Backing up your VPS

NOTE: Work in progress.. currently just lecture notes

Outline:

  • Setting up a backup server (perhaps)
  • Advanced authentication with SSH keys
  • Task scheduling with Cron
  • Various backup methods (scp, rsync and rdiff-backup)

  • Setting up a backup server (perhaps)

    • Ubuntu LTS (12.04/14.04)
      • preferably not VPS, especially not with who you host your other stuff.
      • doesn't need to be powerful, just have a spinning disk or two.
    • Perhaps set up RAID? mdadm is great
      • What is RAID?
    • could be headless

  • Advanced authentication with SSH keys

    • What are SSH keys?
      • bit size, Algorithm RSA/DSM
      • Password vs Password-less keys
    • Setting up Keys:
      • {lost? there is a great reference in these github docs}
      • Basics, generate a key: $> ssh-keygen
        • this will use the default options and generate a key
      • More advanced: $> ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048 -f ./test -C "this is a test"
        • -t <type> specify the algorithm: rsa1, dsa, ecdsa, rsa
        • -b <bits> this specifies the complexity of key, or the "key size", bigger is better usually.
        • -f <filename> name of the key
        • -C "<comment here>" give it a comment to recognize it.

  • Task scheduling with Cron

    • What is cron?
      • cron is a "task scheduler"
      • need to do something every day at 3pm??, this is your tool
    • crontab -e
      • <some activation pattern> <some command here>
      • * * * * * /bin/bash /root/some.script - this will run every minute of every hour of every day of every month
      • @reboot /bin/bash /root/some.script - this will run after every reboot
      • @yearly /bin/bash /root/some.script - this will run every year
      • { need more reference, this page is great }

  • Various backup methods (scp, rsync and rdiff-backup)

    • scp - "secure" copy, copies over an ssh connection
      • scp -r <from> <to>
    • rsync - copies only the differences between local and remote copy
      • rsync -av <from> <to>
    • rdiff-backup - only copies the diffs between local and remote copy, stores all versions of diffs.
      • rdiff-backup <from> <to>