Introducing the Linode Backup Service
You do have backups, right? Yeah, we thought so. Backups are a good thing, but they’re tedious to configure and monitor. We’ve all heard the stories (and possibly experienced them) about some poor soul losing valuable data because the time wasn’t invested in a working backup system — or worse, false security was placed in a backup system that was unreliable.
Given how critical backups are, our goal for the Linode Backup Service was ambitious: to create a completely managed, reliable and highly available system, that’s easy to use (set-it-and-forget-it), affordable, and “just works”.
One click is all it takes to enroll your Linode in the backup service and to start protecting your data. We manage the entire system, from making sure our backup boxes are healthy, to monitoring for failures. We’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to. What’s your data worth?
For pricing and additional details: Linode Backup Service.
Filed under: features, linode manager, announcements by caker
Hello,
I thought it was a bit expensive but decided to sign up anyway. I have backups but this would be a belt and suspenders thing for if say I got hacked. Not likely but it did happen once on a different provider several years ago.
I had left enough unused disk space to duplicate my main disk, for example to make a temporary backup before upgrading the OS, but I think that is no longer necessary.
I would like to say that while I am extremely happy with linode, which is why I bought the package, it is expensive (yes until you need it), and more than that, the cost of adding new disk space is really too expensive. I currently would like to increase my disk space to host some photos but I cannot afford what would be needed.
It’s important to implement a backup solution that works well. Linodes is just one example of a great system.
But I would also suggest that if anyone is looking into a backup and if you are a newbie user of Linode, try installing something like the Webmin control pannel open-source software. Webmin offers an option to backup the file system. How it works, I do not know, as I have not tested this. Has anyone else tryed using Webmin for a backup solution?
I will totally sign up for this as soon as you enable restores of individual files. I don’t like the idea of having an all-or-nothing restore.
Is there a way to get my backups copied off to DVD or some such? I’d like to be able to lay my hands on the backup, save it offsite, or something similar, on a periodic basis (weekly or monthly).
I agree it would be really useful to be able to do a file-level restore.
Has anyone tried Amazon S3 or Rackspace data hosting for online backups? They each run about $0.15 per Gig.
Thanks
I thought that the backups were stored on a separate drive and it didn’t matter how much disk space is left on my own Linode. i have allocated full disk space to my image and when I try and enable backups, it gives me a message…
“You have selected extras that the host server does not have available. Please narrow your selection and try again.”
Do I need to have enough space on my disk to store the backups or am I doing something wrong?
If I need to resize the disk, is it safe to use the Linode manager or will I loose my data?
Cheers
I know linode can’t please everyone, but if @John is right:
“There are 2 options
1. Disaster! everything including backups fly away.
2. No disaster! nothing lost, so no backup needed.”
…is it really also true that it is NOT possible to copy the snapshots / backups to my local machine, or storage elsewhere?
Forgive me if I’m repeating a question, but I’ve read through all the comments and I’m still in a bit of disbelief that this could be the case.
I guess what I’m really asking is, is there any possible way to download the backups (ssh, ftp, some other really cool thing that I’ve never even heard of before, etc.), so that we can store a copy in a whole different location?
For anyone else with my question: http://library.linode.com/linode-platform/migration/copy-disk-image-over-ssh
This is honestly the most awesome idea.
I only tested the backup service while it was in beta, and for me it worked just fine!
I kno this comment is extremely late in showing up, but if you do want a simplified solution I say that it’s all worht it.
Congratulations Caker in designing a ssytem that is a nice one to have.
I’ll keep refering people wherever I can to Linode!
I have successfully made about five referrals so far, and I have a feeling it’s because partly due to the services you provide. Keep up that good work in providing the best service for the dollar that you can.
I can’t wait for your Birthday here in June!
Linode referral URL for anyone else not already a customer of Linode viewing the blog:
http://goo.gl/o8ITq