Testing Backups
I’m putting together our backup testing plan, and marveling at the suggestions in Preston’s Backup and Recovery. Here’s my paraphrase:
- restore many single files
- restore older versions of files
- restore entire drive / filesystem, compare to original (same size? etc.)
- recreate entire system
- pretend a given backup volume is bad, use alternate
- restore without touching backup server (as if it were destroyed)
- include database restores, inc. database at different point in time
- dream up painful scenarios with pessimists, test for those regularly
To actually do these tests, he suggests making a list & randomly picking a subset to test on a monthly basis.
Fun, huh? Beats holding the bag when your organization’s vital data goes missing.