OS X Server 10.2.8

[amowrey]

I checked the manual and searched the forum but didn't find any mention of this. I'm planning on upgrading a dual G4 Xserve this weekend from Server 10.2.8 to Tiger Server and reformating a SCSI-attached RAID w/ 400GB of data. I'll have a backup of both via Retrospect, but I want to have a second copy.

I see that SuperDuper! is compatible with 10.2.8; is it compatible w/ the Server version and will it clone everything, including my 75+ users?

I have a 500GB Lacie Big Disk Extreme that I'll be using via FireWire 400; how long should it take to clone 450GB?

If something goes south with the upgrade; how long will it take to restore the server and/or RAID from the clone?

Tia,

Andy

[dnanian]

Sure, Andy, we can make a copy of Server and restore it, and all the files will be copied as well. (In fact, I Smart Update a backup of my own server every evening.)

The amount of time is hard to say, but we drive the I/O bus as hard as we can.

Restoring the server depends on the amount of time it took to back up. If you use Smart Update, though, it won't need to copy most of the data, and that'll go significantly faster.

Hope that helps!

[dprint]

Originally Posted by dnanian

In fact, I Smart Update a backup of my own server every evening.

I recently bought SuperDuper! to back up my laptop, and so far I love it. Now I'm interested in using it to back up my Xserve, too. Judging from your response above, I'm assuming the latest version can be used to back up the server every day or every couple of days at a scheduled time -- correct?

My other question -- can I schedule it to run at a time when the server is usually very quiet, such as 3 AM, and not worry about what applications are running? The Xserve is online for Web and mail services.

I assume I have to buy a second copy for the server, since it's on a different machine.

Bob

[dnanian]

That right, it can, and it should be fine to back up when the server is quiet. I strongly suggest, though, that -- if you're using any MySQL based apps (or similar database programs) -- you consider using the pre/post backup scripts to export your live database to snapshot it.

If the two machines are yours, for your personal use, you don't have to buy another license... though we'd certainly appreciate the additional registration.

[dprint]

Originally Posted by dnanian

That right, it can, and it should be fine to back up when the server is quiet. I strongly suggest, though, that -- if you're using any MySQL based apps (or similar database programs) -- you consider using the pre/post backup scripts to export your live database to snapshot it.

Thanks for your fast response to my questions!

You lost me, though, about the pre/post backup scripts and exporting my live database to snapshot it ... any suggestions where I can learn more about what that means and how to do it? I'm guessing it's a little much to go into here.

Since I'm primarily just running Web and Mail services on my Xserve (10.3.9 currently), I don't believe any of those are MySQL based, so maybe it's a moot point in my case.

Bob

[dnanian]

Right: it's probably not relevant to your situation. But, if you were to start running something like vBulletin or FogBUGZ or something else that used MySQL, you'd want to take steps to snapshot the database.