| The most important task of any system administrator | | | | Both strategies can, and probably should, be combined. |
| is backing up the systems they are responsible for. | | | | An archival-only strategy requires the system |
| Not putting the system up or not keeping it running as | | | | administrators to reinstall and reconfigure the operating |
| not backing it up and being able to restore is primary. | | | | system prior to restoring the data; this takes longer |
| A system with no backup cannot be relied upon for | | | | and is more error prone. |
| any real purpose, because if anything goes wrong | | | | Any backup strategy must be tested. |
| your data is gone, and that's really bad news. | | | | A DR backup is tested by restoring a system backup |
| Something always goes wrong eventually, no matters | | | | onto a fresh system to make sure you can recover |
| how much you try to avoid it, and without good | | | | from an emergency. |
| backups all of your work, and possible your entire | | | | Archival strategies are tested by retrieving files and |
| business is just plain gone. | | | | verifying that you can find the files you need and that |
| A good backup strategy is composed of backup, | | | | they are readable once restored. |
| storage, verification, and restoration. | | | | An untested backup strategy is usually a complete |
| The backup component covers selection of method | | | | waste of time and money. |
| and which data to backup (all of it by choice). | | | | For web hosting clients, you will usually do your |
| Storage covers both what media you back up onto as | | | | backups with the cPanel administrative interface.cPanel |
| well as where you keep them (if your building burns | | | | will let you backup your entire hosted site, your |
| down, tapes kept in the server room will be useless). | | | | databases, or your home directory ('which will contain |
| Verification is a crucial component of a backup | | | | your website but not the data behind it'). |
| strategy, you have to know you have usable data. | | | | To perform a backup you simply access the Backup |
| Lastly, you need to be able to get the data back to | | | | control panel and select a type of backup. |
| where it can be used. | | | | The system performs the backup and downloads the |
| There are two main strategies for backups: Disaster | | | | file to your local system. |
| Recovery and Archival. | | | | These backups can be restored through the same |
| DR backups are designed to restore a system to a | | | | interface. |
| working state. | | | | To test, you would create a new hosted site and |
| To do this you backup the entire system so that you | | | | restore your backups to it. |
| can restore it onto another machine to get a working | | | | The downloaded backup files are important (possibly |
| system. | | | | confidential) data and should be integrated into your |
| An archival strategy is concerned with retrieving | | | | local backup strategy. |
| historical data ('give me the customer database as it | | | | At the least, burn them to disks if you can't arrange to |
| appeared at the end of last year') and not with | | | | include them in your main backups. |
| restoring a working system. | | | | |