DreamHost VPS Backup solution?

#1

Hello dear DH Users!

I am 100% new to Object hosting such as DreamObjects :slight_smile:

I would like to know if Dreamhost is providing an easy solution for users to create backups on DreamObjects ? If not, this would be one of your best seller, easy click N backup then the DreamObject starts charging monthly? I dont know? If there is no easy solution, can someone please explain me how I could schedule daily backups of a VPS, like a folder or an image of the entire VPS ? then push that on the DreamObject, automatically, no manual backups…! I have basic SSH skills but if there is a tutorial on how to set-up the backup, I can manage to do it…! And also, is it simple to reinstall that back-up once I need it?

Thank-you!

Raphaël

#2

DreamHost isn’t in the backups business, but there some solutions:

  1. By default, there are already backups of your domains you can get to from the panel under Manage Domains. DreamHost doesn’t guarantee these backups will always be available.
  2. There’s also boot-rsync: https://help.dreamhost.com/hc/en-us/articles/217473218-How-to-use-boto-rsync-with-DreamObjects
#3

Another option is to use duplicity:

#4

Is Duplicity already installed on VPS? If not, I thought we lost sudo access.

#5

Thank you for the replies, although, don’t you think that a very interesting way of promoting DreamObjects would be to create a simple tool in their panel to easily backup their hosting solutions? I don’t understand why they haven’t already done that… ? I will look at your solutions and will try them!

#6

I like the idea of a way through the panel. I would much rather use that than using my script to tar and FTP to my alternate domain with another hosting provider solution I currently use. (Couldn’t for the life of me figure out boto_rsync to save my site and MySQL databases.) :slight_smile:

#7

They would get a LOT of subscriptions for their DreamObjects service from their already existing Customers… I would be one of them :slight_smile:

#8

We’ve got something in the works! Until then, I’d recommend using boto-rsync or installing awscli in a virtualenv.

#9

It has been seven months. Is there still an easy solution in the works or do I need to try to write my own script or hire a programmer to do it? I agree you would sell more if you made it easy like you did for dreampress. Some way to automatically backup both the vps and the vps mysql would be great.

#10

If you’re using WordPress, the UpdraftPlus plugin can do it for free.
https://updraftplus.com

s3cmd is now on VPS, and possibly shared servers as well. It’s pretty slick and has a sync option.

I dump my database to my home directory before syncing my server data to my backup site:

#11

Is there any way to SFTP backups to another location? maybe a remote server? This would be THE reason why I might switch to a cPanel/WHM host. I can set it and forget it, make automated regular backups. With Dreamhost it’s a PITA, having to go to the panel and trigger backups and then manually download a bunch of generated files.

#12

To backup WordPress sites, DreamHost has some suggestions on https://help.dreamhost.com/hc/en-us/articles/215089888-WordPress-backup-tools

You sure can sftp or use rsync/s3cmd to sync files across different hosts or DreamObjects and other object storage systems. The easiest way to do it is to put a script in a cron job on https://panel.dreamhost.com/index.cgi?tree=goodies.cron& and forget it exists … until you need to restore a backup :slight_smile:

#13

Yeah, I need to try to write my own script or hire a programmer to do it? I agree you would sell more if you made it easy like you did for dreampress.

#14

I agree with you that this should be easier. I personally struggled with backups for a long time, until Apple came up with Time Machine. Now all I use on my Linux desktop is Ubuntu’s Backup application…

The thing is: a backup system looks simple but it’s not. For example, read the docs for what Ubuntu suggests https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/serverguide/backups.html, a VPS can host all sorts of different systems, and the backup process is different whether the VPS runs a static html site built with apache and git, or if it runs a SQL server. Developing a tool like DreamPress is not as simple for VPS.

Maybe you could share what your VPS runs and describe your backup and restore plan: what you need to backup, where you want to store the files and how quickly you need the restore to be in case of emergency. I’m sure that other readers of the forum have similar needs and have developed a solution that they’re willing to share.

#15

I’d recommend using boto-rsync or installing awscli in a virtualenv.

#18