Environment: Commvault 11.44 CU16, Kubernetes (Virtual Server) agent. Storage is a CSI driver with a working default VolumeSnapshotClass (snapshot-controller running).
What works:
Regular streaming backup of a K8s application group succeeds. It creates a native CSI VolumeSnapshot, streams the data to the MediaAgent, then deletes the transient snapshot.
What I'm trying to do:
Retain the CSI VolumeSnapshot as the backup copy so that RESTORE provisions the PVC directly from the snapshot (volume clone), instead of streaming files into a new empty PVC.
Reason: The streaming restore re-applies metadata to the restored PVC and leaves the volume mount-root as root:root 0000, which breaks non-root workloads (e.g. a Postgres/CNPG pod running as a non-root uid crash-loops). Restoring from the snapshot would preserve the original permissions.
What I've tried and where it fails:
- Enabled IntelliSnap on the K8s subclient. The ONLY snapshot engine offered is "Virtual Server Agent Snap".
- Snap backup fails with: "Prepare Volume Snaps failed: [Failed to prepare Devices]".
Access-node log shows:
CK8sInfo::SnapBackup -> GenerateMetadataXML Failed. Failed to create hardware snapshot.
- When adding a Snapshot copy to the plan, the only selectable Storage is a disk pool. no CSI/array snapshot source is offered.
Per the CSI K8s backup thread (https://community.commvault.com/virtualization-and-containers-48/commvault-csi-volume-snapshot-based-backups-for-kubernetes-rhocp-question-9655), the K8s CSI backup uses a temp pod that mounts the snapshot and streams data to the Access Node and the snapshot appears to be transient. And per the IntelliSnap thread (https://community.commvault.com/self-hosted-q-a-2/intellisnap-backup-10080), classic IntelliSnap retains the array snapshot for a later backup copy.
Questions:
1. Does the 11.44 Kubernetes agent support native CSI IntelliSnap. i.e. retaining the CSI VolumeSnapshot and performing a restore-from-snapshot (provision PVC from VolumeSnapshot) — as opposed to only the stream-and-delete path?
2. If yes, how is it configured for a K8s app group? The subclient only exposes "Virtual Server Agent Snap", which fails "Failed to prepare Devices".
3. How do I check whether a given CSI driver is supported/validated for K8s CSI IntelliSnap, and what's the process to request validation of one that isn't listed?
4. If snapshot retention isn't available, is there a supported way to make the streaming restore preserve the captured PVC mount-root ownership/mode (it currently returns root:root 0000) so non-root apps restore cleanly?
Goal: a snapshot-based restore that preserves PVC permissions, and confirmation of the supported path for K8s CSI IntelliSnap.
