[colug-432] What's the best way to back up a remote VPS?

[Rick Troth]

I use 'rsync' for all bulk backup/copy work these days.  The "-a"
option flips on a half dozen others.  The "-u" option tells it to
*not* replace a file on the target that is newer than the same file on
the source.  (So you can merge two hierarchies which might have
individual updates.)  I use a few other options too that I've grown
attached to.

For system recovery (whether virtual or "on the metal"), I try to keep
my content of value separate from the op sys and use one or more shell
scripts to re-do the configuration.  Had to re-build a stand-alone box
at home just a couple months back ... twice.  Scripting helped.  And
almost all the content was then restored from elsewhere using 'rsync'.
 (What was lost had not been backed up recently enough.  My own
fault.)  Boot up installation media (like the virtual "live CD" Jeff
describes), configure per your script(s), restore your personal
content.  Voi-la!

-- R; <><




On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 11:48 PM, Rob Stampfli <res at colnet.cmhnet.org> wrote:
> It's becoming harder and harder to find a reasonably priced VPS
> that has built-in backup/restore capabilities, but cheap, unadorned
> VPS providers abound.  So, I've been wondering how does one go about
> rolling his own backup, i.e., backing up the file system on a VPS so
> that, if the VPS does somehow get clobbered, there is a straightforward
> and relatively quick path to reincarnate it again.  Yes, I could
> rebuild it from scratch using my notes, but that would indeed be a
> long day's work.
>
> I'm thinking of acquiring a small VPS to serve solely as my backup machine
> and using rsync to push the entire file system of the VPS I want to back
> up (with certain directories excluded) up to it.  But how to restore it?
>
> If the worst case happens, can I simply reload the original image of
> the impacted VPS that I started from when it was created -- most VPS
> providers allow you to get back to this point -- and then, as root,
> rsync from the backup VPS right over the top of this image, to restore
> the VPS to point it was at when last backed up?
>
> What am I missing?  What are the gotchas here?  I'm interested in
> things like "text file busy" errors, or how it might impact system
> file sharing among the various users of the physical machine on which
> the VPS resides.
>
> Or, are there some free software that would take care of everything
> for me?
>
> What do the rest of you use to back up your field VPSes?
>
> Inquiring minds...
>
> Rob
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-- 
-- R;   <><