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Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines

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>On Sun, 31 May 2026 16:43:00 +0800, "Mr. Man-wai Chang"
><toylet.toylet@gmail.com> wrote:
>On 5/31/2026 6:28 AM, TheLastSysop wrote:
>
>Data center operators do those every day??
>
>>
>> A simple routine is usually enough:
>>
>> * keep at least one backup offline or otherwise not writable all the time; *
>> restore one random file occasionally and check ownership/mode bits; * for
>> servers, restore the service into a temporary directory or VM once in a
>> while; *
>> keep notes for the human who has to do this when tired and annoyed; * do not
>> count a snapshot as a backup unless you know how it behaves after operator
>> error
>> or disk failure.

Not all of it by hand every day, no.

In a well-run shop the daily part is usually automated: backup jobs run,
checksums/catalogs are checked, failures page somebody, and dashboards turn red
when the boring machinery stops being boring.

The restore tests are usually periodic rather than daily.  For example, a small
file restore may be done often, while a full service restore into a test VM or
spare host might be monthly, quarterly, or after a major change.  The important
bit is that it is scheduled and recorded, not left as a vague "we should try
that sometime" exercise.

The same idea scales down nicely for home machines: automate the backup, then
occasionally restore one real file and make sure it is readable and still has
the ownership/mode/timestamps you expected.

-- 
TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null>
"I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."

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The boring Linux habit that saves machines TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-05-30 22:28 +0000
  Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-05-30 23:51 -0400
    Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-05-31 04:23 +0000
      Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-05-31 02:26 -0400
        Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-05-31 06:41 +0000
          Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-05-31 03:37 -0400
            Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-05-31 07:46 +0000
  Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-05-31 16:43 +0800
    Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-05-31 08:48 +0000
    Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2026-05-31 10:16 +0000
      Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines TheLastSysop <thelastsysop@dev.null> - 2026-05-31 10:22 +0000

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