The Principles of Backup
Years ago I ran into the The TAO of Backup and loved it. Time has passed, and I still love its wisdom, even if I do tend to phrase things a little different, and is a great illustrated explanation backup principles:
- Plan the Coverage, Frequency and the Time Scope:backup every file in your care, do it in a frequency that matches the rate of produced work and its value, and be sure to maintain an 'archive window' of old backups, in a systematic manner, that will enable access to the oldest restore points you might need.
- Separation: Don't keep your backups near the source. With modern networks it is much easier than it used to be, and yet, when cold backups are discussed, this wisdom is less remembered: make sure to keep the cold backups in a different space than that of the backed-up system. If possible, make sure that a copy of the cold backups is taken away from the facility to another place, bearing in mind major catastrophes. For family data, I would say such a ritual should take place on a yearly basis. For a large organization, even one with replicated data over several sites this may seem like something archaic, and yet I would recommend at least a 3 months cold copy archive (monthly basis would make me happier, but cost/benefit is a bitch). If you need to argue, remind your superiors that large organizations keep facilities in large cities, where large disasters may take place. Wouldn't it be safe to have one copy of the backup sent somewhere far and less central, for those rare disasters that terrorists might bring upon our heads?
- Security: Remember that backups must be guarded just as well as the original information.
- Testing and Integrity: Make sure that your backups are ok: that the medium is working; that the contents are the ones that should have been there; that they actually work in different test scenarios, from the nice to the least nice. When you plan test scenarios, harass different users from different departments; Imagine the stupidest accidents; Plan for the most horrible thing that can happen. Don't think I am paranoid. Instead remember: It is the role of the system administrator to take care. No one else is thinking of these situations. That is why you should.
The summary of scope to planning backups
When approaching a backup plan the following should be taken into consideration: - Stability - Availability - time to restore - alternatives in disaster - another computer (cold/warm fail-over) - another site - backup quality - loss of information in restore (backup update frequency) - restore possibilities - ability to live with backup - Minimal Disturbance to Everyday Work during backup.
Useful links:
- Backup Central an excellent site (with a very useful comparison table of tar, dump and cpio, for those of us who wish to perform pinpoint backup, old-style).
- 10 Outstanding Linux backup solutions
- How to use Windows 7 Backup
- How to use Windows Server Backup
What happens if you do not follow the advice brought here? Start practicing on the following song.
Yesterday: A DBA's Backup Song
Yesterday: A DBA's Backup Song
(to be sung to the tune of Yesterday. quoted from a copy of the Oracle Week Times - a leaflet given in Oracle Week 2000; Rob Cosgrove says he is the author.) Yesterday, All those backups seemed a waste of pay Now my database has gone away Oh I believe in yesterday. Suddenly, There's not half the files there used to be And there's a deadline hanging over me The system crashed so suddenly. I pushed something wrong What it was. I could not say Now my data's gone and I long for yesterday-ay-ay-ay. Yesterday, The need for back-ups seemed so far away Thought all my data was here to stay Now I believe in yesterday.
[update: 12/03/2010]
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