On 2/10/19 2:24 AM, Christoph Haas via dovecot wrote:> Hello Robert,
>
> ----- Nachricht von Robert Moskowitz via dovecot <dovecot at
dovecot.org>
> ---------
> ???? Datum: Sat, 9 Feb 2019 22:50:24 -0500
> ?????? Von: Robert Moskowitz via dovecot <dovecot at dovecot.org>
> Antwort an: Robert Moskowitz <rgm at htt-consult.com>, Dovecot
Mailing
> List <dovecot at dovecot.org>
> ?? Betreff: How to backup maildir
> ??????? An: Dovecot Mailing List <dovecot at dovecot.org>
>
>
>> I have been thinking, and reading, on how to back up my mailserver. I
>> have not found any approach that seems ready to use.
>>
>>
>> I have run years without any backup, but would really like to have
>> something in place.
>
> you're a really lucky guy! - I've been struck in the past for such
> carelessness on the one or other machine with dataloss ;-)
Absolute laziness.? No real excuse.?? Also all users were POPing until 2
years ago.? Finally got everyone on IMAP just in the last year.? So a
server loss would have been an inconvenience.? For myself, almost
nothing in the IMAP store, everything in local folders that I have a
separate backup procedure.
>
>> ? I figure I can attach a USB drive and backup to that, then from
>> there rsync to something elsewhere. Further if that USB drive is a
>> full mailserver image, I actually have a 'hot backup' where I
only
>> have to put the backup drive into a system and boot up at the last
>> backup.
>>
>> But this means properly copying all of /home/vmail and probably
>> /home/sieve plus the /var/lib/mysql
>>
>
> Are you aware of the dovecot command "dsync"? (man dsync or
> https://wiki.dovecot.org/Tools/Doveadm/Sync)
> This could be an approach of using dsync:
> dsync backup -o plugin/quota= -f -u $user backup
> maildir:/mnt/USB/dovecot-backup/Maildir/$user/mail
My search foo is weak.? This is a long documented fact.? I did spend a
number of hours searching and reading before opening my mouth here,
fully expecting to put more than my toes in.
I will read up on dsync.
>
>> Are there good tools that nicely does this?? Or do I choose a time
>> late at night (only I am sometimes in non-US timezones) to shut down
>> all services and just use rsync?
>>
>> And stopping services itself is thought provoking.? What if Dovecot,
>> amavis, mysql, or whatelse is in the middle of writing out a mail
>> file what happens to that file and restart.
>>
>> Just scary stuff and, in part, why I have never tackled this in the
>> past.
>>
>> thanks for all feedback
>
>
> ----- Ende der Nachricht von Robert Moskowitz via dovecot
> <dovecot at dovecot.org> -----
>
> It really depends on how important your data is to you ... But you
> should really think about a general backup-strategy!
> "Mr. Google" can help you to get some ideas how YOUR
backup-strategy
> could look like...
> Also there is much input for backing up dovecot with it's different
> mail storage flavours.
> - But you have to invest some effort on your own, to search, read,
> evaluate and finally choose what's fitting into YOUR setup!
I have been and have been searching.? Some hits, but so far nothing was
hitting the spot.? But, I will blame my dyslexia that my search foo is
weak.
>
> But as an starting point:
> I'm using a for _MY setup_ modified and adopted version of Klaus
> Tachtler's dovecot-backup script:
> https://github.com/tachtler/dovecot-backup/blob/master/dovecot_backup.sh
>
> ... mixed it with Borg Backup:
> https://www.borgbackup.org/
>
> ... some further encryption, cloud storage and ... and ... and other
> stuff.
I will check both of these.
>
>
> But as above mentioned:
> YOU have to think about the grade of your paranoia level, how
> importand the data is to you in case of an data loss, time and money
> you are willing to invest and build upon this YOUR PERSONAL backup
> strategy.
> - Sadly there is no one-size-fits-all!
If there was, we would not be here, I suspect.
>
> Last famous words:
> I've looked at your vita and was wondering about your post - you were
> writing RFCs, but have no clue about backing up your mail-data???
> Strange ...
MY mail is well backed up.? Locally so that I can read on a plane and
the like.? I have been running one flavor or another of my own mail
server since '95.? I switched to dovecot 6 years ago.
My home file server is backed up 4 ways around.? And I have lost file
servers and file server drives over the years.? Upgrading my file server
is the next project.
But I write RFCs.? I have been using geany for XML for a few years. I
'code' in English.? I have not written computer code since probably the
late 80s.? I never coded in C, but I did use B for a while!? These days
I can write simple scripts when forced to.? :)
My 'spare' time these days is working with armv7 boards.? I have been
using Cubietech since '13, recently got an Odroid HC1 and that is what
this server will be.? For the most part you will find me on the
Centos/Fedora lists and their arm lists.? Occasionally I will put on my
Kevlar suit and ask something basic on a product list.
But as a result of doing this, recently there is a new SElinux policy
for permitting Dovecot to access Mysql.? It has already been patched
into Fedora 28 and up.? Sometimes it pays to ask for help.
>
>
> Nevermind! Just my 2ct - hope this helps
> Christoph.
Euro ct?? :)
Better than US ct!