Protecting what is on the server.
WHAT TO BACK UP
Website files Databases Mail Configuration Certificates
WHY CONFIGURATION SPECIFICALLY
Rebuilding a server is mostly reconstructing configuration.
WHAT TO USE FOR FILES
tar for a snapshot rsync for incremental copies
WHAT TO USE FOR DATABASES
The database's own dump tool, never a file copy of its data directory while running.
WHY
A copied data directory from a running database is usually corrupt.
WHAT TO COMPRESS
Dumps, which compress extremely well.
WHERE TO STORE BACKUPS
Not on the same machine.
WHY
The commonest cause of total loss is losing the machine.
WHAT THE MINIMUM ARRANGEMENT IS
One copy on the server for speed, one elsewhere for safety.
WHAT TO AUTOMATE
The backup, its transfer, and removal of old copies.
WHAT TO MONITOR
Whether it ran, and whether it produced a plausible size.
WHY SIZE
A backup that suddenly halved usually failed partway.
WHAT TO TEST
Restoration, actually performing it.
WHY
Backups that have never been restored fail routinely when needed.
WHAT TO DOCUMENT
The restore procedure, so someone else could follow it.
