Re: Backup Question -- Difference between rsync and hotcopy

Thanks for the suggestions (and to the others that have responded
especially with the details about rsync function).
Due to the size of the repository I think we're headed down the same
path as suggested below.
Hotcopy is fast enough. The incremental dumps are also fast enough. I
can make a get a full dump from the Hotcopy for backup to tape.

mh

Jared Hardy wrote:
> On 5/17/07, Mark Houts <mhouts@highwire.stanford.edu> wrote:
>> I'm backing up an FSFS repository that is large (100GB+) and heavily
>> used by geographically dispersed groups so there's no obvious time to
>> schedule a backup when the repository is not being accessed. I'd like to
>> do hot copies while the repository is in use but I am concerned about
>> whether any transactions taking place during the backup could be
>> corrupted. Is there any functional difference between hotcopy and rsync
>> either with the resulting backup repository or how open files are
>> handled?
>
> We have a large FSFS repository too -- it was about 100GB, but it went
> down to 40GB when we upgraded the server to svn 1.4.3. I recommend
> multiple points of attack for backup, in general. So I hotcopy FSFS to
> such a drive, mounted locally on the same system serving svn. I
> immediately follow that with an "svn dump", and then I rsync the
> hotcopy-ied copy to a remote server. This gives us redundant local
> backup, and off-site remote backup. Hotcopy is safer, and you can
> always rsync the copy later. Having a dump around is good for server
> hardware changes and software upgrades, which can change the FSFS
> format, but its output much slower and bigger.
> 500GB+ SATA drives are currently cheap backup devices, which can
> be mounted via USB, Firewire, eSATA, or hot-swap tray to internal
> SATA, configured for hot removal. If configuring a SATA drive for
> removal is too much trouble, mount it permanantly, and use it as a
> way-point between the original data, and some other removable backup
> media. In my opinion, there's currently no good excuse for not keeping
> a local backup, and backup over a network connection (like rsync)
> should only be used for redundant off-site network backup.
>
> :) Jred
>

-- 
_____________________
Mark Houts
Assistant Director, Computer Operations
HighWire Press, Stanford University
email: mhouts@highwire.stanford.edu
phone: 650.725.5937
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