Yes, I know, I could get python and use some of the .py scripts, but
since I don't read/understand python, and don't feel like adding yet
another layer of unknowns into my backup routines, I'm looking for a
more "native" solution to backing up multiple repositories on windows,
specifically when running 1.4 w/BDB and the SVNServe server as a windows
service.
As I see it so far, I have the following options:
1. Stop the svnserve service and simply do a native windows backup
(ntbackup, zip, xcopy, etc.) of the parent directory that holds all my
repositories. Since the service is not running I don't need to worry
about any locking or incomplete updates. This has the advantage of being
downright simple, I backup one directory and get everything. I can
restore everything (catastrophic failure) by restoring the entire
directory tree, or any single repository by restoring the sub-directory
tree for that repository. This has an obvious disadvantage of requiring
a period of downtime to capture the backup. The repositories would be
unavailable for any use, even read-only, during the backup.
Additionally, since BDB never "saw" the backup I'd have to deal with the
old transaction logs.
2. Use svnadmin hotcopy <repo> --clean-logs. This seems to be
useful in that I don't need to stop the svnserve service to get the
backup also, the clean-logs option will take care of my transaction log
issue. Again, restore is mindless since I simply have to drop the
repository sub-directory tree into the right spot. However, the downside
is that I need to do this on a repository-by-repository basis, plus I'll
need to get my top-level passwd and authz files which live outside of
the repositories.
3. Use svnadmin dump and dump --incremental. This seems to be the
preferred backup process based on some links I've seen on the net, but
to me it seems silly. svnadmin dump dumps out the contents of the
repository, but not the repository itself, that is, I'd loose any hooks
I'd made since they're not stored _in_ the repository. --incremental is
nice if you want/need small incremental backups, but like any
incremental backup, restore is complicated by the need to restore the
original full backup, followed by all incrementals.
What are others doing to backup/restore multiple repositories in a
windows environment?
--
Walden H Leverich III
Tech Software
(516) 627-3800 x3051
WaldenL@TechSoftInc.com
http://www.TechSoftInc.com
<blocked::blocked::http://www.techsoftinc.com/>
Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
(Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)
Received on Wed Oct 25 00:22:27 2006