Server Backup

M

mikelato

Verified User
Joined
Jan 25, 2010
Messages
74
Hi,

I currently am working on a backup solution for my servers. I have two directadmin licenses, one on "Server 1" and one on "Server 2".

Every night, "Server 1" makes a backup of all of the users on the box and stores it remotely on "Server 2". This way, if server one were to crash or go down, I can restore the backups on "Server 2" from the night before.

I am testing this solution to find the best possible way to implement it. What I did as a test was to restore the backups on "Server 2". I then went into my domain's child nameservers and changed ns1.mydomain.com and ns2.mydomain.com to point to "Server 2" rather than "Server 1".

I ran a DNS test and the domain now points to "Server 2" so the change seemed to work very quickly on the registrars end. It seems though, that my ISP has the old nameservers cached so when I go to mydomain.com it still points to "Server 1".

I have read that it can take 24-48 hours for an ISP to clear its cache. Is there any better way to do what I am trying to do or am I stuck having this 24-48 hours of downtime if something were to happen to "Server 1"?

Thanks,
Mike
 
directadmin wasnt really designed for this type of setup, but it is possible. there are some creative threads to look at onthese forums.

the way i do it is to make nightly backups onto another server and restore them if the primary goes down. i then point the main servers ip addresses to the backup server and create virtual name servers. the down time is still several hours, but it beats 24-48 hrs.

only happened once and it my system went well considering i dont give a 100% uptime and my clients are responsible for their own backups. if i exceed my uptime threshold i am happy to credit my clients. my services are not for clients that will lose $ if their site is down--i make that very clear.
 
I've been using a default TTL of 600 (ten minutes) for years. A long time ago (in a universe far far away) some administrators complained about the extra traffic involved in name servers all over the net having to check with mine every ten minutes instead of every 24 hours. However now, in an age of even shorter TTLs (for example for resolution to dynamic IP#s) I haven't gotten a complaint in years.

Jeff
 
Thanks for the replies.

Jeff, sorry if this is a stupid question but how do I set the TTL?

Thanks,
Mike
 
Im sorry, if someone could confirm I believe "floyd" just linked me to an article to change this, is this the only thing involved in modifying the TTL?
 
I'd suggest copying the template to the custom directory first. I'm not sure it's necessary, but I'd bet it is, and it won't hurt if it's not.

I wouldn't change to 100 seconds permanently, but 600 should be fine.

Floy'd link is otherwise quite adequate to the task :).

Jeff
 
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