Gentoo Archives: gentoo-server

From: Nigel Marsh <nigel.marsh@×××××××××××××.uk>
To: gentoo-server@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-server] Backup software
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 18:01:37
Message-Id: 200410221903.37650.nigel.marsh@monkeybox.org.uk
In Reply to: Re: [gentoo-server] Backup software by Ben Munat
1 On Friday 22 Oct 2004 18:28, Ben Munat wrote:
2 > Nigel,
3 >
4 > I'm still very new to how backup software works, but Box Backup sounds
5 > very similar to rsnapshot. That's a backup program that uses rsync over
6 > ssh to make incremental backups of remote filesystems (or pieces
7 > thereof). It has the same hourly, daily, weekly, monthly backup points
8 > that it sounds like Box Backup has. And, it's in portage.
9
10 My clients servers range between Debian, Suse and Gentoo so whether something
11 is in portage makes no difference to me.
12
13 >
14 > Not that I'm trying to talk you out of Box Backup, I'd just rather use
15 > something in portage if it's close enough in features. It's only
16 > partially a matter of the simplicity of install for me... portage also
17 > (generally) keeps up with security holes so that I don't have to
18 > remember to check up on my apps outside of portage.
19
20 I usually stick to the distro supplied versions and patches too but, this is
21 not in any distro that I am aware of and it covered mine and my clients needs
22 in a very simple setup.
23
24 >
25 > Now -- as information that clarifies my needs and also as another
26 > question of strategy -- I will be backing up a single, remote, rented
27 > webserver with whatever package I wind up using. I don't have and can't
28 > afford another server to back up to (though a mirror server would be
29 > nice some day). So, I'm figuring on pulling my snapshots down to my
30 > local gentoo box.
31
32 I backup several web servers that run mambo and a couple of other php based
33 sites. For this I just backup the /etc files as always. the www dir and the
34 dumped MySQL backup files. If an actual server drive fails then I have to get
35 in my car and go fix it or, if it is a Gentoo box then, I get someone to
36 start it off and I can take over via ssh.
37
38 >
39 > Even though we have at least a dozen live sites on our server, we're not
40 > using much space on it... about 5 gig total. I looked and I have about
41 > 50 gigs available just in my /home partition. So, I'm thinking that I
42 > should just backup the server's whole drive. The question is, is this
43 > worth the trouble... if the server's hard drive crashed, would I be able
44 > to restore my whole setup from the backup to a new harddrive and have a
45 > working system again?
46
47 Unless you have no other choice, I would personally just back up the data and
48 config files and leave the worrying about the system to someone else.
49
50 >
51 > Hmmm, now that I take another look at the rsnapshot man page, that seems
52 > to be one way in which Box Backup is better than rsnapshot... there's no
53 > mention of recovery at all. It seems it's intended to just take
54 > snapshots of your system and it's up to you to figure out what to do
55 > with the snapshot if you need it.
56
57 Box backups recovery method is simplicity itself.
58
59 >
60 > Well, in any case... my needs are fairly simple... don't really need the
61 > encyption or to allow anyone other than myself to make backups.
62 >
63 > Any and all comments appreciated.
64 >
65 > Ben
66 >
67 > Nigel Marsh wrote:
68 > > On Friday 22 Oct 2004 15:15, Jose Gonzalez Gomez wrote:
69 > >>Nigel Marsh wrote:
70 > >>>Jose,
71 > >>>
72 > >>>[...]
73 > >>>As to reverting to a given date. The short answer (unusual for me ;)) is
74 > >>>No... The longer answer is, according the developments on the mailing
75 > >>>list it will do soon.
76 > >>
77 > >> Well, I had that feeling. The final question: let's say that
78 > >>somebody deletes a bunch of files that shouldn't be deleted. You told
79 > >>that the backup system informs of changes every hour or so, so I assume
80 > >>those files will also be deleted on the backed up system, am I wrong? If
81 > >>this is the case, and you notice the problem a few hours later, is there
82 > >>any way to recover those files? That's why I was asking about recovering
83 > >>the state for a given date/time.
84 > >
85 > > No, they will be kept on the backup server and be marked as having been
86 > > deleted on the client. When the allocated space is filled up on the
87 > > backup server then the oldest deleted files will be deleted from the
88 > > server first. So the time a deleted file remains on the server is down to
89 > > allocated drive space and is analogous to tape. When you run out of tape
90 > > space, you either add more storage or you start rotating backup media.
91 > >
92 > > Also old versions of files are kept so that you can jump back say 3
93 > > weeks to an old version of a file.
94 > >
95 > > If you needed to know more about the internals of it then the mailing
96 > > list, which is a low volume with the odd flurry of activity, would be
97 > > your best bet. Questions are generally answered pretty quickly.
98 > >
99 > >>>On the server side, you have no access to this data. You need to keep a
100 > >>>client key safe to rebuild a totally dead client so that it can restore
101 > >>>and start again where you left off.
102 > >>>
103 > >>>
104 > >>>Sorry, got carried away and probably went way over what was needed to
105 > >>>answer your question. Must be this new coffee I'm drinking. ;)
106 > >>
107 > >> Not at all. Your answer has been very informative, and will help me
108 > >>a lot in making my mind in my final decission about backup software.
109 > >>Thanks a lot for your kindly response... and tell us about that new
110 > >>coffee, I think it may help us on overnight system failures ;o)
111 > >
112 > > I don't know, it is in a silver unnamed bag and I got 10kg cheap from a
113 > > car boot sale. :)
114 > >
115 > > It's very good though.
116 > >
117 > >>>Nige
118 > >>
119 > >> Best regards
120 > >> Jose
121 > >
122 > > Nige
123
124 --
125 Superior training and superior weaponry have, when taken together,
126 a geometric effect on overall military strength. Well-trained,
127 well-equipped troops can stand up to many more times their lesser
128 brethren than linear arithmetic would seem to indicate.
129
130 -- Spartan Battle Manual