Server Backup
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What sort of server?
For my servers.
All databases backed up automatically on site each morning.
Daily files retained for 7 days, weekly files retained for 4 weeks, monthly files retained for 12 months.
These database files are synced daily to an off site server.
All data files are automatically synced to a backup server each morning.
All config files are backed up after changes are tested.
No OS files are backed up. If there was a catastrophe everything can be switched to my test server which can be mirrored from the backups to bring it up to date.
Running Debian Jessie on all machines.
Remember, nothing is 'backed up' unless you regularly confirm the integrity and recoverability of the data.
For my servers.
All databases backed up automatically on site each morning.
Daily files retained for 7 days, weekly files retained for 4 weeks, monthly files retained for 12 months.
These database files are synced daily to an off site server.
All data files are automatically synced to a backup server each morning.
All config files are backed up after changes are tested.
No OS files are backed up. If there was a catastrophe everything can be switched to my test server which can be mirrored from the backups to bring it up to date.
Running Debian Jessie on all machines.
Remember, nothing is 'backed up' unless you regularly confirm the integrity and recoverability of the data.
mr.si
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I have a server which backs up via rsync to another server in the same office (but physicually different location) three times a day.
At the end of the day / overnight, this does an rsync over SSH to an offsite server. These email me logs of the backups so that I know that it's worked.
All servers are Centos 6
I have different directories all of which have different backup jobs. Some directories have little to no change in but are still backed up.
I have no databses to backup.
I have recently configured a monthly configs backup, which saves to one of the above directories and as such is included in the rsync file backups.
I agree with @Interdit regarding the confirmation of backup integrity.
At the end of the day / overnight, this does an rsync over SSH to an offsite server. These email me logs of the backups so that I know that it's worked.
All servers are Centos 6
I have different directories all of which have different backup jobs. Some directories have little to no change in but are still backed up.
I have no databses to backup.
I have recently configured a monthly configs backup, which saves to one of the above directories and as such is included in the rsync file backups.
I agree with @Interdit regarding the confirmation of backup integrity.
On my (Ubuntu) server the backup strategy is roughly:
Separately, documents (primarily photos) are uploaded via a cronjob to Amazon cloud using acd_cli daily.
- A cronjob periodically creates a sanitized dump of opaque data (e.g. MySQL and LDAP content, list of repositories, installed packages and versions)
- Udev rule detects particular external HDDs being plugged into a specific USB port and spawns a (Python) backup script
- The backup script copies /etc (config), /var (data) and /home (email, documents, photos etc) using rsync to copy only modified files and hardlinks to present each backup run as a standalone backup set
- The disk is then unmounted, I get an email and take the HDD offsite and alternate between two HDDs
Separately, documents (primarily photos) are uploaded via a cronjob to Amazon cloud using acd_cli daily.
Hi Jim,
I don't think there is much point in backing up the operating system which could always be rebuilt albeit with lots of time and updates if you're using Windaz.
Linux systems are pretty much stand-alone anyway so apart from graphic card support, any flavour will do.
The important bit is the stuff that you can NEVER reproduce - your original pictures and documents.
My approach to backup differs completely to others.
I don't run any RAID systems but I do ensure that I have backups on different media, removable and fixed (and I have a stand-by NAS -offline).
My system is simple, effecient, doesn't take up a lot of my time (checking backup logs and making test restores to disk) and has worked well
for the last 10 years.
The biggest problem for me has been finding a photograph original which I know I have but don't have the filename!
I'm slowly solving this problem using tags which are searchable but as there are tens of thousands of images in each camera directory this is going to take
a while and I'm doing it piecemeal anyway.
I don't think there is much point in backing up the operating system which could always be rebuilt albeit with lots of time and updates if you're using Windaz.
Linux systems are pretty much stand-alone anyway so apart from graphic card support, any flavour will do.
The important bit is the stuff that you can NEVER reproduce - your original pictures and documents.
My approach to backup differs completely to others.
I don't run any RAID systems but I do ensure that I have backups on different media, removable and fixed (and I have a stand-by NAS -offline).
My system is simple, effecient, doesn't take up a lot of my time (checking backup logs and making test restores to disk) and has worked well
for the last 10 years.
The biggest problem for me has been finding a photograph original which I know I have but don't have the filename!
I'm slowly solving this problem using tags which are searchable but as there are tens of thousands of images in each camera directory this is going to take
a while and I'm doing it piecemeal anyway.
My home server is running Ubuntu* with ZFS-on-Linux for data volumes.
I have a nightly cron job that:
- wakes up the backup server
- create a new ZFS snapshots
- streams the snapshot to the backup server
- runs a ZFS scrub on the backup server, once per week
- deletes snapshots over 60 days old
- shuts down the backup server
A daily cron job copies any essential configuration data from the home server itself to a ZFS Zpool. This includes:
- installed package list
- /etc
- /var/lib/bind (DNS zone files)
- /var/www (Web sites)
- /usr/bin/local (custom scripts)
There are also daily cron jobs that backup:
- firewall configuration
- multiple VPS (package lists, websites, mail, databases, DNS etc)
I use rsync where appropriate with --link-dest to effectively create snapshots with just the changes.
With other network devices (modems, switch, wireless access point) I just backup configuration each time I change it.
The only piece of the puzzle which is missing is an off site backup. I like the idea of using udev to at least semi automate this using external HDDs so I'll look into that one.
I would no doubt store them at work so I'd probably have to use LUKS to encrypt them.
For windows boxes in the past I have used Windows Server Backup with multiple external hard disks on rotation.
*Really wished I had used Debian
I have a nightly cron job that:
- wakes up the backup server
- create a new ZFS snapshots
- streams the snapshot to the backup server
- runs a ZFS scrub on the backup server, once per week
- deletes snapshots over 60 days old
- shuts down the backup server
A daily cron job copies any essential configuration data from the home server itself to a ZFS Zpool. This includes:
- installed package list
- /etc
- /var/lib/bind (DNS zone files)
- /var/www (Web sites)
- /usr/bin/local (custom scripts)
There are also daily cron jobs that backup:
- firewall configuration
- multiple VPS (package lists, websites, mail, databases, DNS etc)
I use rsync where appropriate with --link-dest to effectively create snapshots with just the changes.
With other network devices (modems, switch, wireless access point) I just backup configuration each time I change it.
The only piece of the puzzle which is missing is an off site backup. I like the idea of using udev to at least semi automate this using external HDDs so I'll look into that one.
I would no doubt store them at work so I'd probably have to use LUKS to encrypt them.
For windows boxes in the past I have used Windows Server Backup with multiple external hard disks on rotation.
*Really wished I had used Debian
Last edited:
neil_g
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All the windows guys are out enjoying the sunshine while the Linux guys stare at a terminal prompt ?
Similar for me, but I also run a daily listing of all the packages that have been installed by a user and back that up too.
stevelmx5
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Just to add to the other suggestions. From an Enterprise level (we support around 12k Windows physical/virtual servers), we run daily incremental/weekly full data backups along with OS System State backups. We don't backup the full OS as we can rebuild from SCCM then restore the system state/data.