• stop SmarterMail service
• Create LVM snapshot(s), may be for data and config/log/..
• start SmarterMail service (SmarterMail service run as usual)
• For each LVM snapshot(s),
• mount the snapshot, tar (or even rsync) those files, umount snapshot, remove snapshot.

@georgeto, Thank you very much, that is a good approach for servers that would be offline for a longer period of time. Thank you! I will adjust the script accordingly and then post it here.

@Gabriele, 

Veeam is a great program, that would also be an option, but I am reluctant to install third-party software because, in the end, it’s a service where I can’t be sure if it might create an open door for attacks.

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share an update on my backup script for SmarterMail. After some great suggestions, I’ve now rewritten it to use rsync, which allows me to perform backups without stopping the SmarterMail service. Here’s how it works:

The script targets two key directories: /var/lib/smartermail and /etc/smartermail. It uses rsync to efficiently copy these directories to an external hard drive. What’s great about rsync is that it only copies changed files, making the process much faster and less resource-intensive.

I’ve also added a retry mechanism to the script. If something goes wrong during the backup (like a temporary network glitch), the script will automatically try again—up to two more times. This gives me extra peace of mind, knowing that minor issues won’t cause the entire backup to fail.

Here’s a quick overview of the script:

    •    It logs all actions and errors to a log file, so I can easily check what happened during the backup.

    •    It creates the backup directory if it doesn’t exist yet.

    •    The script performs the backup for each directory separately and logs the success or failure of each attempt.

    •    If all retries fail for a directory, it logs a critical error, so I know to look into it.

This approach has worked really well for me so far, and I’m happy with how smoothly it runs. If anyone is dealing with similar issues, I hope this helps! Feel free to ask if you have any questions or need further details.

---- snippet -----

Jereming, thanks for the tip, and Gabriele, here’s the adjustment we’ve made. I think we’ve now developed a solid solution. However, maintaining backups for 30 days requires a considerable amount of disk space. I believe 7 days will be sufficient.

This enhanced backup script not only performs two backups per day with a retention period of 7 days, but it also includes comprehensive logging and email notifications. Every step of the process—from starting the script to completing the backups and handling errors—is logged in detail to a file (/var/log/backup_script.log) and also sent to your email for easy monitoring.

The script uses rsync with advanced options like compression during transfer, deletion of obsolete files, and partial file retention to ensure that your backups are efficient and reliable. By retaining only the last 7 days of backups, the script automatically manages disk space, making sure you don’t run out.

The flexibility to adapt the retention period, paths, and email notifications ensures that this script can be easily tailored to different needs, providing a simple yet powerful way to manage regular backups. The peace of mind knowing that your data is securely stored and any issues are promptly communicated makes this an effective solution.

If you have any more questions or need further adjustments, just let me know!!

George

------- script ------------------

#!/bin/bash

# Configuration
BACKUP_SOURCE1="/var/lib/smartermail"
BACKUP_SOURCE2="/etc/smartermail"
BACKUP_DEST="/mnt/backup_vipmail/backups"
RETENTION_DAYS=7
MAIL_TO="your-email@example.com"
LOG_FILE="/var/log/backup_script.log"

# Function to log to both console and log file
log_and_notify() {
    echo "$(date): $1" | tee -a $LOG_FILE
    echo "$1" | mail -s "Backup Script Notification" $MAIL_TO
}

# Ensure backup destination exists
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DEST"

# Perform backup with rsync, using additional options for compression and progress
perform_backup() {
    local source=$1
    local dest=$2
    local label=$3

    log_and_notify "Starting backup for $label: $source"
    
    rsync -azP --delete --partial --backup --backup-dir="$dest/$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M)" $source $dest/current >> $LOG_FILE 2>&1
    
    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
        log_and_notify "Backup for $label completed successfully."
    else
        log_and_notify "Error during backup for $label."
        exit 1
    fi
}

# Cleanup old backups
cleanup_old_backups() {
    log_and_notify "Cleaning up backups older than $RETENTION_DAYS days in $BACKUP_DEST"
    
    find "$BACKUP_DEST" -maxdepth 1 -mtime +$RETENTION_DAYS -type d -exec rm -rf {} \; >> $LOG_FILE 2>&1
    
    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
        log_and_notify "Cleanup of old backups completed successfully."
    else
        log_and_notify "Error during cleanup of old backups."
        exit 1
    fi
}

# Start the backup process
log_and_notify "==========================================="
log_and_notify "Backup script started."

# Perform cleanup first to ensure enough space for new backups
cleanup_old_backups

# Perform the backups for the specified sources
perform_backup "$BACKUP_SOURCE1" "$BACKUP_DEST" "SmarterMail Data"
perform_backup "$BACKUP_SOURCE2" "$BACKUP_DEST" "SmarterMail Configuration"

# Final message
log_and_notify "Backup script completed successfully."
log_and_notify "==========================================="