this post was submitted on 30 Dec 2024
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How do you test one
It depends on the type of backup:
For a filesystem backup, restore one or more files to a secondary location. E.g. pick a few files out of the backup and try to restore them to a temporary folder. Then hash the original and restored files to verify integrity.
For a full machine backup (e.g. VM backup), restore a copy of the machine to a test location. Spin up the test machine to verify that it can boot.
For a database backup, restore a copy of the database to a test location (e.g. change the database name as part of the restore process), compare a few tables against the real database to verify integrity.
Pretty much, it's going to be some version of "Restore X to a test location and verify integrity". You want to both prove that the backup can be restored and that the restored copy is actually intact.
Thanks for explaining this! Very helpful and easy to understand. Do you have preferred programs for the two actions? I currently just rsync my servers.
I use restic to back up files to Wasabi.
It's all scripted but the steps are: