Z")

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I have a classic question about snapshots in elasticsearch.

I make elasticsearch snapshots to some repository - for example, let it be some Network File System (NFS) or similar.

Later this snapshot from this network storage goes to other media - for example, tapes LTO or BD-ROM.

The question is simple:

There are 10 indexes in the repository.

What if I only want to restore 1 index?

Do I have to load the entire repository into NFS from the tape (some long term medium) and then recover only one index from elasticsearch?

Is there any idea that I need to retrieve only one index from the LTO/BD-ROM?

Limiting yourself to just the index you need can save you a lot of time.

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**Author:** ![DavidTurner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/davidturner/32/22453_2.png) [@DavidTurner](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/DavidTurner)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshots-restoring-an-index-from-a-large-repository-with-long-term-storage-lto/259198/2 "2020-12-20T21:29:30Z")

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> [@Rysiu](#):
>
> Do I have to load the entire repository into NFS from the tape (some long term medium) and then recover only one index from elasticsearch?

Yes.

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**Author:** ![Rysiu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/rysiu/32/61919_2.png) [@Rysiu](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Rysiu)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshots-restoring-an-index-from-a-large-repository-with-long-term-storage-lto/259198/3 "2020-12-20T22:15:26Z")

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Well....

In real systems, what are the models for creating repositories?

Create fewer large repositories or more but smaller repositories?

Repository size here can be a big role.

Are there any effective approaches when you are not sure what you are must recovery in future?

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**Author:** ![DavidTurner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/davidturner/32/22453_2.png) [@DavidTurner](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/DavidTurner)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 8:18am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshots-restoring-an-index-from-a-large-repository-with-long-term-storage-lto/259198/4 "2020-12-21T08:18:36Z")

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Today there are a handful of recognised problems with using offline/long-term storage for backups:

- There isn't even a procedure for [correctly copying a registered repository](https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/54944) to tape.

- As you discovered here, there isn't really a procedure for selectively restoring certain indices from offline storage (e.g. [AWS Glacier](https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/12500), but the fix for tape would be similar IMO).

- Version N cannot restore snapshots from versions before version N-1 (I don't even see a Github issue for this).

The fact that we don't get very many comments or +1s on those issues indicates it's not something that a lot of folks are trying to do. There are workarounds, although they're not ideal:

- Unregister the repository each time you copy it to tape.

- Use more repositories, each containing a subset of indices.

- Reindex your whole archive at each major version upgrade.

Please feel free to indicate your need for these features on the issues I linked above.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2021, 8:18am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/snapshots-restoring-an-index-from-a-large-repository-with-long-term-storage-lto/259198/5 "2021-01-18T08:18:51Z")

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