# Create etcd backup
This SOP should be followed in the following scenarios:
- When the need exists to create an etcd backup.
- When shutting a cluster down gracefully.
## Steps
1. Connect to the admin node for either `staging` or `production`. See the inventory `ocp` for produduction, `ocp-stg` for staging. The hostname is in the group `ocp-ci-management` or `ocp-stg-ci-management`.
```
ssh <admin-node>
```
2. Become the ocp administrator user, check the hostvars associated with the host in the previous step.
```
sudo su <ocp-admin-user>
```
3. Run the cluster backup script:
```
~/bin/ocp-etcd-backup
```
4. This will save an etcd snapshot in the `~/ocp_backups` location.
5. These snapshots are taken nightly at `02:00 UTC` and rsynced to a backup storage device.
### Resources
- [1] [Creating an etcd backup](https://docs.openshift.com/container-platform/4.5/backup_and_restore/backing-up-etcd.html#backing-up-etcd-data_backup-etcd)