backup strategy for large instance

[me]

Hi
As mention here if we have many spaces we should take backup from:
1-dump of database
2-local home and shared home

now questions are:
1-these directories has many files that definately take long time to create backup every night, i need to create backup from these files increamentaly and compressed, any idea? (currently i'm using rsync to copy local & share directory)

2-about database dump, do you have any idea that I create it increamentally and copressed every night?(currently i'm using this "pg_dump confluence > /backups/dbdump-$DATE")

Any idea?
Thanks

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

You can take both backups however you prefer to.  Incremental or full are both fine, as long as you can restore them to a point in time.

Imagine your server died this morning and you asked a consultant like me to build a new Confluence service for you, with all your existing data.  I'm going to need a copy of your database and attachments to be restored from your last backup.  It doesn't matter to me whether the backup was complete or incremental, I just need a copy of the latest state of both.

[me]

@Nic Brough -Adaptavist- thanks for answer, main question is about how should i done this, any tool? Any idea? Any strategy? That save time and disk space, and easily restore?

as you mentioned as you are consultant, if you have large instance right now like this, how handle backup process?

any idea?

 Thanks 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

You should use whatever tools your administrators support.  

Most of the systems I help out with use the native database tools to take regular backups of the database, and have the attachments on a shared and backed up disk.  The more advanced one replicate database and disk to other redundant servers so they can get the system running immediately on a disaster (effectively a live backup)

[me]

How about files?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

I already said you'll want to take backups of the attachments.

[me]

Still not obvious, would you please explain more?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

I don't know what part of "yes you need to back up your attachments" I can explain more.  You should use a tool that works best for you.

Your mention of rsync (incremental) is probably the most simple and well-tested way to do that already.  

[me]

I know i should use a tool :))))

main question is about which tool do you suggest or use currently? And does it support incremental and compress files?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Rsync for some, dedicated backup tools for others (I don't have to think about it, it's managed hardware)