Re: Preferred Backup Method?
On 12/04/2007 05:19 PM, Michael Pobega wrote:
> On Tue, Dec 04, 2007 at 04:04:47PM -0600, Ron Johnson wrote:
>> On 12/04/07 15:09, Michael Pobega wrote:
>>> What is d-u's preferred method of backups? Now that I'm running servers
>>> on my system (Apache, MySQL, SSH, etc.) I need to find a good method of
>>> backing up, because no matter how much security someone has things may
>>> still go wrong.
>>>
>>> So list your preferred methods of creating/restoring backups and the
>>> pros and cons. Thanks!
>> *Much* more information needed.
>
>
> Sorry, I wasn't thinking.
>
>> How much stuff? 50MB? 5GB? 500GB? 5TB?
>
>
> 80GB HDD. It isn't full, of course, but that's the maximum (Currently
> about 45 GB)
>
>> How compressible is it? Text/MySQL files or MP3s and JPGs?
>
>
> I wouldn't know the answer to that questions.
>
>> How important is it? Your own stuff, or a business' stuff?
>
>
> It's pretty important; It's my own stuff, it has all of my school work,
> programming work, pictures, videos, and configuration files on it.
>
>> How big of a window do you have to back it up? 30 minutes at 23:15,
>> and you're fired if it goes past midnight? All night between 17:30
>> and 07:30?
>
>
> A weekly night-backup would be my preferred method.
>
>> How often will the lusers will "Michael, this stupid computer ate my
>> work. Bring it back!!" (Meaning, of course, that they
>> stupidly/carelessly deleted/overwrote it.) If it's a database, will
>> the developers want regular copies restored for testing?
>
>
> It's just my own stuff...The odds are probably low of someone deleting
> my work by accident, but better safe than sorry.
>
>> Frequency? Nightly, weekly, every-other-day?
>
>
> Weekly.
>
>> Retention? Keep backups for a month? Quarter? Year? 7 years?
>
>
> I'd probably keep backups for two weeks, so I've have two backups at any
> given time.
>
>> Budget? Always a killer...
>
>
> I have another laptop sitting around with a 60GB HDD; Could I use that
> as a backup?
>
> Otherwise all I have is a 4GB pendrive and no money (But I could get my
> hands on an 80GB External HDD easily)
>
>> As for backing it up, tar. Works like a champ.
>
>
> Just `tar -cvvf backup-`date`.tar /`? Is it really that simple?
>
Ron Johnson has asked some really good questions. You may decide to use
multiple strategies for backup, depending on your various needs.
For etch, I use duplicity, which compresses/encrypts incremental
backups, to back up my desktop (/home and /etc) to both a local and a
remote box via ssh. It's automatic, gpg security, and very easy.
Disadvantage is needing my gpg key and duplicity to restore a total
disaster. Works well for me so far.
Regards,
Ralph
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