*Caution: Threadjack !!!!* Backup strategies (was: Replacing Drive with SSD)

[William A. Mahaffey III]

On 08/28/15 07:55, Damien Fleuriot wrote:
>> On 28/08/2015 07:59, Doug Hardie wrote:
>>
>>> I am having to replace a drive with a SSD.  Normally if I were
>>>
>>> replacing it with another drive, I would hook up the new drive
>>> to the computer and just use dd to copy everything (system would
>>> be quiescent).  Can I do the same with a SSD or does it need to
>>> be setup differently?  This is a boot drive (i.e., the only drive
>>> in the system).  The system is currently working fine, but the
>>> drive temp is starting to go up so I want to replace it before
>>> anything bad happens.
>>
> Any reason you're not using  dump/restore ?
> Now that would skip empty blocks :)
> That would allow you to expand your partitions, in the process.
>
> Warren Block has a very good guide over there :
> http://www.wonkity.com/~wblock/docs/html/backup.html
> _______________________________________________
> freebsd-questions at freebsd.org mailing list
> https://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions
> To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe at freebsd.org"
>


Warren's (fabulously lucid) page brings up a question for me. For years 
I have used a 'pull' strategy for across-the-LAN backups, w/ my 'backup 
servers' using tar or rsync to access data for backup on NFS-mounted (or 
automounted) directories that I want backed up. This all happens 
automatically overnight under cron. I am usually *not* backing up system 
files, but rather user data, although I have recently started backing up 
system stuff as well. Warren's page consistently illustrates a 'push'-ed 
backup, & involves system files. I am *dead* serious about automated 
backups, no possibility of forgetting to do it that way, but I always 
thought that trying to backup 'live' system files was a bad idea 
(right/wrong ?). There doesn't seem to be a way to do a 'push' backup 
w/o messing with live system files. I guess I am asking about 'best 
practices' for backups, & the wisdom/validity of backing up 'live' 
system files. Sorry for rambling, but the question(s) popped up for me 
while reading Warren's web page. Any input appreciated. Have a nice day 
& weekend :-).

-- 

	William A. Mahaffey III

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------

	"The M1 Garand is without doubt the finest implement of war
	 ever devised by man."
                            -- Gen. George S. Patton Jr.