Implemented rsync script, done testing, ready for use.

But what to back up?

At the moment, I'm excluding /dev, /sys, /lost&found, /proc, /mnt, and
/tmp. Am unsure about whether to exclude /var, and am rethinking /tmp
as well. I guess that if the primary crashes, I'll be reinstalling on
another drive anyway. That means that /dev, /sys, /lost&found/ and
/proc will be renewed.

Losing /var means losing logs and some other stuff the importance of
which I don't know. Losing /tmp doesn't seem all that important. By
losing, I mean currency, not stuff that doesn't get changed. What do
you guys back up?

Thanks,

Longfellow

On Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:27:32 -0000, Longfellow <not@this.address> wrote:

> What do
>you guys back up?

I backup /etc /boot/config-* /usr/local/bin /usr/local/etc to
another box as a tar file, very occasionally. Also the web
data area from the web server is backed up occasionally.

Also running a cron job rsync backup over web and development
work areas to a local store.

Grant.
--
http://bugsplatter.mine.nu/

On Mon, 19 Mar 2007, Longfellow wrote:

> Implemented rsync script, done testing, ready for use.
>
> losing, I mean currency, not stuff that doesn't get changed. What do
> you guys back up?

Backup everything but /proc with rsync.

Do a rolling 7 day tar backup of /etc /root and all inportant config dirs
not covered by /etc ( eg: /var/named ) and web and mail stuff (or /home
/root as well, depending on your setup).

Do a weekly tar up (like above) as well, one that you keep forever (or
until you want to purge oldest stuff)


--
Cheers
Res


Let Novell known what you think of their back door deal with the devil.
Sign the petition today: http://techp.org/p/1/

On Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:27:32 +0000, Longfellow wrote:

> Implemented rsync script, done testing, ready for use.
>
> But what to back up?
>
> At the moment, I'm excluding /dev, /sys, /lost&found, /proc, /mnt, and
> /tmp. Am unsure about whether to exclude /var, and am rethinking /tmp
> as well. I guess that if the primary crashes, I'll be reinstalling on
> another drive anyway. That means that /dev, /sys, /lost&found/ and
> /proc will be renewed.
>
> Losing /var means losing logs and some other stuff the importance of
> which I don't know. Losing /tmp doesn't seem all that important. By
> losing, I mean currency, not stuff that doesn't get changed. What do
> you guys back up?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Longfellow

IMHO - it's worth backing up /home - obviously since that's where users
keep their data. I'd have to be convinced that anything else is worth
saving since, as you state, you'd probably wind up doing new install
anyway.

On Mon, 19 Mar 2007, Longfellow wrote:

> Implemented rsync script, done testing, ready for use.
>
> But what to back up?
>
> At the moment, I'm excluding /dev, /sys, /lost&found, /proc, /mnt, and
> /tmp. Am unsure about whether to exclude /var, and am rethinking /tmp
> as well. I guess that if the primary crashes, I'll be reinstalling on
> another drive anyway. That means that /dev, /sys, /lost&found/ and
> /proc will be renewed.

When I first read this I thought excluding read "including" and thought
you were crazy (: I would definitely include var. If someone compromises
your security and your backup script catches it you maybe be able to catch
the bastard even after he tidies up the logs.

>
> Losing /var means losing logs and some other stuff the importance of
> which I don't know. Losing /tmp doesn't seem all that important. By
> losing, I mean currency, not stuff that doesn't get changed. What do
> you guys back up?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Longfellow
>
>

I back up /tmp because I usually put files there that are to be processed
and moved somewhere else. I backup all userdata (home dirs) and all
configuration data (/etc, and anything else scattered around the drive). I
backup my websites on my webservers and any and all logs scattered
throughout the drives. I backup boot records as well. All of my machines
have a /backme directory that I include in the backup just in case I want
to send files to the backup.

Here is my backup configuration:

I have a terabyte machine (IBM Netfinity 5100) with a SCSI RAID array
that stores all of the backed up data. Lets face it, tapes are out of
style and hard disks are the way to go. I wrote the scripts in good old
bash shell scripting.

I have a weekly and a daily backup script. The weekly script stores 4
rotations, so my backups go back 1 month. My MPGs and other really large
files only go back two weeks. The weekly script does a full dump via rsync
and stores the compressed tar-chives in datestamped files. The daily
script stores files modified since the last weekly backup. It too uses
rsync. The backups of the windows machines on my networks (wireless
laptops and the GF's computer) are done with SAMBA and the good old "find"
command.

The backups work very well and in the few events that I had to use them
they proved to have served their purpose well.

--
Sir Jackery

Longfellow <not@this.address> wrote:
>
> Losing /var means losing logs and some other stuff the importance of
> which I don't know. Losing /tmp doesn't seem all that important. By
> losing, I mean currency, not stuff that doesn't get changed. What do
> you guys back up?

I don't want to lose my email "/var/spool/mail" and news "/var/spool/news".

cu Frank

--
I will not say that women have no character; rather, they have a new
one every day.
-- Heine

On 2007-03-19, ray <ray@zianet.com> wrote:

> IMHO - it's worth backing up /home - obviously since that's where users
> keep their data. I'd have to be convinced that anything else is worth
> saving since, as you state, you'd probably wind up doing new install
> anyway.

Yep, have that covered. I've got five more partitions that have various
kinds of files, some of which change sporadically. Coding partition is
one of those. Media partitions not so often. But all will be on a
daily check, I think. The whole point is to insure that nothing is
lost.

/usr/local is important. I'd hate to have to gather all that stuff
again.

Thanks,

Longfellow