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+# Backup resource status (rollup) design
+
+_High-level design for oadp-cli commands that answer: after a backup finishes (especially `PartiallyFailed`), which logical units failed, and why?_
+
+**Tracks:** [#269](https://github.com/migtools/oadp-cli/issues/269) ([OADP-8697](https://redhat.atlassian.net/browse/OADP-8697)), [#270](https://github.com/migtools/oadp-cli/issues/270), [#271](https://github.com/migtools/oadp-cli/issues/271)
+
+**Related:**
+- Upstream Velero: [velero-io/velero#10503](https://github.com/velero-io/velero/issues/10503) (sparse per-item backup outcomes)
+- oadp-operator designs: [backup outcomes](https://github.com/openshift/oadp-operator/blob/design/backup-outcomes-observability/docs/design/backup_outcomes-design.md), [resource rollup](https://github.com/openshift/oadp-operator/blob/design/backup-outcomes-observability/docs/design/backup_resource_rollup-design.md) ([PR #2442](https://github.com/openshift/oadp-operator/pull/2442))
+
+## Problem
+
+Velero reports backup outcomes at the **raw Kubernetes object** level. Operators usually care about a **logical unit** (e.g. a VirtualMachine, StatefulSet, or labeled app).
+
+When a namespace backup ends `PartiallyFailed`, the `Backup` CR only exposes a count. Detail is scattered across object-storage metadata. At scale (hundreds or thousands of VMs), that is not operable.
+
+**Rollup** means: take per-item outcomes and **group them under a parent** (via `ownerReferences` or a label), then combine into one status per group (`failed` if any child failed).
+
+## What we have to work with
+
+oadp-cli already reaches the data we need. No new Velero server APIs are required for a first version.
+
+### Already in this repo
+
+| Capability | Where | Relevance |
+|------------|--------|-----------|
+| Admin backup commands | Velero CLI packages via `cmd/root.go` | `backup describe` / logs patterns to follow |
+| Non-admin backup describe | `cmd/non-admin/backup/describe.go` | Already fetches BSL metadata via DownloadRequest |
+| Shared download helper | `cmd/shared/download.go` (`ProcessDownloadRequest`) | Reusable path for results / volumeinfo / resource-list / itemoperations |
+
+Non-admin describe already pulls (when `--details`):
+
+- `BackupResourceList`
+- `BackupResults`
+- `BackupVolumeInfos`
+- `BackupItemOperations`
+
+Admin path can use the same Velero client/DownloadRequest patterns the Velero CLI already uses.
+
+### Velero artifacts (per backup)
+
+| Source | Role for rollup |
+|--------|-----------------|
+| `Backup.status` | Phase, error **counts** only — not enough alone |
+| `resource-list.json.gz` | Inventory (which objects were in the backup) |
+| `results.gz` | Sync errors/warnings as **strings** (parse carefully; `name:` can mean different kinds) |
+| `volumeinfo.json.gz` | Structured PVC volume results |
+| `itemoperations.json.gz` | Async ops; may disagree with `results` ([velero#9377](https://github.com/vmware-tanzu/velero/issues/9377)) |
+| Backup tarball manifests | `ownerReferences` when the live namespace is gone |
+
+### Live cluster (optional)
+
+When the source namespace still exists, read `ownerReferences` from the API. Prefer that over tarball parsing when available.
+
+## High-level approach
+
+```
+Backup metadata (existing)
+        │
+        ▼
+  Parse / merge into per-item outcomes
+  (resource-list + results + volumeinfo + itemoperations)
+        │
+        ▼
+  Group by strategy (owner:Kind | owner | label:key)
+        │
+        ▼
+  CLI output (failures-first table, -o json/yaml)
+```
+
+1. **Library** (`pkg/backuprollup` or similar) — merge metadata into per-item outcomes; walk ownership / labels to roll up. Unit-testable with recorded fixtures.
+2. **CLI** — thin commands on top of that library.
+
+### Proposed commands
+
+```
+oc oadp backup resource-status <backup> --group-by=owner:VirtualMachine
+oc oadp backup vm-status <backup>   # convenience alias for VM grouping
+```
+
+Default UX: summary line + **failures only** (output size tracks failure count).
+
+### Grouping strategies (v1)
+
+| Strategy | Meaning |
+|----------|---------|
+| `owner:<Kind>` | Walk `controller: true` ownerRefs until Kind matches |
+| `owner` | Walk to topmost owner |
+| `label:<key>` | Flat group by label value (e.g. Helm instance) |
+
+VM support is a **preset** (`owner:VirtualMachine`), not bespoke KubeVirt vol parsing.
+
+## Phasing
+
+| Phase | Deliverable |
+|-------|-------------|
+| **1** | Library: merge existing metadata + owner/label rollup; fixtures from real `PartiallyFailed` backups |
+| **2** | CLI: `resource-status` + `vm-status` |
+| **Later** | Consume upstream structured outcomes ([#10503](https://github.com/velero-io/velero/issues/10503)) when available — thin the string parser |
+
+## Non-goals
+
+- Changing Velero backup orchestration or phase semantics
+- Upstream Velero API in v1 (track [#10503](https://github.com/velero-io/velero/issues/10503); prototype with what we have)
+- Persisted in-cluster CRD for rollup status
+- Live progress monitoring during backup (separate from post-backup status)
+- Automatic retry / remediation of failed VMs
+
+## Open questions
+
+- Admin vs non-admin: one command tree with shared library, or non-admin first given DownloadRequest is already wired?
+- Conflict rules when `results` and `itemoperations` disagree (prefer itemoperations for async paths?)
+- Exact `skipped` semantics (Velero does not always mark skips explicitly)
+
+## Success criteria ([OADP-8697](https://redhat.atlassian.net/browse/OADP-8697))
+
+- [ ] Per-VM (or other `--group-by`) status: succeeded / failed / skipped + reason
+- [ ] Programmatic output (`-o json` / `-o yaml`)
+- [ ] Failures-first default view usable at scale
+- [ ] Works when source namespace is gone (tarball ownerRefs fallback)