setup a procedure for backing up linode servers

[Ben Wyss]

currently we have many linode servers that in some cases are backed up with the linode internal backup service. It could be considered relevant to backup these servers on independently from linode. We also have the need to backup linode servers if and when we want to shut servers down.
Because of this, we need to document a procedure for backing up linode servers.

[Ben Wyss (bmwyss)]

The procedure has been documented, and saved at: https://github.com/gem/oq-ui-api/wiki/Linode-Backup-Procedure TODO: find a permanent location for this doc. This location should not be the final resting place for this documentation as it is not relevant only for the oq-ui-api

The Doc:

Linode Backup ProcedureNew Page Edit Page Page History
To backup a whole server from linode:

boot linode in Rescue Mode:

log into Linode.com, open up the servers Dashboard
shutdown linode server
click on 'Rescue'
reboot into Rescue Mode
once the server reboots, from the 'Rescue' page you will be provided a ssh link to the LISH environment. log into the LISH environment, set the root password and start the SSH server:

passwd

/etc/init.d/ssh start

mount the disk to a temporary directory:

mkdir /tmp/temp_dir

mount /dev/xvdb /tmp/temp_dir

now log into the destination machine and run:

cd /path/to/backup/directory

ssh root@<Linode_IP> "cd /tmp/temp_dir ; tar zcf - . " > some_backup.tgz

validate the tar with:

tar zft some_backup.tgz && echo ok

ref: http://library.linode.com/linode-platform/migration/copy-disk-image-over-ssh?format=source