My first question is about this backup option: “Transfer each virtual server after it is backed up”. Although I have read the “help” explanation, I’m afraid I don’t understand it! Can someone help me out?
My next question is about incremental backups. How I thought this would work at first is that if I select “incremental”, and I choose to “delete old backups” after, say, 7 days, then VM would automatically start with a full backup, then do 6 incremental backups, then start the cycle again with a full backup. But I think that’s wrong, no? Am I right in thinking I need to create TWO schedules. One is a “full backup” every week; the other is an incremental backup every day (and then I can select the option to delete old backups after so many days)?
My last question is about restoring incremental backups. Let’s say I have a full backup on Sunday, and incremental backups on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. To restore “Wednesday”, do I have to first restore Sunday, then just Wednesday? Or do I have to restore Sunday, then Monday, Then Tuesday, then Wednesday?
My first question is about this backup option: “Transfer each virtual server after it is backed up”. Although I have read the “help” explanation, I’m afraid I don’t understand it!
If that option isn’t selected – all the Virtual Servers are backed up, and temporarily stored in /tmp on the Virtualmin Server. Once all the backups are created, then they’re copied to the backup server.
However, not everyone has that kind of space available – and sometimes it’s necessary (or desirable) to generate a backup of one account, copy it to the backup server, delete it from /tmp, then move onto the next account.
Am I right in thinking I need to create TWO schedules. One is a “full backup” every week; the other is an incremental backup every day (and then I can select the option to delete old backups after so many days)?
You do indeed need two schedules. Incremental backups work by creating an incremental from the time of the last full backup that ran on your server.
Running a full backup once a week is a good way of doing that.
My last question is about restoring incremental backups. Let’s say I have a full backup on Sunday, and incremental backups on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. To restore “Wednesday”, do I have to first restore Sunday, then just Wednesday?
Incremental backups are the difference between the current day, and the last full backup. So it would require restoring Sunday, and then just the most recent incremental.
One note about the “full vs. incremental” thing. Depending on what “house” you come from, “incremental” might mean a different thing here than what you’re used to.
I e.g. come from the Windows world, and there “incremental” usually means “differences since last full OR incremental backup”. Here though, it is as Eric said: “differences since last full backup, disregarding any subsequent incrementals”. In the Windows world, that latter mode is usually called “differential”.
So, “Windows differential” = “Virtualmin incremental”, “Windows incremental” = not available.
