How to backup a data storage (paranoid)

Sasha

Sasha

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Oct 18, 2018
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Kazahstan
Hi, guys!

I'm novice in PBS and just begin to configure a backups with it.
My current backup scheme is copying vzdumps to separate server.
It's simple and straight and served several years.

PBS is really attractive and amazing but I'm little nervous while think to trust all backups to single database with some chunks...
Does exist a procedure to backup data storage itself and procedute to restore it if problems appears?

Appreciate for any help to all good people.
 
Sasha said:
PBS is really attractive and amazing but I'm little nervous while think to trust all backups to single database with some chunks...
Does exist a procedure to backup data storage itself and procedute to restore it if problems appears?
Click to expand...
If you care about your data have the 3-2-1 backup rule in mind. So would be a good idea to have another offsite PBS and then make use of sync jobs to sync backup snapshots between the PBS.

A PBS datastore folder is selfcontained. So its possible to back that folder up. In case you lose your PBS you could then set up a new PBS, copy that folder back and reuse it.
 
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A PBS datastore folder is selfcontained
Click to expand...

Sounds close to perfect! I don't have hardware anymore for PBS, but i can add HDD in PBS server to simplu rsync /datastore to it.

copy that folder back and reuse it.
Click to expand...

Would You clarify a process. So i hace Data Store in /backedup
1. Setup PBS
2. Add Data store with folder /datastore
3. Remove everything in folder /datastore by backed up in /backedup folder

Should i stop services or be awared something?

May be more logical is to create /datastore2 on separate local hdd and runs rsync to have it identical to /datastore2 ?
 
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Importing the datastore has to be done manually by editing the /etc/proxmox-backup/datastore.cfg as the PBS webUI isn't offering importing of existing datastores yet.
Woud be a good idea to also backup your "/etc" folder, especially "/etc/proxmox-backup" to have a copy of your config files.
 
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Sasha said:
Sounds close to perfect! I don't have hardware anymore for PBS, but i can add HDD in PBS server to simplu rsync /datastore to it.
Click to expand...
Better rsync that datastore folder to a USB HDD and store that USB HDD offsite. Otherwise you are really screwed in case of fire, lightning, theft, water damage, short-circuits, ... . Or do some additional VZDump backups once a month to that USB HDD you store offsite. Then you don't have to put all your bets on a single horse.
 
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Have You noticed *paranoid* in topic's caption? 8)))
My backup of vz now contains from

- everynight vzdump
- standart backup server' activity
- rsync of datastore folder
- rsync /etc/* of host and vz

In fact BS's backups is really cool (!) thing for fast actualizing test zone.
vzdump is more robust in sense of single vz's file.
 
Johannes S said:
Why don't you use a PBS sync job? Shouldn't this be more robust than than rsync?
Click to expand...
As You said we need another backup server for that... But rsync is for simple straight filesystem copying and need just a additional disk... One more level of paranoya...
From my view point "rsync of datastore folder" can cover the case of bs's disk system fall...
But second pbs is very good approach. But much more costs then rsync.
 
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Sasha said:
As You said we need another backup server for that... But rsync is for simple straight filesystem copying and need just a additional disk... One more level of paranoya...
From my view point "rsync of datastore folder" can cover the case of bs's disk system fall...
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure to be honest since this forum has some storys of people who tried to create their own syncing mechanism which ended badly:
Z

Thread 'Datastore synced with Rclone broken?'

I'm trying to set up a remote sync to a friend's RPI for my Proxmox Backup Server. I've been using this script that uses Rclone with an encrypted remote (Crypt) on a schedule:
Bash: 
#!/bin/bash

# A simple script to back up PBS to Crypt remote

_lock_file=/root/.tertiary_backup.lock

_schedule_time=1:30
_max_duration="7.5h"
_cutoff_mode="soft"

_datastore_dir_name=Primary_Backup
_datastore_dir_path=/mnt/datastore/$_datastore_dir_name
_config_dir=$_datastore_dir_path/host_backup

_remote_user=user
_remote_ip=tailscale-ip
_remote_port=22
_remote_name=Tertiary_Backup_Crypt...
S

Thread 'PBS appears not to write to disk'

Hello friends.

New user of Proxmox and PBS here. I'm evaluating it for use in a tech company that is starting to need virtualization of a few services. Right now I have a basic working config on a local server:

PVE - running 4 x VMs
PBS - also running as a VM inside PVE. Datastore is configured to point at a section of thin storage within PVE, not a dedicated disk (yet).

My short term aim is to sync the backups on PBS with a cloud storage provider using Rclone. I am having trouble reading the backup files off the disk inside PBS. The backup appears to go fine from PVE-PBS. I can...

So for my level of Paranoia I don't trust any mechanism not done with the native PBS sync method.

Sasha said:
But second pbs is very good approach. But much more costs then rsync.
Click to expand...

Not if you have another disc (can be an external usb drive you add as "removable datastore") and sync to it with a sync job:
https://pbs.proxmox.com/docs/storage.html#removable-datastores
Regarding costs: Imho a cheap vserver or one of the PBS cloud offerings (like from tuxis.nl or inett) are not too expensive for typical homelab usage (where all vms and lxcs together will propably still be under the TB range). And as soon as PBS 4 is out of beta you can also sync to S3 datastores (so you can leverage cheap cloud storage providers). So using rsync, rclone or some other non-integrated mechanism is way to hacky for my taste to trust my backups with it. YMMV
 
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