IBM Software Hub – Expand cpd-cli OADP Online Backup Capability to Store Backups (Metadata + Volumes) Outside OCP Cluster / ODF Storage

Summary: We are requesting a product enhancement for IBM Software Hub to expand the cpd-cli OADP online backup capability so that backups — including both metadata and volume data — can be stored outside the OpenShift cluster / ODF storage, rather than being limited to same-cluster operations.

Environment / Configuration:
On our side, we have configured the OADP DataProtectionApplication (DPA) with the following settings:

defaultSnapshotMoveData: true
uploaderType: kopia
Target backup/snapshot location: S3 or Azure Blob

Testing Performed:
As an initial validation, we deployed a simple test workload (Deployment, Service, PVC, etc.) and confirmed that backup and restore operations completed successfully using the above DPA configuration.
We then attempted to back up CP4D using the cpd-cli OADP backup utility, leveraging the same DPA configuration.

Issue Identified:
We have determined that the limitation does not originate from the DPA configuration itself, but from the backup objects generated by the cpd-cli OADP backup utility. Specifically, the backup objects are created with snapshotMoveData: false, which means that only metadata is moved to the remote target location, while volume data remains tied to local cluster storage (ODF).
We reviewed the official documentation (https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/software-hub/5.2.x?topic=backup-backupcreate) and found no available option to set this attribute to true when creating backups via cpd-cli.

Related Ticket Reference:
Due to the criticality of this issue, we previously opened ticket TS022410748 (PC) – CP4D backups outside OpenShift, requesting clarification on whether the cpd-cli OADP online backup capability supports targeting a destination outside the OpenShift cluster.
The response received was as follows:

Currently, the cpd-cli OADP online backup capability is limited to same-cluster restore operations. It does not support restoration to a different cluster, as the backup configuration does not include a data mover component, which is necessary for enabling cross-cluster restore.

Enhancement Request:
Based on the above findings, we kindly request that the cpd-cli OADP backup utility be enhanced to:

1. Incorporate a data mover component in the backup workflow, enabling volume data (not only metadata) to be moved to the remote backup target; and
2. Allow snapshotMoveData to be explicitly set to true when creating backup objects, consistent with the underlying DPA configuration, so that the full backup (metadata + volumes) is portable outside the OCP cluster / ODF storage.

This capability is critical for our arhitecture, as it would allow CP4D backups to be fully self-contained and restorable outside the original OpenShift cluster, rather than depending on local ODF storage availability.
We remain available to provide further logs, configuration details, or test results as needed.