Offsite Backups

Offsite Backups

This article details the configuration of offsite backups for our MediaWiki installation. Protecting your data is crucial, and relying solely on local backups is insufficient in the event of a major disaster (fire, flood, theft, etc.). This guide will outline the process for establishing a robust offsite backup strategy. We will cover the tools used, configuration steps, and verification procedures. This is intended for system administrators and those familiar with Server Administration concepts.

Why Offsite Backups?

Local backups are vital for quick restoration from minor issues like accidental file deletion or database corruption. However, they offer no protection against physical disasters affecting the server location. Offsite backups ensure business continuity by providing a copy of your data stored in a geographically separate location. This allows for recovery even if the primary server and local backups are compromised. See also Disaster Recovery Planning.

Backup Tools & Technologies

We utilize a combination of tools for our offsite backup solution:

• rsync: Used for efficient incremental file transfer.
• SSH: Provides a secure channel for transferring data.
• cron: Automates the backup process.
• Remote Server: A dedicated server at a separate location, acting as the backup destination. This server must have sufficient storage space and network bandwidth. More details on Server Requirements.

Configuration Steps

These steps outline the configuration required on both the MediaWiki server (source) and the remote backup server (destination). Before beginning, ensure you have SSH access established between the two servers using SSH Keys for passwordless authentication. This is critical for automated backups.

1. Remote Server Preparation

On the remote backup server, create a dedicated directory to store the MediaWiki backups. Ensure the user account used for rsync has write permissions to this directory.

mkdir /backup/mediawiki
chown backupuser:backupgroup /backup/mediawiki
chmod 700 /backup/mediawiki
2.  Rsync Script Creation
On the MediaWiki server, create a bash script (e.g., `/usr/local/bin/mediawiki_backup.sh`) to handle the backup process.  This script will use rsync to copy the necessary files and directories.

#!/bin/bash

Configuration
SOURCE_DIR="/var/www/html/mediawiki"  # Adjust to your MediaWiki installation directory
DESTINATION_USER="backupuser"
DESTINATION_SERVER="backupserver.example.com"
DESTINATION_DIR="/backup/mediawiki"
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S)
BACKUP_DIR="$DESTINATION_DIR/$DATE"

Create backup directory on remote server
ssh $DESTINATION_USER@$DESTINATION_SERVER "mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR"

Perform rsync backup
rsync -avz --delete $SOURCE_DIR/ $DESTINATION_USER@$DESTINATION_SERVER:$BACKUP_DIR

Log the backup
echo "Backup completed to $DESTINATION_SERVER:$BACKUP_DIR" >> /var/log/mediawiki_backup.log
Make the script executable:

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/mediawiki_backup.sh
3. Cron Job Scheduling
Configure a cron job to run the backup script automatically. Edit the crontab using `crontab -e`.  Add a line similar to the following to schedule the backup to run daily at 2:00 AM:

0 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/mediawiki_backup.sh
This will run the script every day at 2:00 AM.  Refer to Cron Job Management for more details.

Files to Backup
The following table details the essential files and directories that must be included in the backup:



File/Directory

Description


/var/www/html/mediawiki/

The entire MediaWiki installation directory.


/var/lib/mysql/mediawiki_db/

The MySQL database directory (adjust path as needed).


/etc/apache2/sites-available/mediawiki.conf

Apache configuration file (if applicable).


/etc/php/7.4/apache2/php.ini

PHP configuration file (adjust PHP version as needed).


Database Backup
In addition to file-based backups, it is essential to regularly back up the MediaWiki database. We use `mysqldump` for this purpose.  Add the following to the backup script `/usr/local/bin/mediawiki_backup.sh` before the rsync command:

= Database Backup =
MYSQL_USER="mediawiki_user"
MYSQL_PASSWORD="your_password"
MYSQL_DATABASE="mediawiki_db"
DATABASE_BACKUP_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/mediawiki_db_$DATE.sql.gz"

mysqldump -u $MYSQL_USER -p"$MYSQL_PASSWORD" $MYSQL_DATABASE | gzip > $DATABASE_BACKUP_FILE
Important: Replace `mediawiki_user`, `your_password`, and `mediawiki_db` with your actual database credentials.  Consider using a dedicated backup user with limited privileges for increased security.  See Database Security.

Backup Verification & Restoration
Regularly verify the integrity of your backups.  This involves performing test restorations to a staging environment.  The following table summarizes key considerations for restoration:



Step

Description


1. Restore Files

Copy the backed-up files from the remote server to the staging environment.


2. Restore Database

Import the SQL dump file into a new database instance.


3. Configuration Update

Modify the `LocalSettings.php` file in the staging environment to point to the restored database.


4. Test Functionality

Thoroughly test all MediaWiki features to ensure the restoration was successful.


Storage Specifications
The following table details the specifications of our remote backup server:



Component

Specification


CPU

Intel Xeon E3-1220 v3


RAM

16GB DDR3


Storage

4TB HDD (RAID 1)


Network

1Gbps Ethernet


Operating System

Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS


Security Considerations
*   Use SSH keys for authentication.
*   Restrict access to the backup directory on the remote server.
*   Encrypt the backups if possible.  Consider using tools like `gpg`.
*   Regularly review backup logs for errors.
*   Implement Access Control Lists on both servers.

Related Articles
*   Server Administration
*   Disaster Recovery Planning
*   Database Security
*   SSH Keys
*   Cron Job Management
*   Server Requirements
*   Local Backups
*   LocalSettings.php
*   MediaWiki Upgrade
*   Database Maintenance
*   Troubleshooting
*   Security Hardening
*   Performance Tuning
*   Monitoring Tools
*   File Storage


Intel-Based Server Configurations


Configuration

Specifications

Benchmark


Core i7-6700K/7700 Server

64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB

CPU Benchmark: 8046


Core i7-8700 Server

64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB

CPU Benchmark: 13124


Core i9-9900K Server

128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB

CPU Benchmark: 49969


Core i9-13900 Server (64GB)

64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD




Core i9-13900 Server (128GB)

128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD




Core i5-13500 Server (64GB)

64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD




Core i5-13500 Server (128GB)

128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD




Core i5-13500 Workstation

64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000




AMD-Based Server Configurations


Configuration

Specifications

Benchmark


Ryzen 5 3600 Server

64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe

CPU Benchmark: 17849


Ryzen 7 7700 Server

64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe

CPU Benchmark: 35224


Ryzen 9 5950X Server

128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe

CPU Benchmark: 46045


Ryzen 9 7950X Server

128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe

CPU Benchmark: 63561


EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB)

128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe

CPU Benchmark: 48021


EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB)

128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe

CPU Benchmark: 48021


EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB)

128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe

CPU Benchmark: 48021


EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB)

256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe

CPU Benchmark: 48021


EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB)

256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe

CPU Benchmark: 48021


EPYC 9454P Server

256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe




Order Your Dedicated Server
Configure and order your ideal server configuration

Need Assistance?
* Telegram: @powervps Servers at a discounted price

⚠️ Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock. ⚠️