WHM to S3 backup questions...

[rivermobster]

I don't know if I should check the box in the Backup Settings tab that says: Mount Backup Drive as Needed.

I read through this documentation: Backup Configuration | cPanel & WHM Documentation

And this tutorial (dated 2014 with screen shots that don't match the lastest version): How to configure Amazon S3 backups in WHM

And neither of these threads makes it clear what to do when using S3 as a destination.

Could someone please clarify for me, or tell me if I'm reading something wrong?

Thanks in advance!

-Joe

 

[cPRex]

Hey hey! Nope, you wouldn't need to check that box when using S3. That option is designed for a local drive that doesn't stay permanently mounted to the file system for additional security, so you can just ignore that option.

 

[rivermobster]

Hey hey! Nope, you wouldn't need to check that box when using S3. That option is designed for a local drive that doesn't stay permanently mounted to the file system for additional security, so you can just ignore that option.

Thanks cP!

I'm also confused about the Check the Available Disk Space setting. How do I determine what this should be?? Is there a formula to calculate this?

NOTE: I am currently Trying to configure my NEW cloud server (on my own). Eventually, I will be migrating all of my clients to it (currently on my shared server that is going buh bye).

 

[cPRex]

There isn't a formula for that - it's just what you feel comfortable with. A bit of extra space is always a good thing, so we set it at 5%, but if you have a very large drive such as a 1T or 2T disk, you may be able to lower that value to ensure you are using more disk space.

 

[rivermobster]

There isn't a formula for that - it's just what you feel comfortable with. A bit of extra space is always a good thing, so we set it at 5%, but if you have a very large drive such as a 1T or 2T disk, you may be able to lower that value to ensure you are using more disk space.

Ok. I have no clue what would be "comfortable" at this point though! lol

Some stats...

The current amount of data I have at my shared server is around 80gigs or so for all of my current accounts.
My hosting provider told me I should set my cloud storage disc space to 150gigs to accommodate back ups and such. (does this sound like a good number to you?)
I'm always adding new clients. A normal site build comes in around two to three hundred megs
Three or four sites are one to two thousand megs
And one is at 62066 MB due to the massive amount of email they use! Of course, he is my #1 client.

Thanks in advance, I very much appreciate the help!

 

[cPRex]

That sounds reasonable to me. If you have a very large client it's best to have two times the free space plus a little extra for the backups to have room to be processed. I think the 5% number is also fine for the situation you describe, so I wouldn't change that.

 

[rivermobster]

That sounds reasonable to me. If you have a very large client it's best to have two times the free space plus a little extra for the backups to have room to be processed. I think the 5% number is also fine for the situation you describe, so I wouldn't change that.

Cool bro. Thanks so much for the help!

 

[cPRex]

Anytime!

 

[rivermobster]

Hey Rex...

So I checked in my S3 bucket this morning, and all is see is system_files.tar file stored there?

In the Backup Settings tab, I have Back up User Accounts selected in Files and Backup SQL Databases Per account only in Databases.

I would like Everything on my server backed up to S3. What am I doing wrong? Or is Everything included in the system_files.tar file, and I'm just being a dumbazz?

Just trying to make sure all my backups are being handled correctly before I migrate all my accounts to this server.

Note: I only have ONE cPanel account on this server at this time.

Thanks in advance!

-Joe

@cPRex

 

[cPRex]

Nope, you should expect to see much more in the backups than the system_files.tar.

If there's only one cPanel it may help make the logs easier to read, but you'll want to check usr/local/cpanel/logs/cpbackup_transporter to see the actual files being moved over. If it's not even getting that far you may want to check the logs in usr/local/cpanel/logs/cpbackup to see if it is an issue with the account itself.

 

[rivermobster]

Nope, you should expect to see much more in the backups than the system_files.tar.

If there's only one cPanel it may help make the logs easier to read, but you'll want to check usr/local/cpanel/logs/cpbackup_transporter to see the actual files being moved over. If it's not even getting that far you may want to check the logs in usr/local/cpanel/logs/cpbackup to see if it is an issue with the account itself.

Now your above my paygrade (level of competence actually) for knowing what you want me to do here.

Is this something you can walk me though?

Or should I open a ticket with you or my hosting provider?

Thanks so much,

-Joe

 

[cPRex]

We're happy to take a look if you put in a ticket! Or you can go to the webhost, whichever you feel more comfortable with. Those are just two log files related to the backup and then the process of moving the backup to the remote location, but they do need to be examined over an SSH connection on your server.

 

[rivermobster]

We're happy to take a look if you put in a ticket! Or you can go to the webhost, whichever you feel more comfortable with. Those are just two log files related to the backup and then the process of moving the backup to the remote location, but they do need to be examined over an SSH connection on your server.

Thanks Rex. There is a charge to open a ticket with you guys, correct?

 

[cPRex]

Nope - support tickets are always free :D If you want to bump the priority you can pay, but there's never a cost for support.

 

[rivermobster]

Nope - support tickets are always free :D If you want to bump the priory you can pay, but there's never a cost for support.

Very cool, I'm on it. I'll open it right away. Thanks!!!

 

[rivermobster]

So I was told in the support ticket that incremental back ups will NOT work with Amazon S3. I switched to compressed backups, and now in addition to the System folder and file, I now have an Accounts folder and .master.meta, and the 2 cpanel account files in this folder.

So it seems like it's working normally now? I hope?

Thanks!

 

[cPRex]

Ah, incremental won't work well with the S3 system. According to our docs at Backup Configuration | cPanel & WHM Documentation

"If you use the Incremental backup type, you can only use Rsync additional destinations."

I'm glad that's all it was though, and not an actual issue with either system.

 

[rivermobster]

Ah, incremental won't work well with the S3 system. According to our docs at Backup Configuration | cPanel & WHM Documentation

"If you use the Incremental backup type, you can only use Rsync additional destinations."

I'm glad that's all it was though, and not an actual issue with either system.

What is the Best option for doing off site backups with cPanel?

At this point I'm thinking S3 is not the best choice?

Thanks!

 

[cPRex]

I'm not sure there is ever really a "best" of anything. What's the "best" food? Some days a fancy steak is great, but sometimes only pizza will do :D

Many users choose S3, and if you plan to stick with complete backups rather than incremental, there is no reason to change that. If you wanted to pursue the incremental backup option, you would need to look elsewhere to a remote system that allows an rsync connection. It's really just about whatever is going to work best for what you want to achieve with your backup solution.

 

[rivermobster]

I'm not sure there is ever really a "best" of anything. What's the "best" food? Some days a fancy steak is great, but sometimes only pizza will do :D

Many users choose S3, and if you plan to stick with complete backups rather than incremental, there is no reason to change that. If you wanted to pursue the incremental backup option, you would need to look elsewhere to a remote system that allows an rsync connection. It's really just about whatever is going to work best for what you want to achieve with your backup solution.

It seems good as far as each account is backed up individualy.

So if just one account has a serious issue, just that one account could be restored with this method. Is that correct?