VPS Backups
-
I'm looking at options for VPS backup, backing up your virtual private servers where ever they may be hosted. I was thinking of using Restic + Backblaze (B2) storage for mine.
What do you all use, like, recommend, methods, etc? Why?
-
@Obsolesce are you talking about the data or the whole machine? Providers usually offer snapshot capabilities for backup within the DC infra.
-
@matteo-nunziati said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce are you talking about the data or the whole machine? Providers usually offer snapshot capabilities for backup within the DC infra.
Both.
I don't consider snapshots backups.
-
@Obsolesce for machine I would use native snapshots. For data anything able to backup to b2 on a given schedule (cron job, systemd timer, whatever). Maybe if there is a db inside the vm it would be better to dump contents... I don't know if any b2 related stuff is db friendly.
-
@matteo-nunziati said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce for machine I would use native snapshots. For data anything able to backup to b2 on a given schedule (cron job, systemd timer, whatever). Maybe if there is a db inside the vm it would be better to dump contents... I don't know if any b2 related stuff is db friendly.
I don't have any control over snapshots in my particular case. Even if I did in this case, I'm looking at data / image backups.
-
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
@matteo-nunziati said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce are you talking about the data or the whole machine? Providers usually offer snapshot capabilities for backup within the DC infra.
Both.
I don't consider snapshots backups.
They call then snapshots, They are backups. All modern backups are snapshots. Calling them that is confusing because it's snaps as part of the backup process.
-
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
@matteo-nunziati said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce for machine I would use native snapshots. For data anything able to backup to b2 on a given schedule (cron job, systemd timer, whatever). Maybe if there is a db inside the vm it would be better to dump contents... I don't know if any b2 related stuff is db friendly.
I don't have any control over snapshots in my particular case. Even if I did in this case, I'm looking at data / image backups.
Image backups and snapshot are synonymous terms here.
-
@scottalanmiller said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
@matteo-nunziati said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce for machine I would use native snapshots. For data anything able to backup to b2 on a given schedule (cron job, systemd timer, whatever). Maybe if there is a db inside the vm it would be better to dump contents... I don't know if any b2 related stuff is db friendly.
I don't have any control over snapshots in my particular case. Even if I did in this case, I'm looking at data / image backups.
Image backups and snapshot are synonymous terms here.
You'll have to explain because I consider a snapshot as a point in time, that you cannot restore to without the original disk or chain... as in only the data between the prior snapshot and the latest. I consider an image as a full backup you can restore to... as in you can restore to it from a complete data loss, it's all inclusive, no chain, where a snapshot is not.
-
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
@scottalanmiller said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
@matteo-nunziati said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce for machine I would use native snapshots. For data anything able to backup to b2 on a given schedule (cron job, systemd timer, whatever). Maybe if there is a db inside the vm it would be better to dump contents... I don't know if any b2 related stuff is db friendly.
I don't have any control over snapshots in my particular case. Even if I did in this case, I'm looking at data / image backups.
Image backups and snapshot are synonymous terms here.
You'll have to explain because I consider a snapshot as a point in time, that you cannot restore to without the original disk or chain... as in only the data between the prior snapshot and the latest. I consider an image as a full backup you can restore to... as in you can restore to it from a complete data loss, it's all inclusive, no chain, where a snapshot is not.
I know I'm not completely clear on what I actually mean atm, preoccupied.
-
Rather, you temporarily use a snapshot in order to create an image or backup, then the snapshot is deleted and merged afterwards.
-
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
@scottalanmiller said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
@matteo-nunziati said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce for machine I would use native snapshots. For data anything able to backup to b2 on a given schedule (cron job, systemd timer, whatever). Maybe if there is a db inside the vm it would be better to dump contents... I don't know if any b2 related stuff is db friendly.
I don't have any control over snapshots in my particular case. Even if I did in this case, I'm looking at data / image backups.
Image backups and snapshot are synonymous terms here.
You'll have to explain because I consider a snapshot as a point in time, that you cannot restore to without the original disk or chain... as in only the data between the prior snapshot and the latest. I consider an image as a full backup you can restore to... as in you can restore to it from a complete data loss, it's all inclusive, no chain, where a snapshot is not.
That's not what a snapshot means. That you can't restore without the original disk is a possibility for certain kinds of snaps, but is not inherent in the concept at all. That's a differential snapshot, not a full snapshot.
And image is a snapshot, the terms are interchangeable. A full image is a full snapshot. A differential image is a differential snapshot. Neither one implies the things you are thinking.
All mainline cloud hosts, their snapshots are full "image backups" on totally separate media and can restore even if the original system is completely and totally lost. Same with my Scale cluster.
Snapshot implies not dependencies nor does it implies shared media.
-
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
Rather, you temporarily use a snapshot in order to create an image or backup, then the snapshot is deleted and merged afterwards.
That's called exporting a snapshot. There are cases where what you describe is the process. But it's important to understand that the resulting "image or backup" is called a snapshot still. And what you are describing is the process used to produce the snapshots that we are talking about.
Veeam, for example, takes snapshots, that's how it works. All non-file based backups are snapshot based backups.
File backups work from the filesystem level. Snapshots are the only way to backup from the block level.
-
@scottalanmiller said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
Rather, you temporarily use a snapshot in order to create an image or backup, then the snapshot is deleted and merged afterwards.
That's called exporting a snapshot. There are cases where what you describe is the process. But it's important to understand that the resulting "image or backup" is called a snapshot still. And what you are describing is the process used to produce the snapshots that we are talking about.
Veeam, for example, takes snapshots, that's how it works. All non-file based backups are snapshot based backups.
File backups work from the filesystem level. Snapshots are the only way to backup from the block level.
Ya that makes complete sense. I don't know why I was thinking down that path.
-
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
@scottalanmiller said in VPS Backups:
@Obsolesce said in VPS Backups:
Rather, you temporarily use a snapshot in order to create an image or backup, then the snapshot is deleted and merged afterwards.
That's called exporting a snapshot. There are cases where what you describe is the process. But it's important to understand that the resulting "image or backup" is called a snapshot still. And what you are describing is the process used to produce the snapshots that we are talking about.
Veeam, for example, takes snapshots, that's how it works. All non-file based backups are snapshot based backups.
File backups work from the filesystem level. Snapshots are the only way to backup from the block level.
Ya that makes complete sense. I don't know why I was thinking down that path.
THIS ^^^^^^
