a wrote:
> Hi Gurus
>
> I have a sun V210 server running a variety of apps. I generally do my
> backups using standard unix tools (cpio). I would like your views on the
> best method for backing up a sun server for disaster recovery purpouses. I
> would like a straight forward one step process for re-creating myu server
> should i loose a disk or should the whole thing be crushed by a 10 ton lorry
> and needs to be set up on another bit if hardware.
>
> many thanks
> #regards
> dean
>
>

One of the first, most important, things to do is to verify that you can
restore your backups! More than one sysadmin has discovered, to his
horror, that something critical didn't get backed up, that his backups
were unreadable, etc, etc.

This is best done by testing at a Disaster Recovery "Hot Site"!

Can your backup tapes be destroyed by the same "10 ton lorry"? Do you
have the necessary documentation for your hardware configuration? After
that ten ton lorry has finished its work, how many disks will you
need? What size disks do you need? How must they be partitioned? If a
V210 should not be readily available, what else can you use? Next
larger/faster model? Two smaller slower? How much RAM do you need?

Can another tape drive read those tapes? It has happened more than once
that a tape drive has become worn to the point that it is the one and
only drive that can read the tapes it wrote.

Do you have a Disaster Recovery Plan? It should tell you, or your
successor (if you don't survive the disaster) where to go, how to
restore, etc, etc. If should be sufficiently detailed that a complete
stranger should be able to execute it. That complete stranger may be
sadly deficient in Sun/Solaris skills.

If your data center had been in the World Trade Center on September 11,
could you, or your successor, recover your company's data processisng?
With little or no loss of data? THAT is the "acid test"!!!!

Your company may be able to survive the loss of X hours of data. You
need to get an authoritative estimate of the value of X! How many hours
or days can your company survive without access to your data? You need
that number as well. The two numbers will drive your planning.

Doing all this stuff takes time and costs money. If your company is
serious about this, it will spend the time and money. If it's not
serious, make sure that your resume is up-to-date and that you have a
copy off-site! Try to be somewhere else when the disaster happens.