Backing up OS Ed using rsync - To backup message store or not?

[blueflametuna]

Is there a way to backup Zimbra without the message store, database & index?

I am looking for a recovery procedure to restore software and configuration but without having to remotely copy 25 GB of messages daily (or weekly).

Does anyone have any comments or suggestions, or can direct me to a thread where this has already been discussed at length?

I found the scripts at Open_Source_Edition_Backup_Procedure

and I have tested it locally. Took almost two hours on the first pass.

/opt/zimbra doesn't seem to be everything, though.
There are a few subtle tweaks like /etc/passwd entries for zimbra, postfix,
and /etc/alternatives ...
Who knows where else the installation puts things?

There are a bunch of post installation adjustments that have been made,
like spam, a/v, SPF, etc. I still have to address all of those.

But I just need to know that if I exclude /store, /db, /index, /logger and friends that it would still be possible to recover the running config.
Is there a minimum subset that I must keep? Database format files?

(Yes, I know, everyone would lose their saved messages.)

[Krishopper]

If you're using the rsync method, the first backup will take the longest while it copies everything over. Subsequent backups will be much quicker, and only need to copy changes (new messages, deletions, changed database files, etc.).

You shouldn't have to worry about /etc/passwd and the other files outside of /opt/zimbra. If you are to recover, you will do a fresh install which will put all of that stuff in place, then restore over that install with your restore of the backup, and run the installer again, and you'll have everything.

[blueflametuna]

The script is using the --backup-dir method, which suggests a form of incremental backup. If I take that out, and just use the --delete option,
then I just maintain one current copy, correct?

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by blueflametuna

.....then I just maintain one current copy, correct?

That's not good practice for taking a backup of any sort.

[blueflametuna]

It is better than making no backups at all.
There is no need for keeping archival history from months ago.
Or recovering individual files from last week.
I just need a copy of the current working system.

If after running a full rsync, each subsequent rsync should be just the delta.
But I want it in place, rather than as a separate directory. A current copy.

The intent is to make a local copy, then rsync the copy to an offsite machine.
My last question was whether the --backup-dir method is making separate directories with just incremental changes that would need to be applied to the main backup directory. Each day would add another directory, and each would need to be reapplied in sequence. Even if I ran another full copy weekly, that is still a lot of recovery work.

Sounds like no matter how a backup is made, doing a bare metal recovery is non-trivial. OS, network, install s/w, restore backup, re-install, add third-party hacks, ... It's still hours if you know what to do. Days if not.