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Backup your Linux Server Apps

So you have your linux server up and running. A lot of time and effort went into this so lets get it backed up. You don't need to invest in any fancy backup system. A bit of shell script and some use of crontab will do the trick. Here are the two scripts I use...

Email backup

Make an executable file e.g. mailserver_backup.sh containing the following

cd /
dt=`date +%Y%m%d_%s`
/bin/tar -czf mailserver_$dt.tar.gz etc/postfix etc/dovecot.conf usr/bin/null.sh usr/local/bin/safilter.sh usr/local/bin/backup_mailprogs.sh etc/mail/spamassassin home/mailfilt/.spamassassin var/spool/mail

Web backup

Make an executable file e.g. web_sql_backup.sh containing the following

cd /
dt=`date +%Y%m%d_%s`
rm -f mysqlall.sql
mysqldump -uroot -ppassword --all-databases > /mysqlall.sql
/bin/tar -czf mailserver_web_sql_$dt.tar.gz etc/httpd var/www/html mysqlall.sql usr/local/bin/backup_web_sql.sh

Now use crontab to schedule the running of the scripts... crontab -e and enter the following See below Sponsored Links

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15	3	*	*	*	/usr/local/bin/mailserver_backup.sh
45	3	*	*	*	/usr/local/bin/web_sql_backup.sh

This will backup mail server apps at 3:15am and web backup at 3:45am. I would also suggest you copy the backed up files to other media in case your server completely crumbles.

PostCast Server

This is an SMTP server like the one your ISP provides. It is targeted at Windows users and sells as a quicker and more flexible alternative. I don't like to be negative about the efforts of others but, I do find it diffucult to see what advantage this server application gives you over the already available SMTP component that Windows XP gives you. If you are looking for improved email delivery times then Windows can do this already. PostCast Server does provide a greater level of control and reporting but if you already send large quantities of email messages then you will already have a form of recording your activity. It suggestes that you don't have to be on line to be able to queue-up your messages. Well the vast majority of systems keep messages ready to re-send when an SMTP server is not available. Perhaps I'm just being a party pooper but it just seems a bit pointless to me. Why don't you try adding the Windows SMTP server component and try it out? Control Panel - Add or Remove Programs - Add/Remove Windows Components - Internet Information Services (IIS), Click Details, select SMTP Service, OK, Next, End. Tweak your email client to use "localhost" and away you go.

Email server software

There are a huge range of email server products available. I won't beat around the bush, in my honest opinion, most Postfix based systems are by far the most practical and effective. The main reason for this is that Postfix is free and flexible. A fantastic, sophisticated and clever email server software system is the Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS) Open Source Edition. When I first attempted to install it, things got sticky. The main issue for me was that it needs a DNS server present which needs to point to itself (internal IP address) for all domains you add to your Zimbra system. When I eventually figured out how to install and configure BIND on my email server, everything started to flow. Zimbra does complain here and there but, after your third or fourth install attempt you will find it works with very small extra effort. Go ahead and try it. Once you figure out the requirements, I promise you'll be impressed.