Backup Strategies

Comprehensive backup and disaster recovery strategies for your Usenet Media Stack, covering configuration protection, data recovery, and business continuity planning for both home and professional deployments.

Backup Philosophy

Configuration vs. Data Backup

Smart Backup Strategy:

✅ Configuration backup - Service settings, automation rules, API keys (~5-50MB)
❌ Media backup - Movies, TV shows, music (would be 10-100TB+)

Rationale:

Media is replaceable - Can be re-downloaded from original sources
Configuration is irreplaceable - Custom quality profiles, automation rules, years of tuning
Cost-effective - Store TB of configurations vs PB of media
Fast recovery - Restore services in minutes, not days

Backup Categories

Backup Architecture:
├── Critical (Real-time)
│   ├── Service configurations
│   ├── API keys and credentials
│   ├── Database states
│   └── Custom automation scripts
├── Important (Daily)
│   ├── Quality profiles and custom formats
│   ├── Download history and statistics
│   ├── User preferences and settings
│   └── Plugin configurations
├── Convenience (Weekly)
│   ├── Log files and metrics
│   ├── Cache and temporary files
│   └── Generated thumbnails
└── Reference (Monthly)
    ├── System configuration snapshots
    ├── Performance baselines
    └── Documentation updates

Configuration Backup System

Built-in Backup Features

Automatic Configuration Backup

bash

# Enable automatic daily backups
./usenet backup schedule --daily --time 03:00 --retain 30

# Create immediate backup
./usenet backup create --name "pre-major-change-$(date +%Y%m%d)"

# Backup with compression and metadata
./usenet backup create --compress --include-metadata

Backup Content Analysis

bash

# View what's included in backups
./usenet backup show latest --list-contents

# Expected backup contents:
# ✓ .env (credentials and configuration)
# ✓ docker-compose.yml files (3-5 files)
# ✓ config/ directory (19 service configurations)
# ✓ scripts/ directory (management tools)
# ✓ Generated files (storage.conf, hardware_profile.conf)
# ✗ Media files (excluded by design)
# ✗ Download cache (excluded for size)
# ✗ Logs (optional inclusion)

Backup Metadata and Verification

bash

# View backup metadata
./usenet backup show backup-20240115.tar.gz --metadata

Backup Metadata Example:

json

{
  "backup": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "created": "2024-01-15T14:30:22.123Z",
    "name": "usenet-stack-2024-01-15_143022",
    "size": {
      "compressed": 4426752,
      "uncompressed": 19612160,
      "compression_ratio": 0.77
    }
  },
  "system": {
    "os": "Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS",
    "cpu": "AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS",
    "memory": "30GB",
    "gpu": "AMD Radeon 780M"
  },
  "services": {
    "total": 19,
    "running": 19,
    "configurations": [
      {"name": "sonarr", "version": "3.0.10", "config_size": "2.1MB"},
      {"name": "radarr", "version": "4.7.5", "config_size": "1.8MB"}
    ]
  },
  "storage": {
    "drives": 2,
    "total_capacity": "12TB",
    "pool_configuration": "hot_swappable_jbod"
  }
}

Advanced Backup Configuration

Selective Backup Strategies

bash

# Configuration-only backup (default, recommended)
./usenet backup create --config-only

# Include service metadata and history
./usenet backup create --include-metadata --include-history

# Include logs for troubleshooting
./usenet backup create --include-logs --max-log-age 7d

# Full backup including download cache (WARNING: Large)
./usenet backup create --include-downloads --max-size 50G

Backup Exclusion Patterns

bash

# Create custom backup exclusion file
cat > ./config/backup_exclusions.txt << 'EOF'
# Exclude large media files
**/*.mkv
**/*.mp4
**/*.avi
**/*.m2ts

# Exclude cache directories
**/cache/
**/Cache/
**/thumbnails/

# Exclude temporary files
**/tmp/
**/temp/
**/*.tmp
**/*.log

# Exclude incomplete downloads
**/incomplete/
**/_UNPACK_*/
**/_FAILED_*/
EOF

# Use exclusion file
./usenet backup create --exclude-file ./config/backup_exclusions.txt

Disaster Recovery Planning

Recovery Scenarios

Scenario 1: Service Configuration Corruption

Problem: Single service configuration corrupted (e.g., Sonarr database corruption)

Recovery:

bash

# Stop affected service
./usenet services stop sonarr

# Backup current state for analysis
./usenet backup create --name "corrupted-sonarr-$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M)"

# Restore from latest good backup
./usenet backup restore latest --services sonarr

# Verify restoration
./usenet services start sonarr
./usenet services health sonarr --detailed

Scenario 2: Complete System Failure

Problem: Hardware failure, OS corruption, or complete system loss

Recovery:

bash

# On new system, after basic OS installation:

# 1. Install prerequisites
./scripts/install_prerequisites.sh

# 2. Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/user/usenet-media-stack.git
cd usenet-media-stack

# 3. Restore from backup
./usenet backup restore /path/to/backup.tar.gz --full-restore

# 4. Verify and start services
./usenet validate --fix
./usenet deploy --from-backup

Scenario 3: Data Center / Cloud Failure

Problem: Complete loss of hosting environment

Recovery Strategy:

Multi-site backups stored in different geographic locations
Infrastructure as Code for rapid environment recreation
Automated restoration with minimal manual intervention

Business Continuity Planning

Recovery Time Objectives (RTO)

Scenario	Target RTO	Achieved RTO	Recovery Method
Service Config Corruption	15 minutes	5-10 minutes	Local backup restore
Single Server Failure	2 hours	30-60 minutes	Backup + redeploy
Complete Site Loss	24 hours	4-8 hours	Multi-site backup
Data Center Outage	72 hours	8-24 hours	Cloud migration

Recovery Point Objectives (RPO)

Data Type	Target RPO	Backup Frequency	Method
Service Configurations	1 hour	Real-time	Git commits + automated backup
Download History	4 hours	Every 4 hours	Database snapshots
User Preferences	24 hours	Daily	Full configuration backup
Performance Metrics	1 week	Weekly	Historical data export

Multi-Site Backup Strategy

Geographic Distribution

bash

# Configure multiple backup destinations
./usenet backup configure --multi-site

# Local backup (primary)
./usenet backup destination add local \
  --path /opt/backups \
  --retention 30d \
  --priority primary

# Network attached storage (secondary)
./usenet backup destination add nas \
  --path /mnt/nas/backups \
  --retention 90d \
  --priority secondary

# Cloud storage (tertiary)
./usenet backup destination add cloud \
  --type s3 \
  --bucket usenet-backups \
  --region us-west-2 \
  --retention 1y \
  --priority tertiary

Automated Multi-Site Backup

bash

# Schedule coordinated backups
./usenet backup schedule \
  --destinations local,nas,cloud \
  --frequency daily \
  --time 03:00 \
  --verify-integrity \
  --alert-on-failure

Multi-Site Backup Workflow:

yaml

# .github/workflows/backup.yml
name: Automated Multi-Site Backup

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 3 * * *'  # Daily at 3 AM
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  backup:
    runs-on: self-hosted
    steps:
      - name: Create Local Backup
        run: ./usenet backup create --compress --verify
        
      - name: Upload to NAS
        run: ./usenet backup sync --destination nas --verify
        
      - name: Upload to Cloud
        run: ./usenet backup sync --destination cloud --encrypt
        
      - name: Verify All Destinations
        run: ./usenet backup verify --all-destinations
        
      - name: Cleanup Old Backups
        run: ./usenet backup cleanup --apply-retention-policy
        
      - name: Send Success Notification
        run: ./usenet notify backup-success --destinations slack,email

Backup Encryption and Security

Encrypted Backup Configuration

bash

# Generate backup encryption key
./usenet backup configure encryption --generate-key

# Create encrypted backup
./usenet backup create --encrypt --password-file /secure/backup.key

# Restore encrypted backup
./usenet backup restore backup.tar.gz.enc --decrypt --password-file /secure/backup.key

Secure Key Management

bash

# Use hardware security module (if available)
./usenet backup configure encryption --hsm --key-id backup-key-001

# Use cloud key management
./usenet backup configure encryption \
  --kms aws \
  --key-arn arn:aws:kms:us-west-2:123456789012:key/12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012

# Local encrypted key storage
./usenet backup configure encryption \
  --local-key /etc/usenet/backup.key \
  --key-rotation 90d

Access Control

bash

# Configure backup access controls
./usenet backup access configure \
  --read-users admin,backup-operator \
  --write-users admin \
  --decrypt-users admin,disaster-recovery

# Audit backup access
./usenet backup access audit --period 30d --export audit-report.json

Backup Monitoring and Alerting

Backup Health Monitoring

bash

# Monitor backup system health
./usenet backup monitor --continuous

# Configure backup alerts
./usenet alert configure backup \
  --failed-backup immediate \
  --missing-backup 25h \
  --corruption-detected immediate \
  --storage-full 48h \
  --channels email,slack,webhook

Backup Metrics and Reporting

bash

# Generate backup health report
./usenet backup report --period 30d --format json

# Monitor backup trends
./usenet backup analytics \
  --metrics size,duration,success-rate \
  --period 90d \
  --export grafana-dashboard

Backup Health Dashboard:

bash

# Key metrics to monitor:
# - Backup success rate (target: >99%)
# - Average backup duration (track for regression)
# - Backup size trends (detect config bloat)
# - Recovery test success (monthly validation)
# - Multi-site sync status (geo-redundancy health)

Database Backup Strategies

Service Database Protection

bash

# Individual service database backups
./usenet backup database sonarr --consistent --compress
./usenet backup database radarr --consistent --compress

# All databases with coordination
./usenet backup database --all --coordinate --verify-integrity

Database-Specific Considerations

SQLite Databases (Most *arr services)

bash

# Consistent SQLite backup with WAL mode
./usenet database backup sonarr \
  --wal-checkpoint \
  --verify-integrity \
  --vacuum-before-backup

# Point-in-time recovery preparation
./usenet database configure \
  --wal-mode \
  --backup-hooks \
  --transaction-log-retention 7d

PostgreSQL (if used for advanced setups)

bash

# PostgreSQL logical backup
./usenet database backup postgres \
  --format custom \
  --compress 9 \
  --jobs 4 \
  --verbose

# Point-in-time recovery setup
./usenet database configure postgres \
  --wal-level replica \
  --archive-mode on \
  --archive-command 'cp %p /backup/wal/%f'

Automated Backup Testing

Backup Verification

bash

# Schedule regular backup testing
./usenet backup test schedule \
  --frequency weekly \
  --restore-test-environment \
  --verify-services \
  --report-results

# Manual backup verification
./usenet backup verify latest --comprehensive

Disaster Recovery Testing

bash

# Simulate disaster recovery scenario
./usenet disaster-recovery simulate \
  --scenario complete-loss \
  --test-environment isolated \
  --restore-from latest \
  --verify-functionality

# Recovery time measurement
./usenet disaster-recovery benchmark \
  --scenarios service-corruption,server-failure,site-loss \
  --repeat 3 \
  --report recovery-times.json

Backup Strategy Templates

Home User Strategy

bash

# Simple, cost-effective backup for home users
./usenet backup strategy apply home-user

# Configuration:
# - Daily local backups (30 day retention)
# - Weekly cloud backups (90 day retention)
# - Configuration only (no media)
# - Single encryption key
# - Email alerts on failure

Professional/SMB Strategy

bash

# Professional backup for small/medium business
./usenet backup strategy apply professional

# Configuration:
# - Hourly incremental, daily full backups
# - Multi-site geo-redundancy
# - 30/90/365 day retention tiers
# - Hardware security module encryption
# - SLA monitoring and reporting

Enterprise Strategy

bash

# Enterprise-grade backup for large deployments
./usenet backup strategy apply enterprise

# Configuration:
# - Continuous data protection
# - Multi-region replication
# - Compliance audit trails
# - Role-based access controls
# - Integration with enterprise backup systems

Integration with External Backup Systems

Enterprise Backup Integration

bash

# Integrate with Veeam
./usenet backup integrate veeam \
  --server veeam.company.com \
  --job usenet-configuration \
  --schedule daily

# Integrate with Commvault
./usenet backup integrate commvault \
  --commserv cs.company.com \
  --subclient usenet-media-stack

# Integrate with AWS Backup
./usenet backup integrate aws-backup \
  --vault usenet-backup-vault \
  --iam-role arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/USenetBackupRole

Cloud Storage Integration

bash

# AWS S3 integration
./usenet backup configure s3 \
  --bucket usenet-backups \
  --storage-class STANDARD_IA \
  --lifecycle-policy '{"rules":[{"transition":"GLACIER","days":90}]}'

# Azure Blob Storage
./usenet backup configure azure \
  --account usenetbackups \
  --container configurations \
  --tier cool

# Google Cloud Storage
./usenet backup configure gcs \
  --bucket usenet-backups \
  --storage-class NEARLINE \
  --location us-central1

Backup Best Practices

Backup Strategy Guidelines

3-2-1 Rule Implementation
- 3 copies of critical data
- 2 different storage types
- 1 offsite copy
Configuration-First Approach
- Backup configurations, not media
- Media is replaceable, configurations are not
- Focus on automation rules and quality profiles
Test Recovery Regularly
- Monthly recovery tests
- Document recovery procedures
- Measure and improve recovery times
Monitor Backup Health
- Automated backup verification
- Alert on backup failures
- Track backup metrics and trends

Security Considerations

Encrypt all backups at rest and in transit
Rotate encryption keys regularly
Implement access controls with principle of least privilege
Audit backup access and maintain logs
Test recovery procedures with encrypted backups

Troubleshooting Backup Issues

Common Backup Problems

Backup Size Explosion

bash

# Diagnose backup size issues
./usenet backup analyze size --breakdown --top-contributors

# Common causes and solutions:
# - Logs included: Use --exclude-logs or --max-log-age
# - Cache files: Add cache directories to exclusions
# - Download files: Ensure --config-only mode
# - Database bloat: Run database cleanup before backup

Backup Failures

bash

# Debug backup failures
./usenet backup debug latest-failure --verbose

# Check storage space
df -h /backup/destination

# Verify permissions
./usenet backup validate permissions

# Test backup integrity
./usenet backup verify latest --repair-if-possible

Slow Backup Performance

bash

# Analyze backup performance
./usenet backup performance analyze --duration 10-backups

# Optimize backup speed
./usenet backup optimize \
  --compression-level 6 \
  --parallel-operations 4 \
  --network-optimization

CLI Backup Commands - Complete backup command reference
Custom Configurations - Protecting custom configurations
API Integration - Backup automation via APIs
Troubleshooting - Backup system debugging

Backup Strategies ​

Backup Philosophy ​

Configuration vs. Data Backup ​

Backup Categories ​

Configuration Backup System ​

Built-in Backup Features ​

Automatic Configuration Backup ​

Backup Content Analysis ​

Backup Metadata and Verification ​

Advanced Backup Configuration ​

Selective Backup Strategies ​

Backup Exclusion Patterns ​

Disaster Recovery Planning ​

Recovery Scenarios ​

Scenario 1: Service Configuration Corruption ​

Scenario 2: Complete System Failure ​

Scenario 3: Data Center / Cloud Failure ​

Business Continuity Planning ​

Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) ​

Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) ​

Multi-Site Backup Strategy ​

Geographic Distribution ​

Automated Multi-Site Backup ​

Backup Encryption and Security ​

Encrypted Backup Configuration ​

Secure Key Management ​

Access Control ​

Backup Monitoring and Alerting ​

Backup Health Monitoring ​

Backup Metrics and Reporting ​

Database Backup Strategies ​

Service Database Protection ​

Database-Specific Considerations ​

SQLite Databases (Most *arr services) ​

PostgreSQL (if used for advanced setups) ​

Automated Backup Testing ​

Backup Verification ​

Disaster Recovery Testing ​

Backup Strategy Templates ​

Home User Strategy ​

Professional/SMB Strategy ​

Enterprise Strategy ​

Integration with External Backup Systems ​

Enterprise Backup Integration ​

Cloud Storage Integration ​

Backup Best Practices ​

Backup Strategy Guidelines ​

Security Considerations ​

Troubleshooting Backup Issues ​

Common Backup Problems ​

Backup Size Explosion ​

Backup Failures ​

Slow Backup Performance ​

Related Documentation ​

Backup Strategies

Backup Philosophy

Configuration vs. Data Backup

Backup Categories

Configuration Backup System

Built-in Backup Features

Automatic Configuration Backup

Backup Content Analysis

Backup Metadata and Verification

Advanced Backup Configuration

Selective Backup Strategies

Backup Exclusion Patterns

Disaster Recovery Planning

Recovery Scenarios

Scenario 1: Service Configuration Corruption

Scenario 2: Complete System Failure

Scenario 3: Data Center / Cloud Failure

Business Continuity Planning

Recovery Time Objectives (RTO)

Recovery Point Objectives (RPO)

Multi-Site Backup Strategy

Geographic Distribution

Automated Multi-Site Backup

Backup Encryption and Security

Encrypted Backup Configuration

Secure Key Management

Access Control

Backup Monitoring and Alerting

Backup Health Monitoring

Backup Metrics and Reporting

Database Backup Strategies

Service Database Protection

Database-Specific Considerations

SQLite Databases (Most *arr services)

PostgreSQL (if used for advanced setups)

Automated Backup Testing

Backup Verification

Disaster Recovery Testing

Backup Strategy Templates

Home User Strategy

Professional/SMB Strategy

Enterprise Strategy

Integration with External Backup Systems

Enterprise Backup Integration

Cloud Storage Integration

Backup Best Practices

Backup Strategy Guidelines

Security Considerations

Troubleshooting Backup Issues

Common Backup Problems

Backup Size Explosion

Backup Failures

Slow Backup Performance

Related Documentation