The words used in backup tools.
- FULL BACKUP: a complete copy of everything
- INCREMENTAL: only what changed since the last backup of any kind
- DIFFERENTIAL: everything changed since the last full backup
- SNAPSHOT: a point-in-time image, usually at the server or storage level
- RESTORE POINT: a dated backup you can return to
- RETENTION: how long backups are kept before being removed
RPO, RECOVERY POINT OBJECTIVE: how much data you can afford to lose, in time RTO, RECOVERY TIME OBJECTIVE: how long you can afford to be recovering
- OFF-SITE: stored somewhere other than the system being backed up
- DUMP: an export of a database as SQL statements
- ARCHIVE: a compressed file containing many files
- VERSIONING: keeping several dated copies rather than overwriting one
- BARE METAL RESTORE: rebuilding an entire system from nothing
COLD, WARM AND HOT: how ready a standby system is to take over
WHICH MATTER FOR A WEBSITE
Full backups, retention, off-site storage, and knowing your acceptable data loss and recovery time.
The rest is terminology from larger systems that rarely applies at website scale.
