Re: [BackupPC-users] Restoring complete virtualized Windows-Servers / Saving MBR

[<ha...@gm...>]

Two completely separate backup schemes are needed here.

One for full "cold-metal" restores of the boot/OS level stuff, and IMO this
is best done with "imaging" style software, in your case specifically
targeted for windoze/ntfs systems. These don't need to be done very
frequently, as little is changing from day to day. BPC is not intended to
provide for this kind of backup, especially regarding Windows. Many Linux
sysadmins simply re-install their OS from automated scripts and then
restore config files rather than bothering to fully image their boot/OS
partitions, but Windows isn't suited to that approach.

The type of backup is for working data, which requires the frequent
full/incremental/archive that BPC is designed for. Details about the
infrastructure "under" the filesystem are irrelevant to BPC, except when
considering how to optimize performance when a small "backup window"
becomes an issue.

What you are doing with LVM snapshotting should only be necessary for
certain applications that keep their files open, like DB servers, Outlook
and some FOSS mailsystems. And then only if these services need to be kept
running as close to 24/7 as possible, otherwise your scripts can just close
the server processes down until the backup is complete and then bring them
back up again.

I can't advise on the NTFS-specific extended attributes and newfangled
security stuff, but unless you're using software that specifically
leverages that MS-proprietary stuff, it shouldn't IMO be an issue.