A heads up on server & game management

[rulerofzu]

Removed........................................

Edited November 10, 2012 by rulerofzu

[Spudinski]

Tip one: Get RAID.

But yes, database backups are vital - even if it's just for purposes of individual record(s) recovery.

Database backups should be run daily, no exceptions.

Along with database backups, a "for-when-****-happens" recovery script needs to be in place, to automatically import databases on a sql server.

Scripts and things like that, well, there's really no need to backup it if you follow appropriate paths of maintaining your sources - VCS.

But if needed, rsync is awesome for text/binaries, but also, should be used only for critical parts of the system which isn't static(so images are out).

Lastly, choose the correct damn host, and make sure they have the proper measures in place for worst-cases.

I have a VPS, and even though I don't backup for system files, my host backs up my whole container - sure it's a pretty penny to reinitialize a backup, but it's there.

[newttster]

Every time I'm finished doing any thing with my game files and db ... I do a backup before signing out. Would this accomplish the same thing? I keep atleast 3 backups at all times .. just in case the latest 2 have errors in them.

[lucky3809]

I backup every 24 hours, never know when something may occur... Better to be safe than sorry.

[realmoflegends]

Yep, when I ran a game, I backed up the DB every few days, the whole game once a week at least. It amazes me how many people (I work as a server admin for a hosting company) don't do this, then blame the host if something happens. It's YOUR site, step up and protect it. :)

[rulerofzu]

Raid is preferred and I cant see why you would have a server without it.

[HauntedDawg]

Every 24 hour's to Backup your DB is still a large gap. Imagine 24 hour's of your life just lost! I prefer at least 3 hour interval's to keep info at its latest. Nice thing is that it does not store too many DB's. I follow this setup:

Store 1 backup every 24 hours forever.

Store 1 backup every 3 hour's with validity of 10 day's, after 10 day's this backup is removed to free up disk space.

File backup happens once every never. As i use SVN and would prefer to keep my site there, plus, any change's i make, i commit it to my repo.

[Spudinski]

Yep, when I ran a game, I backed up the DB every few days, the whole game once a week at least. It amazes me how many people (I work as a server admin for a hosting company) don't do this, then blame the host if something happens. It's YOUR site, step up and protect it. :)

We're YOUR clients, WE pay YOUR salary. So shut the hell up and give us proper service.

 

Every 24 hour's to Backup your DB is still a large gap. Imagine 24 hour's of your life just lost! I prefer at least 3 hour interval's to keep info at its latest. Nice thing is that it does not store too many DB's. I follow this setup:

Store 1 backup every 24 hours forever.

Store 1 backup every 3 hour's with validity of 10 day's, after 10 day's this backup is removed to free up disk space.

File backup happens once every never. As i use SVN and would prefer to keep my site there, plus, any change's i make, i commit it to my repo.

Try running a few hundred databases with each over a few hundred million records, and then tell me you backup the databases every three hours.

It's an unrealistic interval, unless you have like say, a dozen database servers w/ replication and so forth - at which point, you probably won't need backups anymore.

Also, you're talking of one motherfucker of a SAN to store all those database backups.

[Raven1992]

i back up my game data and db everytime i changed a file in the file mananger so i safe with all the stuff

[HauntedDawg]

We're YOUR clients, WE pay YOUR salary. So shut the hell up and give us proper service.

 

Try running a few hundred databases with each over a few hundred million records, and then tell me you backup the databases every three hours.

It's an unrealistic interval, unless you have like say, a dozen database servers w/ replication and so forth - at which point, you probably won't need backups anymore.

Also, you're talking of one motherfucker of a SAN to store all those database backups.

No, our work server's backup every 8 or so hour's. Personal development and choice that is.

On the other hand, i've seen people freak over half hour lost data...

[sniko]

No, our work server's backup every 8 or so hour's. Personal development and choice that is.

On the other hand, i've seen people freak over half hour lost data...

Banks with less than a minute data loss.... (Server Management)

[rulerofzu]

I backup databases every 30mins for Zu you can always remove them just as quickly as your store them so storage space never becomes an issue especially when I have enterprise class SATA drives 1TB per drive in a raid config.

The size of the backups are small and if they was large then you can easily increment the backups which is better for the integrity of the backups.

If Zu had a few hundred million records it would be on continuent cluster and that would be only if using mysql (which is doubtful you would be using)

[Primed]

If it were me, I'd back up key database tables (users, inventories, etc) daily to a private directory & make a point of downloading it to my computer as soon as.

Keeping a backup of your database on your server sort of defeats the purpose, if you're hacked for example, they aren't just going to wipe the database, they're going to delete any files also. Or if the game is run on a VPS with local databases, and the VPS goes down, both the database and the previous backup are lost.