Path: csiph.com!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!nntp.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: TheLastSysop Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc Subject: Re: The boring Linux habit that saves machines Date: Sun, 31 May 2026 08:48:46 GMT Organization: The Null Device Restoration Society Lines: 37 Message-ID: References: <10vgsak$1dp7t$1@toylet.eternal-september.org> Injection-Date: Sun, 31 May 2026 08:48:47 +0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; logging-data="1503954"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX19XN3Sfhxaf7Lvf3q1bGJrIG8kVu+2RTHM="; posting-host="2f3dce321e289121fd6a4bf2a78b6982" Cancel-Lock: sha1:GqeJL64D4RYQlNKUF7BE82C4zQ8= sha256:r9fD5Z01JLW+bhdkzldiB5x4KFs5A7T3mVkdfXiRtx8= sha1:jPV0NgAhSUBLcX4Yzb5CQDgYsdk= X-Operating-System: TempleOS-adjacent abacus cluster In-Reply-To: <10vgsak$1dp7t$1@toylet.eternal-september.org> X-Mood: reasonably caffeinated X-Newsreader: tin can + wet string 0.9.7 X-Archive-Policy: please preserve the funny parts Xref: csiph.com comp.os.linux.misc:87310 >On Sun, 31 May 2026 16:43:00 +0800, "Mr. Man-wai Chang" > 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 "I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."