From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Mar 7 15:18:09 2005 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3312816A4CE for ; Mon, 7 Mar 2005 15:18:09 +0000 (GMT) Received: from trans-warp.net (hyperion.trans-warp.net [216.37.208.37]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id F348D43D46 for ; Mon, 7 Mar 2005 15:18:07 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from bsilver@chrononomicon.com) Received: from [127.0.0.1] (unverified [65.193.73.208]) by trans-warp.net (SurgeMail 2.2c10) with ESMTP id 44 for ; Mon, 07 Mar 2005 10:21:48 -0500 Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v619.2) In-Reply-To: <1145660633.20050307160515@wanadoo.fr> References: <1946173739.20050307145644@wanadoo.fr> from "Anthony Atkielski" at Mar 07, 2005 02:56:44 PM <200503071447.j27ElWW10343@clunix.cl.msu.edu> <1145660633.20050307160515@wanadoo.fr> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Message-Id: Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: Bart Silverstrim Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 10:18:13 -0500 To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.619.2) X-Server: High Performance Mail Server - http://surgemail.com X-Authenticated-User: bsilver@chrononomicon.com Subject: Re: What's the easiest way to do a backup and verify? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 07 Mar 2005 15:18:09 -0000 On Mar 7, 2005, at 10:05 AM, Anthony Atkielski wrote: > Jerry McAllister writes: >> The only real thing you can do is to read back the tape and look >> for a couple of files with fairly high inode numbers for each file >> system dumped. If you can read them, you can assume the tape >> is readable. > > I'm surprised there isn't just some way of reading the tape and doing a > few simple sanity checks on the data (without comparing it to > anything). > A drive or tape error would likely show on such checks. The only way I've found to fully verify it is to get an identical server and actually do a full restore and test :-( When it comes to backups, you can't be sure until you're actually under the gun to get the system back up and running. Although it is easier when you're just backing up data files instead of bare-metal system state.