Todd FillingimNov 6, 2023
nixCraft 🐧
I don't know who wants to hear, but please test your backup. Restore files. How much time did it take? Did you succeed in getting back your data? You are welcome 🤗
Nov 6, 2023 at 12:12pmWeb
Show threadfaberfedorNov 6, 2023

@nixCraft As I tell all my clients "You don't need a backup system. You need a RESTORE system."

(Yes, I know it's grammatically incorrect. My Poetic License is up-to-date so it's fine.)

Show threadHal PomeranzNov 6, 2023
@faberfedor @nixCraft “A backup is not a backup until you do a restore”
Show threadsigi714Nov 6, 2023

@faberfedor @nixCraft Same. I use "You don't want a backup, you want a restore".

Edit: Lost in language confusion :)

Show threadTravisNov 6, 2023
@nixCraft CloudFlare should read this.
Show threadTuhgyNov 6, 2023
@nixCraft I might have overdone my restoration setup. I simulate a sort of disaster recovery situation in that I ask myself "can I access my logins and precious data if my home disappeared." not just home, but even neighborhood, such as a flood or fire.

I keep a offsite cloud backup for my precious data encrypted, the last part that I have yet to put into place is a offsite(preferably not cloud) copy of my KeePass database, I just need to find a safe location that is close, but not disaster close.
Show threadmadmaxNov 6, 2023
@nixCraft I think for home user who just use their computer for usual things should consider keeping their personal files in proper order and don't let it become a mess because that's exactly what I did for years and when I just wanted to get a really old file, things became really bad and search saved me but now I started cleaning up things. This is just for personal backups and keeping a directory structure that makes it easy for you to locate your files is always good.
Show threadToken Sane PersonNov 6, 2023
@nixCraft I use Bacula, and on a couple of occasions over the decades I've had to do a cold restore. Windows is the worst because of the Registry and the chunks of file system that are read-only for the user. Linux is a doddle.
Show threadNightDiceNov 6, 2023
@nixCraft
If you don't test your backup, you don't have a backup.
Show threadBonkersNov 6, 2023
@nixCraft if you backed something up on 5" floppies, make sure you have a device to read them
Show threadLight Owl ☸️Nov 6, 2023
@nixCraft 30 min to restore my laptop. Yes, worked again as expected. zstd is my good buddy for full-disk backups/restores. 
Show threadLuigi Rosa Nov 6, 2023

@nixCraft
- Do you have a backup?
- YES!
- When was the last time you did a restore to test it?
- ....

Happened many times with new customers

Show threadRichard W. Woodley ELBOWS UP 🇨🇦🌹🚴‍♂️📷 🗺️Nov 6, 2023
@nixCraft
One of the reasons I do a simple copy paste of my documents directory to an external drive. No special software to worry about it working properly. And I have two external drives I alternate between.
Show threaddeefdragonNov 6, 2023
@nixCraft I spent the last two weeks validating my backups and cleaning up the restore process to make it as seemles as possible. it's a task 100%worth doing.
Show threadfromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻 ✍️ 🥐 🇵🇷Nov 6, 2023
@nixCraft and defrag your hard drives!
Show threadCarnildoNov 7, 2023

@nixCraft 17 hours, no, 15 hours, no, 2 hours, no, 4 hours.

And I didn't get the latest versions of all the files back. The outdated files were pretty random -- things like six out of a thousand source code files from a project. Anyone have a suggestion for backup software for Mac that's more reliable than Time Machine, or at least tells you when it's failing to back up a file?