Full system backups with FFS snapshots, ZFS and dump(8)

I am positive not many know that NetBSD FFSv2 allows taking atomic filesystem copies of a mounted filesystem (or part it) through fss(4), the fileysytem snapshot device. These can be used to create backups or to give fsck_ffs a consistent view of a previous version of the filesystem to compare with (see fsck -x). Having a snapshot ready before editing critical configuration files under /etc or performing etcupdates, is also a good idea...

https://www.unitedbsd.com/d/705-full-system-backups-with-ffs-snapshots-zfs-and-dump8

#backup #snapshots #dump

The journey to ZFS raidz1 with different sized disks (On NetBSD) (Wheelbarrow optional).

The joy of having a redundant remote backup machine is that if it dies you do not immediately lose any data, just some redundancy. On the other hand, sufficient remoteness can make the process of rebuilding annoying enough to encourage a certain desire to not repeat it.

So... I find myself wanting to setup a NetBSD machine with a ZFS raidz1, but without sufficient equally sized large disks or enough drive bays to pack in many smaller disks. In the world of ZFS, that's a pretty big liability...

https://netbsd0.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-journey-to-zfs-raidz1-with.html

#zfs #backup