Concerning Backups

Hello,

Looking for affirmation or advice on backing up my server. Currently I am using USB Backup onto a separate USB drive. I want a "Catastrophic won't boot" solution. I am currently trying to set up a Clonezilla boot usb and making an image to a different USB drive. I will make periodic new images of the server and I guess rotate them out. Eventually when I get users/groups and persmissions figured out I would want to backup all the connected windows and possibly other devices to the server, that is much later.

Is Clonezilla considered a adequate disaster solution?

Thanks for any experienced views and advice.

Hello macom,

I went a different route, although I thought I remembered something about using it in omv. I created a bootable USB and after several attempts I managed to get it to save an image to a usb backup drive. It said it worked...................... It shut down the server for hours.... Is there a tutorial on how to do it the way you mentioned? I did not see anything in the plugins and I haven't used anything that shows up in the omvextra or I just didn't find it. I copied the boot ssd and the raid drives and did all the checks and stuff.

How does one go about testing it for the restore without doing what it seems that it implies???????????????????

Quote from gderf

You can't. But nothing says you have to restore to the disk the backup was made from.

Hello gderf,

Yes, true. But I believe I may be inferring or that you may be implying some deeper meaning. I may be wrong, if so sorry, if not, please elaborate!

Thanx

Quote from macom

In omv-extras there is tab called "kernel". There you find a section about clonezilla. In that section you can download/install the clonezilla ISO and set grub to reboot ONCE into clonezilla. After that is done you can just reboot the server and instead of booting into OMV it will boot into clonezilla.

This guide is a bit dated, but you can follow from step 6

Headless Backup of the System Drive with Clonezilla

Good day to you! Of course thanks again and that seems doable, other than the grub thing. We are not consistently on good terms.

Danke, Gracias and so forth

Quote from gderf

Perhaps your concern is not clear to me. Can you restate it?

Sorry. I thought your first response was obvious and cryptic. The part about "But nothing says you have to restore to the disk the backup was made from." seems to me, that you know of other paths to the solution of the problem of having a solid backup image or how to accomplish it. I was being verbose in saying that if you do know other solutions to a no booting failure, that I would like to hear about it. and if I am wrong in my assumption that "no worries".

Quote from macom

In omv-extras there is tab called "kernel". There you find a section about clonezilla. In that section you can download/install the clonezilla ISO and set grub to reboot ONCE into clonezilla. After that is done you can just reboot the server and instead of booting into OMV it will boot into clonezilla.

This guide is a bit dated, but you can follow from step 6

Headless Backup of the System Drive with Clonezilla

Thanks macom, but the link you provided for my edification is way beyond my skill, currently

Quote from gderf

I am still not understanding exactly what your question or concern is.

Again sorry. There is no concern and really no problem or question. I did not understand your initial answer completely and was attempting to have you elaborate. I did not mean to cause concern or waste your time.

Thanks

Quote from macom

That means (I think).

If A is your OS drive. Then you can make a backup of A to drive B. Then restore from B to drive C. Then replace A by C. If everything works, you have a working backup.

Hey there macon. Sounds like a plan. Is there something in the omv or linux side to clone a drive? As I am using all my sata ports it seems problematic.

Quote from Zoki

If it is for the OS / boot drive: just make a clone of the drive, swap drives reboot. if it works, keep the "old" one as backup.

As mentioned above, I am both a bit out of my depth and have all my sata ports used. I like the new word problematic, encompasses so many issues. Any suggestions are appreciated because if I can use the USB backup plugin to take care of my data in raid, I really only need the OS boot/swap disk to restore if it becomes problematic (fails to boot). I have not figured a way to get the USB backup to do the os disk.

Tanx

Quote from macom

As mentioned above, you can boot into clonezilla from omv-extras and create an image on one of the data drives.

Or you can boot clonezilla from an USB thumb drive.

For now I can use the usb. Also can save much time with all the extra checking I did on the converted windows drive. I believe I also do not need to copy the data drives. So thank you for the support and maybe I will eventually use the omv-extras option.

Quote from chente

If clonezilla seems complicated to you, the simplest system you will find is this:

https://openmediavault.readthe…l#operating-system-backup

But for that you must install OMV on a USB stick.

https://openmediavault.readthe…/installation/on_usb.html

Thanks for explaining my options. I can make the choice now to just use the clonezilla on the usb stick and a separate usb drive. I hope I can eventually figure out the alternative!

Another issue dealt with and currently resolved