Tag Archives: backup

Data Backup on a Budget

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I have a lot of data that I’d hate to lose. Anyone with a hard drive failure really appreciates the value of having another copy of the lost data. I suppose cloud storage would be a logical place to backup data. With all my personal audio and video files, I might need as much as 10 TB of storage. That would be too expensive for me. My strategy has been to buy enough USB external hard drives to keep two copies of all my data. This has always been a manual process. I am working to automate my backup processes.

There are a couple of options when syncing two file directories. One is to simply copy all new files from the source to the target. Another is to additionally remove all the files from the target that have been removed from the source. I’ll automate the first procedure. If you accidentally remove all files from the source, the second procedure will also remove all files from the target. This option will only be used manually and very carefully.

Personal Documents

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Audio, Video and Pictures

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Duplicate Files

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Server Backups

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Rsync (ChatGPT)

I have three external USB drives: 4 TB, 5 TB, and 12 TB

You can use the following rsync command to synchronize the /documents directory from fileserver1 to fileserver2, ensuring that extra files on fileserver2 are removed:

rsync -av --delete fileserver1:/documents/ fileserver2:/documents/

Explanation of Options:

  • -a → Archive mode (preserves permissions, timestamps, symbolic links, etc.).
  • -v → Verbose output (optional, shows progress).
  • --delete → Removes extra files on fileserver2 that are not present on fileserver1.
  • The trailing / after /documents/ ensures correct directory syncing.

Additional Options (If Needed):

  • Dry run before actual execution (to preview changes): rsync -av --delete --dry-run fileserver1:/documents/ fileserver2:/documents/
  • Use SSH for secure transfer (if servers are remote): rsync -av --delete -e ssh fileserver1:/documents/ fileserver2:/documents/
  • Limit bandwidth to avoid overloading network (e.g., limit to 5MB/s): rsync -av --delete --bwlimit=5000 fileserver1:/documents/ fileserver2:/documents/

You can automate the rsync synchronization using a cron job.

Step 1: Edit the Crontab

On fileserver1, open the crontab editor:

crontab -e

Step 2: Add the Rsync Command

Add the following line to schedule synchronization every day at 2 AM:

0 2 * * * rsync -av --delete fileserver1:/documents/ fileserver2:/documents/ >> /var/log/rsync.log 2>&1

This will:

  • Run rsync at 2:00 AM daily.
  • Log output to /var/log/rsync.log for debugging.

Step 3: Save and Exit

Save the file and exit the editor.

Step 4: Verify the Cron Job

After a day, check if the job ran:

cat /var/log/rsync.log

Would you like email notifications for failures?

Robocopy

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Back up Pi-hole on a Schedule

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To back up Pi-hole on a schedule, you can use its built-in configuration export tools combined with a cron job. This allows you to save the configuration and restore it if needed. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Pi-hole Configuration Backup

Pi-hole provides a pihole -a command to export and import settings.

Backup Command:

To back up Pi-hole settings, run:

pihole -a -t

This creates a tarball of Pi-hole settings in the current directory, containing:

  • DNS configuration
  • Whitelist/Blacklist
  • Static DHCP leases
  • Query logs (optional)

Restore Command:

To restore from the backup:

pihole -a -r

2. Automate Backup with a Cron Job

Step 1: Create a Backup Directory

Choose where to store the backup files (e.g., /home/pi/pihole-backups):

mkdir -p /home/pi/pihole-backups

Step 2: Write a Backup Script

Create a script to handle the backup process.

Example script: /home/pi/backup_pihole.sh

#!/bin/bash

# Define backup directory
BACKUP_DIR="/home/pi/pihole-backups"

# Create a timestamp
TIMESTAMP=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S")

# Backup file path
BACKUP_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/pihole-backup-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"

# Run Pi-hole backup
pihole -a -t > /dev/null 2>&1

# Move the tarball to the backup directory with a timestamp
mv /etc/pihole/*.tar.gz "$BACKUP_FILE"

# Delete old backups (optional, e.g., keep 7 days)
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -type f -mtime +7 -exec rm {} \;

Make the script executable:

chmod +x /home/pi/backup_pihole.sh

Step 3: Add a Cron Job

Edit the crontab to schedule the script:

crontab -e

Add a line to schedule the script (e.g., daily at 2:00 AM):

0 2 * * * /home/pi/backup_pihole.sh

3. (Optional) Sync Backups to Another Location

For additional safety, copy backups to an external location (e.g., NAS, cloud storage, or another server).

Example: Use rsync to Copy Backups

Add the following line to the script:

rsync -av --delete /home/pi/pihole-backups/ user@remote-server:/backup-location/

4. Verify Backup and Restore

  1. Run the script manually to test: /home/pi/backup_pihole.sh
  2. Confirm the backup file exists in /home/pi/pihole-backups.
  3. Test restoring using: pihole -a -r

With this setup, Pi-hole backups will occur automatically, and you’ll have a reliable way to restore your configuration when needed. Let me know if you’d like help customizing the process!