Editing Ploop/Backup

[[File:Ploop-backup.png|300px|right|thumb|How backup via snapshot is done]]
This article explains how to do consistent file-based backups for [[ploop]] containers, using ploop snapshot feature.

== Types of backup ==
There are two ways of doing backups, both have their pros and cons.

* When doing an '''image backup''', one copies ploop image files directly. There can be only one big file, or maybe a few relatively big files. Copying a few big files (rather than a lot of small files) is faster because there's not too much metadata (file info) to be copied). Also, filesystem properties are fully preserving (since images containing the filesystem are copied).

* When doing a '''file backup''', one copies individual container' files. This is more suitable if you want selective backups (such as only some directories/files).

The following table summarizes pros and cons of both approaches.

{| class="wikitable"
! Characteristic
! Image
! File
|-
|| Incremental backups
| {{Yes}} || {{Yes-No}}{{H:title|Requires tools such as rsnapshot|<sup>*</sup>}}
|-
|| Selective backups
| {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
|| Faster full backup and restore
| {{Yes}} || {{No}}
|-
| Preserve filesystem properties
| {{Yes}} || {{No}}
|-
|| Compatible with pre-ploop backups
| {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
|| Restore individual files
| {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|}

== Image-based backups ==

Assuming you have a running container identified by <code>$CTID</code>. The following needs to be done:

<source lang="bash">
# Known snapshot ID
ID=$(uuidgen)
VE_PRIVATE=$(VEID=$CTID; source /etc/vz/vz.conf; source /etc/vz/conf/$CTID.conf; echo $VE_PRIVATE)

# Take a snapshot without suspending a CT and saving its config
vzctl snapshot $CTID --id $ID --skip-suspend --skip-config

# Perform a backup using your favorite backup tool
# (cp is just an example)
cp $VE_PRIVATE/root.hdd/* /backup/destination

# Delete (merge) the snapshot
vzctl snapshot-delete $CTID --id $ID
</source>

== File-based backup ==

Assuming you have a running container identified by <code>$CTID</code>. The following needs to be done:

<source lang="bash">
# Known snapshot ID
ID=$(uuidgen)

# Directory used to mount a snapshot
MNTDIR=./mnt
mkdir $MNTDIR

# Take a snapshot without suspending a CT and saving its config
vzctl snapshot $CTID --id $ID --skip-suspend --skip-config

# Mount the snapshot taken
vzctl snapshot-mount $CTID --id $ID --target $MNTDIR

# Perform a backup using your favorite backup tool
# (tar is just an example)
tar cf backup.tar.xz $MNTDIR

# Unmount the snapshot
vzctl snapshot-umount $CTID --id $ID

# Delete (merge) the snapshot
vzctl snapshot-delete $CTID --id $ID
</source>

== See also ==

* [[Man/vzctl.8#Snapshotting|vzctl(8), section Snapshotting]].

[[Category:ploop]]
[[Category:HOWTO]]
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:Ploop-backup.png|300px|right|thumb|How backup via snapshot is done]]
-This article explains how to do consistent backups for [[ploop]] containers, using ploop snapshot feature.
+This article explains how to do consistent file-based backups for [[ploop]] containers, using ploop snapshot feature.
-== Backup types ==
+== Types of backup ==
 There are two ways of doing backups, both have their pros and cons.
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 |-
 || Compatible with pre-ploop backups
-| {{Yes-No}}{{H:title|It's always possible to create a new, same-size ploop device and then restore the files into the mounted ploop partition|<sup>*</sup>}} || {{Yes}}
+| {{No}} || {{Yes}}
 |-
 || Restore individual files
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 |}
-== Image-based backup ==
+== Image-based backups ==
 Assuming you have a running container identified by <code>$CTID</code>. The following needs to be done:
@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 # Known snapshot ID
 ID=$(uuidgen)
-VE_PRIVATE=$(vzlist -H -o private $CTID)
+VE_PRIVATE=$(VEID=$CTID; source /etc/vz/vz.conf; source /etc/vz/conf/$CTID.conf; echo $VE_PRIVATE)
 # Take a snapshot without suspending a CT and saving its config
@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 # Delete (merge) the snapshot
 vzctl snapshot-delete $CTID --id $ID
-</source>
-The following script implements the commands above and allows - when stored as <code>vzbackup</code> - to backup your container by executing the script in the following way:
-<code>./vzbackup 101 /backup/destination/</code>
-The script removes older backups and keeps only the latest four backups. You can change the number of backups kept by changing the four in <code>head -n-4</code> to the number of backups you would like to keep.
-<source lang="bash">
-#!/bin/bash
-if [ -z $1 -o -z $2 ]
-then
-	echo "Usage: vzbackup CTID BACKUP-PATH"
-	exit 1
-fi
-CTID=$1
-FOLDER=$2
-BACKUPPATH=$FOLDER/$CTID-$( date +%F_%H_%M )
-#create BACKUP-PATH
-mkdir -p $BACKUPPATH
-# Known snapshot ID
-ID=$(uuidgen)
-VE_PRIVATE=$(vzlist -H -o private $CTID)
-# Take a snapshot without suspending a CT and saving its config
-vzctl snapshot $CTID --id $ID --skip-suspend --skip-config
-# Perform a backup using your favorite backup tool
-# (cp is just an example)
-cp $VE_PRIVATE/root.hdd/* $BACKUPPATH/
-# Delete (merge) the snapshot
-vzctl snapshot-delete $CTID --id $ID
-# remove old backups
-rm -rf $( find $FOLDER -type d -name "$CTID*" -exec ls -d1rt "{}" + | head -n-4  )
-echo "BACKUP FINISHED."
 </source>
@@ Line 116: / Line 75: @@
 # Perform a backup using your favorite backup tool
 # (tar is just an example)
-tar cf backup.tar $MNTDIR
+tar cf backup.tar.xz $MNTDIR
-# tar with compression examples, see man page of tar for more options
-# tar cfJ backup.tar.xz $MNTDIR
-# tar cfz backup.tar.gz $MNTDIR
 # Unmount the snapshot
@@ Line 131: / Line 86: @@
 == See also ==
-* [[Ploop]]
 * [[Man/vzctl.8#Snapshotting|vzctl(8), section Snapshotting]].
-[[Category: Storage]]
+[[Category:ploop]]
-[[Category: HOWTO]]
+[[Category:HOWTO]]