Clarification on the backup systems

[jim.thornton]

I was wondering if someone can please shed some light on the backup system within DirectAdmin?

1. In the Admin Level there are two backups: system backup and Admin Backup/Transfer. What is the difference? I think that system backup backups up just the configuration files for DA, so that if the server crashed that I can install DA again, go into the system backup and choose to restore it. That would restore everything EXCEPT any users/admins/resllers and their respective websites/files. From there I would go in and restore the Admin backups/transfer and that would restore every user/reseller/admin and their respective files/websites. Is that correct?

2. I think a reseller can go in and backup ALL of THEIR users by going into their reseller level and Manage backups. Also can restore any/all of their users in there. Is that correct?

3. Users can go in and backup all of THEIR domains and the respective files for their websites from within their user level? Is that correct?

4. If this is the case, and the admin did a full backup and the reseller did a full backup and the user did a full backup, is that taking up a lot of wasted space? Or, does DA know to overwrite it (probably stupid question)?

5. If the backups are created, do they keep building up until manually deleted or will DA delete them if there are a few sitting there already?

 

[nobaloney]

1. In the Admin Level there are two backups: system backup and Admin Backup/Transfer. What is the difference?

The system backup backs up everything (including user data, but not including changes or additions to core software) to restore a Server after you've installed Linux/FreeBSD and DirectAdmin. However it doesn't include any restore functions; it's designed to be used by System Administrators who understand exactly what they need to do.

Admin Backup/Transfer backs up all the users of any (or all) resellers, and does have a restore function. It's designed to be used by System Administrators who want a quick backup/restore function. It's also a better choice unless the OS Distribution between backup and restore is exactly the same. I've used both, and I'm an experienced System Administrator, and I now use the Admin Backup/Transfer.

2. I think a reseller can go in and backup ALL of THEIR users by going into their reseller level and Manage backups. Also can restore any/all of their users in there. Is that correct?

Yes. But unless they move it to a different machine they're not really backing it up against disaster. For example, what would they do if their host company suddenly went out of business and their server disappeared from the 'net?

3. Users can go in and backup all of THEIR domains and the respective files for their websites from within their user level? Is that correct?

Yes.

4. If this is the case, and the admin did a full backup and the reseller did a full backup and the user did a full backup, is that taking up a lot of wasted space? Or, does DA know to overwrite it (probably stupid question)?

DirectAdmin does NOT overwrite backups; it presumes you know what you want backed up. Yes, it could take a lot of space. Whether or not you consider backups as wasted space is entirely up to you; the user has to worry about whether the reseller will disappear, and the reseller has to worry about whether the host company will disappear. So they should probably all make backups, and they should probably move them off the server to their own system.

My recollection is that if the OS Distribution is installed properly (quotas enabled), a user backup is counted aginst the user's allocated space and that a reseler backup is counted against the reseller's allocated space. I may be wrong; you should check for yourself.

5. If the backups are created, do they keep building up until manually deleted or will DA delete them if there are a few sitting there already?

See above; DirectAdmin does NOT delete backups; it presumes you know what you're doing.

Jeff

 

[jim.thornton]

Thank you for the information. "Wasted Space" was probably a bad choice of words. I realize that there would be a value in the user/reseller/admin each having their backups off the server. I meant wasted space in the fact that if a reseller/user is lazy about it and doesn't manage their backups and just keeps piling them up, week after week, it can get to be wasted space. Not that backups themselves are wated space.