[clue-tech] [Fwd: [clue-admin] Advice admin newb on doing a System backup]

[David L. Anselmi]

Dave W. wrote:
> 
> Hello,
>  I want to learn how to make a system recovery disk(s) for my company's 
> dev. server.  This is what I've figured so far as a plan.

The usual advice is to figure out your recovery procedure first.  Then 
design your backup process.  (Then implement, then test.)

> For the initial compression: boot the server via a liveCD with tools I 
> need.
> 
> Tar/compress root to a temporary folder then if >4.4GB span the file 
> over multiple disks (not sure how to do that, but I got idea's)
> 
> Using some sort of tool I don't know of yet (but I am sure exists), make 
> differential saves of / and /boot every sunday via a cron script.

My advice is: don't even think about writing your own scripts.  Use 
rdiff-backup or bacula (for more than one machine).

So.  Recovery procedure from bare metal (doesn't address file recovery 
or archiving or off-site storage):

Buy new hardware as needed (~1 week).

Boot off live CD of choice.

Partition as needed (RAID, disk, LVM, ext3 for hardware RAID or disk, 
RAID, LVM, ext3 for software RAID).  Mount partitions to match running 
config under /mnt.

Restore with rdiff-backup.  Restore MBRs with dd.

Reboot.

Then, backup procedure:

Get an extra (external) disk (500GB or at least enough larger than the 
data on the server).

Nightly backups with rdiff-backup from cron.  Nightly saves of MBRs with 
dd from cron.  Tune rdiff-backup to keep an appropriate amount of 
history.  All backup stuff goes on the extra drive.

Document everything you have to do to make backups work.  Document 
everything you have to do to restore.  Now test and adjust process and 
documents as necessary.

Write an SLA and let your developers know what a good SA you are.  Enjoy 
a pop-tart in a commie-free world.  (Don't forget to add in the pieces I 
skipped like your utility partition (which you may be able to rebuild 
from the install media)).

While recreating the partitions by hand might seem clumsy, it's easy if 
you have all the steps written down.  And that's the piece you don't do 
very often.  And you want the nightly piece to be simple and reliable.

Does that help?

Dave