Early this year we announced a server backup solution (server backup press release). This solution is based on R1soft’s backup software called CDP. Since launching this service, we saved many clients a lot of headaches.
Scripting Slip-Ups
We’ve had two clients (who’d rather not be named) have scripting errors truncate important access files on their site. In one instance, the file was used to authenticate forum users. In another, the file was used to authenticate members to a paid membership area.
In both cases, we had the files restored within 10 minutes of the ticket being received.
Logging into the web interface in CDP and restoring files is very easy. If you can use an FTP client, you can restore files with the system.
Dimwitted Deletions
We’ve also had a handful of cases where a client has slipped up and deleted a critical file. Without our server backup service, they would have been stuck. In one case, the client would have had to contact his client to get copies of the graphic files they had just submitted the day before. With CDP, he was able to avoid telling his client he just deleted their hard work.
Hardware Hiccup
Just this week, we used a combination of CDP backups and VMware to recover a crashed server at ThePlanet. Around 4:00 AM we sent the client’s server down for a reboot. He is a server management client, and we had just pushed out a kernel update. Unfortunately, the server never came back online. While ThePlanet was looking for a new server chassis, we started to restore the clients backup to a VMware-based system on one of our NYC-based servers. With no ETA from ThePlanet, we had the client switch DNS to the backup system. A little over two hours later, his site was back in operation again.
Backup Bliss
Having good backups is a real peace of mind. I am glad we found R1Soft’s CDP system. As we noted before, we searched quite a bit for a cost-effective, easy to use backup system and settled on CDP. We’ve used the built-in tools from Plesk, Ensim, and cPanel. We have built our own scripts around mysqldump, rsync and tar, but the CDP system is so much easier to use that we no longer support these other methods.
If you are not already using our CDP backup system, I recommend you enroll today. Pricing is just $35.00/month for most situations. Pretty inexpensive for backup bliss.