Backing up an SQL server

General Topics
1

I think about backing up a MS SQL Server. That server exports its data daily, so I could pull that SQL dump plus some other data directories.

The goal is to have a repository on a linux server in the LAN plus syncing that repository out to S3 or something like that.

What I ask myself:

  • should I use Kopia on the MS Windows server and point to an sftp-repo I create on the linux server?
  • should I mount a Windows share to the linux server and run kopia there?
  • should I share a CIFS/Samba-share from linux to Windows and write the SQLdumps there, then back up the underlying linux dir with Kopia? (I think that’s the least preferable)

I think of pulling the relevant data using mount.cifs, then creating snapshots from the pulled data.

But I would like to hear suggestions and best practice tips. Thanks in advance.

2

What I came up with so far:

  • mounting CIFS-shares (MS Windows server shares with data and SQL-dumps) in /etc/fstab
  • adding “RequiresMountsFor” (with the paths to the CIFS-mounts) to the systemd-service that runs my kopia snapshots

So the idea is that the systemd-timer runs the kopia.service which checks if the CIFS-mounts are up before running kopia.

Seems to work so far.

(I also have an older setup with “rsnapshot” on that server, “RequiresMountsFor” is helpful there as well)