I would like to backup my ClearOS server locally, so that should it crash I can restore it to what it was in its glory. I want to include all apps and their latest updates. It would be nice to include the latest subscription updates from Clear Center.
The down sides I see to both apps in the subject line are: (1) BareMetal only does home directories, flexshares, and server configuration files, rather than your entire ClearOS server (i.e. / ). In doing a restore, home folders and flexshares can only be restored if they don't exist. I'm thinking this includes even flexshares that are websites. Does this mean users would have to be deleted so when doing a restore, they're reinstated with their home directories? Does this mean that all websites would have to be deleted from your webroot (and flexshares)? And finally, your entire server contents are not backed up; just the three areas mentioned.
(2) BackupPC should be able to backup your entire server (i.e. / ), but it does this using samba, tar, or rsync. That's fine and all, but when doing a direct restore in BackupPC, it will not be able to write all the files back to the local server if the files on the server are not write permissive, which they will never be, because that would be stupid and unsafe thanks to hackers.
Anyone willing to share what they think the pros and cons are to each method? Maybe I'm not thinking through this right? Maybe it's not that important to backup the whole server? My ClearOS server is being implemented at a business for multiple uses, i.e. internet gateway (firewall, content filter, antimalware, etc.), web server, mail server, etc. Maybe if it goes down, installing ClearOS 7 from scratch and then restoring configuration files is the best way to go about it? I would like to figure this out rather than wait until our server crashes and I'm down until I'm up again. Thanks for any insight the community can offer (and any Clear gurus that run across this post).
The down sides I see to both apps in the subject line are: (1) BareMetal only does home directories, flexshares, and server configuration files, rather than your entire ClearOS server (i.e. / ). In doing a restore, home folders and flexshares can only be restored if they don't exist. I'm thinking this includes even flexshares that are websites. Does this mean users would have to be deleted so when doing a restore, they're reinstated with their home directories? Does this mean that all websites would have to be deleted from your webroot (and flexshares)? And finally, your entire server contents are not backed up; just the three areas mentioned.
(2) BackupPC should be able to backup your entire server (i.e. / ), but it does this using samba, tar, or rsync. That's fine and all, but when doing a direct restore in BackupPC, it will not be able to write all the files back to the local server if the files on the server are not write permissive, which they will never be, because that would be stupid and unsafe thanks to hackers.
Anyone willing to share what they think the pros and cons are to each method? Maybe I'm not thinking through this right? Maybe it's not that important to backup the whole server? My ClearOS server is being implemented at a business for multiple uses, i.e. internet gateway (firewall, content filter, antimalware, etc.), web server, mail server, etc. Maybe if it goes down, installing ClearOS 7 from scratch and then restoring configuration files is the best way to go about it? I would like to figure this out rather than wait until our server crashes and I'm down until I'm up again. Thanks for any insight the community can offer (and any Clear gurus that run across this post).
In BackupPC
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I have to make sure the system is backed up but I'm not using either of the methods you mention.
The server is simply a file server not using any features such as email or database.
A second server at a remote location keeps a mirror of everything in /var and /home using rsync. It connects in but is firewalled from the main server.
This server could be over the Internet but in this case it's on a WiFi link in another building on the same site.
In terms of restoring the server I make sure I use the configuration backup under system backup. That's even handy if you break SAMBA or something.
The backup server will basically be off limits to the users so they can't break it. If they need something from it they have to ask me as it won't be accessible from their network. The idea is that should something malicious happen to the main network it can't spread to the backup.
They will of course be making manual backups by rotating 3 hard drives and keeping 2 off site. Not my problem how they do that. They can just carry on with how they do it now.
In my case rebuilding the server is simple as it just holds files. As long as I have the files then I'm OK. If the server was carefully configured with lots of special features then I'd want to make sure I could easily reproduce that.
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