Backups feel safe, but they are only useful if you can restore them when the unexpected occurs.
Many operators treat backups as a safety net; few test that net for real resilience.
Why Verification Matters
A backup that never proves itself is a paper weight in your disaster plan.
If the archive is corrupted or paths are wrong, recovery stalls and confidence erodes.
Decision makers expect certainty, not hope.
BorgBackup – The Trusted Tool
Borg compresses, deduplicates, and encrypts; it also checks integrity on every run.
- borg check scans all chunks for cryptographic mismatch.
- Sample restore pulls a file to verify paths and permissions.
- Checksum comparison ensures data matches the source exactly.
These steps turn an archive into a living contract with your system.
Automate, Test, Repeat
- Automated Backups – nightly Borg runs triggered by cron or systemd timers.
- Weekly Verification – run
borg checkand restore a random file from each repo. - Alerting – send minimal, encrypted notifications via SSH tunnel to your monitoring server.
A single failure in the restoration chain can cost days of uptime; automate its detection.
Documentation & SOP
Store verification steps in an org‑mode file, encrypted with GPG.
Keep the SOP short: Backup → Check → Restore Sample → Verify → Document.
When you can’t confirm a restore, consider the backup dead.
Decision Makers – Your Role
Enforce resilience without adding noise.
Make verification part of your compliance checklist; it is a silent safeguard that only works when tested.
Implement these practices today.
Treat backups not as a checkbox but as an active, verified component of operational integrity.
Tom's IT Cafe 