Every week. Constantly. Still. People losing their data because they didn’t back it up.
In particular, I’m referring to stories I see on LowEndTalk that go like this:
- “I had really important data on ExampleHost”
- “ExampleHost had a problem!”
- “All my data is gone and I’m now very sad.”
Constantly!
Here’s two recent examples:
- HostDZire was hit by a ransomware attack, which encrypted their ESXi hosts. All data was lost. According to their terms, they don’t provide backups for their customers. They will going forward, but users were warned. Lots of people moaned that their data was lost.
- A user had a billing issue with NOCIX, and while the ultimate responsibility is the user’s in this case, the net result was that he lost data because the only copy was on his NOCIX server.
Seriously, people!
Here are the rules:
- If your data has any value at all, you need to back it up.
- Your provider may provide backups, but you shouldn’t rely on them. Your provider might be hacked or run into a technical issue.
- The 3-2-1 (3 different backups on 2 different media with at least 1 being off-site) is the gold standard.
Anything less means your data isn’t that important to you.
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raindog308 is a longtime community LETizen, technical writer, and self-described techno polymath. With deep roots in the *nix world, he has a passion for systems both modern and vintage, ranging from Unix, Perl, Python, and Golang to shell scripting and mainframe-era operating systems like MVS. He’s equally comfortable with relational database systems, having spent years working with Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.
As an avid user of LowEndBox providers, raindog308 runs an empire of LEBs, from tiny boxes for VPNs, to mid-sized instances for application hosting, and heavyweight servers for data storage and complex databases. He brings both technical rigor and real-world experience to every piece he writes.
Beyond the command line, raindog308 has a life-long love of German Shepherd Dogs, high-quality knives, target shooting, theology, tabletop RPGs, playing guitar, and hiking in deep, quiet forests.
His goal with every article is to help users, from beginners to seasoned sysadmins, get more value, performance, and enjoyment out of their infrastructure.
You can find him daily in the forums at LowEndTalk under the handle @raindog308.
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