How to Backup and Restore a Linux Server

As the Linux operating system becomes more and more popular on the server side, data backup and recovery become more and more important. Backups ensure that data can be recovered in the event of system problems or data loss. This article will introduce how to back up and restore a Linux server.

Backup Linux server

1. Full disk backup

Full disk backup is to back up the entire hard disk and back up the file system contents (operating system, operating system, data, configuration files) so that it can be restored to an almost identical state.

Use the dd command for full disk backup:

sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=/mnt/backup.img

The if parameter represents the input file, here is sda , the of parameter represents the output file, here is backup.img. Back up the backup files to the /mnt directory (recommended to back up to an external drive).

2. Incremental backup

Incremental backup is based on the previous full backup and only backs up data that has changed since the last full backup.

Use the rsync command for incremental backup:

sudo rsync -avh --delete /home/user /mnt/backup/user

The -a option here means archiving Copy, which is equivalent to the combination of -p, -o, -g, -r, -t and -D options. The -v option indicates verbose output, the -h option indicates humanized output, and the -delete option indicates deleting any files on the backup device. Source files not required.

Restore Linux server

1. Full disk recovery

If the entire Linux server system crashes for some reason, recovery is obviously the best solution.

Use the dd command for full disk recovery:

sudo dd if=/mnt/backup.img of=/dev/sda

if parameter is the backup input file, here It is backup.img, the of parameter is the output file, here is sda. Remember to copy the backup files to the installation media, or use a network mount to access the backup files directly.

2. Partial recovery

You may encounter situations where only some files or directories need to be restored. In this case, you can use the rsync command to perform partial recovery.

Use rsync for partial recovery:

sudo rsync -avh --delete /mnt/backup/user /home/user

The backup file here is in /mnt/backup /user, restore to the target directory /home/user. The meanings of the -a, -v, -h and -delete options are the same as above.

Notes

Pay special attention to the following when performing backup and recovery:

1. Before creating backup and recovery files, please back up all data to prevent data loss.
2. Choose a suitable backup device, it is recommended to use an external drive.
3. Before performing backup and recovery, please stop all related services on the Linux server.
4. Backup and recovery take time, and the time depends on the file size.
5. When backing up files manually, please ensure that the entire backup process is correct, otherwise data loss may occur.
6. Back up regularly to ensure data integrity.

Conclusion

Backup and recovery are very important in any IT environment. For Linux servers, there is no effective solution to back up and restore data, and data errors and losses may have a serious impact. You can easily back up and restore data using the tools that come with Linux. In short, backing up data is one of the important measures to protect your data. Don't ignore its importance.

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