Backups

Why back up?
  • User error: Ever make a mistake with an rm command?
  • Hardware error: Your hard drive crashes.
  • Break-in: Someone broke in and either wiped or modified your data.
  • Theft: Rather than break into your computer, they broke into your house and just took the entire machine.
  • Archives: Saves data just in case you need it again (logs)

    • Important concept
    Never never never never store your backups in such a way that they can be deleted from the machine you're backing up. If you keep your only backup tape in the tape drive of your machine the attacker can simply wipe the tape after they're done wiping your logs.

    Test your backups
    It happens all too often when making backups that the administrator won't test a restore. Then months later when a drive dies they find they haven't ever been backed up.

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