| The most important task of any system | | | | should, be combined. An archival-only |
| administrator is backing up the systems | | | | strategy requires the system |
| they are responsible for. Not putting | | | | administrators to reinstall and |
| the system up, not keeping it running, | | | | reconfigure the operating system prior |
| backing it up and being able to restore | | | | to restoring the data; this takes longer |
| is primary. | | | | and is more error prone. |
| A system with no backup cannot be relied | | | | Any backup strategy must be tested. |
| upon for any real purpose, because if | | | | A DR backup is tested by restoring a |
| anything goes wrong your data is gone. | | | | system backup onto a fresh system to |
| Something always goes wrong eventually, | | | | make sure you can recover from an |
| and without good backups all of your | | | | emergency. |
| work, and possible your entire business | | | | Archival strategies are tested by |
| is just plain gone. | | | | retrieving files and verifying that you |
| A good backup strategy is composed of | | | | can find the files you need and that |
| backup, storage, verification, and | | | | they are readable once restored. An |
| restoration. The backup component covers | | | | untested backup strategy is usually a |
| selection of method and which data to | | | | complete waste of time and money. |
| backup (all of it by choice). | | | | For web hosting clients, you will |
| Storage covers both what media you back | | | | usually do your backups with the cPanel |
| up onto as well as where you keep them | | | | administrative interface.cPanel will let |
| (if your building burns down, tapes kept | | | | you backup your entire hosted site, your |
| in the server room will be useless). | | | | databases, or your home directory (which |
| Verification is a crucial component of a | | | | will contain your website but not the |
| backup strategy, you have to know you | | | | data behind it). |
| have usable data. | | | | To perform a backup you simply access |
| Lastly, you need to be able to get the | | | | the Backup control panel and select a |
| data back to where it can be used. | | | | type of backup. The system performs the |
| There are two main strategies for | | | | backup and downloads the file to your |
| backups: Disaster Recovery and Archival. | | | | local system. |
| DR backups are designed to restore a | | | | These backups can be restored through |
| system to a working state. To do this | | | | the same interface. |
| you backup the entire system so that you | | | | To test, you would create a new hosted |
| can restore it onto another machine to | | | | site and restore your backups to it. |
| get a working system. | | | | The downloaded backup files are |
| An archival strategy is concerned with | | | | important (possibly confidential) data |
| retrieving historical data ('give me the | | | | and should be integrated into your local |
| customer database as it appeared at the | | | | backup strategy. |
| end of last year') and not with | | | | At the least, burn them to disks if you |
| restoring a working system. | | | | can't arrange to include them in your |
| Both strategies can, and probably | | | | main backups. |