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I'm currently facing the making of our Backup Plan, and I was wondering what's the risk of backing up my ubuntu server in a pendrive instead of DVDs or CDs (physical mediums).

The server is used in a startup company, and is settled in an appartment, so risks of fire (as suggested) and power failures should be considered.

The identified resources to be copied are:

  • MySQL databases
  • Apache HTTPD directories
  • SVN folders
  • SSH configurations

So, keeping the pendrive always plugged to the server should be considered a risk? What other backup ways would you recommend?

Joaquín L. Robles
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    If this server is in your home, the question is OT here. Also, I can't understand at all why you think that the fact that it is located in your apartment will protect it from fires or extreme weather conditions. If at all, homes are much more susceptible to data loss through fire because they usually have no fire supresssion system like most data centers have while the fire risks are much higher (cooking, ironing, old broken machines, candles or fireplaces, you name it). – Sven May 14 '12 at 13:00
  • I'm not sure this is offtopic, but it looks like it's on the way to being closed due to the recent changes to the FAQ. You could avoid that, if you want, by making it clear the server is in an apartment, but is running your company's startup (assuming it's not just a personal home server obviously). – EightBitTony May 14 '12 at 13:07
  • There's a LOT more to backups than merely having a second copy of the data. Also consider that pen drives fail unpredictably and with absolutely no warning, nor any possibility of data recovery. – John Gardeniers May 14 '12 at 13:16
  • thanks to all, indeed it's an startup's server.. I realice that fire risks exists, but we determined that should not be considered.. – Joaquín L. Robles May 14 '12 at 13:19
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    @JoaquínL.Robles: Sorry, but this is a very dangerous decision you made regarding your fire etc. risks. You need to come up with a backup strategy that deserves that name and that protects you in any remotely likely scenario. The only protection your pen-drive model offers (if you are lucky) is the accidental deletion of a file. Even a power surge due to a breaking PSU could take out both your primary disks and the "backup" pen drives in the same moment. – Sven May 14 '12 at 13:26
  • @SvenW I'll keep it in mind and edit my question, thanks! – Joaquín L. Robles May 14 '12 at 13:28

1 Answers1

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The point of a backup is to move the backup data away from the live data.

This ensures that,

  1. it is physically protected from stuff which damages the primary data
  2. it is logically protected from actions which damage the live data

keeping your backup data device permanently attached to your live data device is not a backup.

It doesn't matter (in general) if you write it to paper, USB stick, DVD, or any other medium, the primary requirement is to physically remove it from the live server location.

If someone hacks your server, then they can trash your live data and your backup data. You don't have a backup until you move it away.

So yes, keeping it plugged in all the time is a risk.

EightBitTony
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