How to Backup and Restore Linux Server Easily in 7 Ways?

In this article, I’ll give you 7 easy ways to protect Linux sever data comprehensively.

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Updated by Dan Zeng on 2024/01/24

Table of contents
  • Way 1: Using Rsync and Cronopete

  • Way 2: Using Bera

  • Way 3: Using Tar

  • Way 4: Using Cpio

  • Way 5: Using DD Command

  • Way 6: Using SCP and Timeshift

  • Way 7: Using Vinchin Backup & Recovery

  • Wrap up

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As one of the most prominent and open-source software collaborations, Linux is the leading operating system on 3 types of servers including Linux File Server, Linux Web Server, and Linux Database Server with extensive distributions like Debian, openSUSE, Fedora Linux, Ubuntu, and hundreds of others.

Known for their scalability, high-end security, and flexibility, Linux servers are widely used among over 1 million organizations, which entail complete and reliable data protection against threats such as hardware failure, system downtime, or cyberattacks.

Backups are proven practices to avoid data loss in disasters. It is not only important but also necessary to know certain effective backup and recovery options for Linux servers. You can backup Linux files/folders and servers to multiple destinations in various ways. In this article, I'll give you 7 easy ways to protect Linux server data comprehensively.

Way 1: Using Rsync and Cronopete

Rsync is a Linux-based utility often used to transfer and synchronize files and directories locally, to and from another host using any remote shell or to and from a remote rsync daemon.

Parameters:

-verbose, -v  increase verbosity.
-stderr=e|a|c change stderr output mode (default: errors).
-quiet, -q suppress non-error messages.
-backup, -bcreate backups (see --suffix & --backup-dir).
-backup-dir=DIRcreate backups into a hierarchy based on DIR.
-suffix=SUFFIX backup suffix (default ~ w/o --backup-dir).
-update, -u exclude files that are newer on the receiver.
-checksum, -cskip based on checksum.
-fake-superstore/restore privileged attrs using xattrs.
-exclude=PATTERN rule out files matching PATTERN.
-exclude-from=FILE  read exclude patterns from FILE.
-include=PATTERNinclude files matching PATTERN.
-include-from=FILE read include patterns from FILE.

For the whole option summary, visit Rsync website.

Linux Server Backup

1.     Insert the backup medium and locate the drive letter with 'fdisk -l' command.

2.     Open your terminal and run the following commands:

$ sudo rsync -aAXv / --exclude={"/dev/*","/proc/*","/sys/*","/tmp/*","/run/*","/mnt/*","/media/*","/lost+found"} /target_folder

This backs up the entire root directory except /dev, /proc, /sys, /tmp, /run, /mnt, /media, /lost+found directories and saves them in the target folder.

3.     Backup a home directory with large MS Word files and mail folders:

rsync -aiz . bkhost:backup/user_name/

Linux Server Recovery

Cronopete is a Linux clone of Time Machine and a backup tool for Mac. You can copy and restore all the user files on a separate hard disk, but it is not for the backup of the whole operating system.

1.     Install Cronopete and type the following command from the terminal:

$ cronopete

2.     Click Configure now on the welcome page.

3.     Plug in the external HDD or USB and click Change disk.

4.     Choose your USB disk and click Select. Repeat the step for other backup disks.

5.     Click Format disk to format the disks for backups.

6.     The tool immediately starts to back up the entire $HOME directory by default. You can define the backup objects from the Options section and specify the time interval between backups.

7.     To restore the data, right-click the Cronopete icon on the menu and select Restore files. Next, choose the source files or folders from the backup USB and click Restore files on the top left.

Way 2: Using Bera

Bera is a backup system to easily backup all the important files, and folders, serves configuration, and restore them in the same server or move to another one. This tool can perform full backup and recovery, and migrate a complex server in 10m. It is also able to exclude domains, files, and folders, and uses SSH to secure transmission.

Parameters:

backupOriginrefers to local if the backup is on the server or SSH if it is from other locations.
backupLocalDirlocal directory where the backup is located.
backupRemoteUser connect to the backup server via SSH.
Backupremoteserver remote SSH backup server.
backupRemotePortSSH server port.
backupRemoteDirremote backup directory.

Linux Server Backup

Preparation:

  • Linux server

  • Rsync

  • SSH

  • Root access to both the source and target systems

1.     Install the SO, config network, install packages, etc., to configure the server.

2.     Download service configurations, files, folders, and others using Bera.

3.     Upload the following files to the server and set permissions:

chmod +x bera-backup.sh

chmod +x bera-restore.sh

The config file of each script needs like _bera_restore_config_example and _bera_backup_config_example

4.     Backup a Linux server in the designated folder:

./bera-backup.sh PATH_TO_CONFIG_FILE

Linux Server Recovery

Download the backup from the server and restore:

./bera-restore.sh PATH_TO_CONFIG_FILE

Way 3: Using Tar

Tar, short for tape archive, is to compress and archive multiple files and directories for easy storage distribution, known as a tarball. It creates backups using tar, gzip, and bzip.

Parameters:

-c create a new archive.
-v offer verbose output.
-f define the archive file to be used.
-t  make a list of the files in an archive.
-x extract the backup.
-z  zip.

Linux Server Backup

1.     Create a tar backup.

# tar -cvf backup­_name.tar /home/user

2.     Create a tar.gz backup.

# tar -cvfz backup_name.tar.gz /home/user

3.     Exclude the files.

# tar --exclude file.txt --exclude file.sh -cvfz backup_name.tar.gz

4.     Extract content from a backup.

# tar -xvfz backup_name.tar.gz /backup/directory/file.txt

5.     Archive all files in the server into a gzip format, exclude the backup created earlier, and create a new directory for backup. Make sure that the server is not in maintenance mode.

sudo tar –cvpzf backup_name.tar.gz –exclude=/home/server/backup.tar.gz –one-file-system

Linux Server Recovery

Restore the tar.gz backup.

# tar -xvpf /media/your_harddisk/backup.tar.gz

Way 4: Using Cpio

Cpio, copy in/out, is a file archiver utility to create and extract archives or copy files to another place.

Parameters:

-O read the standard input.
-i extract files from the standard input.
-c read or write the header information in ASCII character.
-d create directories if needed.
-u copy unconditionally so the new file won’t overwrite the older file.

Linux Server Backup

1.     Backup the files.

#ls  file *  /cpio  -acvf  >/root/backup.cpio

2.     View the backup content.

#cpio -it </root/backup.cpio

#cpio -it -I /root/backup .cpio

Linux Server Recovery

Restore the backup files.

#cpio  -icuvd  </root/backup.cpio

Way 5: Using DD Command

DD (Disk to Disk) creates the backup of one partition to another.

Linux Server Backup

1.     Create the backup.

#dd   if=source_partition  of=destination_partition

2.     Create a duplicate partition with the existing partition without creating any backup file.

dd if=existing­_source­­_partition of=destination­_partition

Linux Server Recovery

Restore the backup partition to another empty partition.

#dd   if=destination_partition of=another­_empty_partition

Way 6: Using SCP and Timeshift

SCP (Secure Copy) copies data from one Unix/Linux system to another in the same machine, from the local machine to the remote machine and vice versa, or between different remote servers.

Parameters:

-r recursively.
-q no progress indicator is shown.
-vverbose mode.
-pcopy files with the specified port number.

Linux Server Backup

Preparation:

  • Have permission to copy files on the target system.

  • Have either an account on the target machine or an authorized public key on it.

  • Have read permission on the source machine and write permission on the target.

1.     Copy the file from the local to a remote server.

#scp filename root@serverxxx.example.com:/root

2.     Copy files from the remote to the local server.

#scp  root@serverxxx.example.com:/root/backup*

3.     Replicate a directory.

#scp –r directory root@serverxxx.example.com: /root

4.     Use blowfish or arcfour encryption to improve performance.

#scp   -c  blowfish filename  root@serverxxx.example.com.com:  

5.     Specify the port number.

#scp -p  xxxx   backup_file  root@serverxxx.example.com:/tmp

Linux Server Recovery

Timeshift is a system restore tool pre-installed on some Linux distros and allows for point-in-time recovery.

1.     Install Timeshift in the terminal.

On Ubuntu and derivatives:

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:teejee2008/timeshift

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install timeshift

On Fedora, CentOS, and RHEL:

sudo dnf install timeshift

On Arch Linux and Manjaro:

yay -S timeshift

2.     Open the Applications menu, search, and launch Timeshift. Enter the credentials and press Authenticate.

3.     Set setting preferences on the Setup Wizard.

Choose a snapshot type between Rsync and Btrfs and click Next.

Specify a location for the Timeshift snapshots and click Next.

Choose a snapshot frequency depending on how often you change your system elements.

Select the snapshot levels and click Next.

Choose back up the home folder to the snapshot or not and click Next.

Click Finish.

4.     Click Restore on the main window when the system is working and select the snapshot to restore.

Way 7: Using Vinchin Backup & Recovery

Vinchin Backup & Recovery is a backup expert for 12 virtual machine platforms (such as VMware, Hyper-V, Xen, Oracle OLVM, etc.), 6 databases, NAS, and Windows/Linux Server. It provides speedy and effective backup and worry-free recovery options as follows with an extremely affordable and flexible pricing model.

It supports the following Linux platforms:

File backup:

  • Debian Linux 10.1 to 11.5

  • Ubuntu Linux 14 to 22

Server backup:

  • RedHat Enterprise Linux 6(6.0/6.8), 7(6.2/7.6), 8(8.0/8.1)

  • CentOS Linux 6(6.5/6.9), 7(7.2/7.6/7.7/7.9), 8(8.0/8.3)

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Automatic data backup: automate everything with customized backup schedules and email notifications of uncommon cases.

Different backup types: choose from including Full, Differential, Incremental, and Forever Incremental Backup.

Smart strategies: enable data deduplication and compression to reduce half of the backup size and Encrypted Transfer with SSL technique for data security during transfer.

Server recovery: restore Linux Server backups quickly via multiple transfer threads and encrypt the transmission for security.

Anti-ransomware protection: protect all backups saved in the Vinchin backup server from any suspicious and unauthorized visitors.

Offsite backup copy: save an offsite backup copy in a remote location to prepare for the worst.

Care for a test? Download the 60-day full-featured free trial of the new release Vinchin Backup & Recovery 7.0 now to back up your Linux data.


Linux Server Backup

     1.     Go to Physical Backup> Server Backup> Backup and select a licensed Linux host.

2.     Choose a target node and storage from the drop-down.

3.     Configure backup strategies like schedules, backup types, data reduction and retention policies, encrypted transmission, and more.

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4.     Review and hit Submit. The job will run on schedule.

Linux Server Recovery

1.     Go to Physical Backup> Server Backup> Restore and choose a backup as a restore point.

2.     Select the target host and click Connection Test. Then configure the target volume.

3.     Set up recovery strategies such as transfer threads, encrypted transfer, etc.

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4.     See the settings and submit.

Wrap up

Sever backup and restore are extremely important for organizations in case of data loss accidents. I introduced 7 ways in this article to back up and recover Linux servers easily. Since command lines are too many to recite, and risks of backup disk corruption and storage getting damaged exist, server users can resort to a professional server backup solution with a management GUI, various backup options, and data recovery like Vinchin Backup & Recovery for complete data protection.

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Categories: Linux Backup