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> If you don't test your backups, you don't have backups. I couldn't agree more! It's amazing how often the question "we take backups, right?" produces "uuhh..
by bitops 14y ago
> If you don't test your backups, you don't have backups.
I couldn't agree more! It's amazing how often the question "we take backups, right?" produces "uuhh..". And yes, if you don't test them, they're worthless. Because the rule is, if you haven't tested them, they won't work when the shit's really hitting the fan.
- pstuart 14y agoBack in the day we would take the days backup tapes and restore them to a test system that was also available as a "playground".
- franze 14y agoi especially love the (existing) backups that can't be actually used to bring the system "back up" .... experienced this more than once.
- bemmu 14y agoHow should I test my backups? I have a projects folder, which is on Dropbox and additionally on Time Machine. I can confirm they are really in both by browsing them. Anything more I should do?
- PeterisP 14y agoTake a fresh, empty system (a VM if you lack hardware); restore data from backups to it; check if you can do your work. It may be that your projects folder really is backed up, but that it relies on some stuff that is outside the folder for whatever reason - for example, a data file that didn't fit in dropbox, or some changes to config files outside the folder (where noone remembers exactly what needed to be changed); or a connection that relies on a private key that's on your computer, gets used automagically, but is not backed up. I mean, it's probably overkill in your case - most likely your project source is quite safe; but for a working production system it's an entirely another matter.