Backup and Redundancy: Local / VM Instance

Backup Schedule

Both local and hosted instances are provided with a default Scheduler task to perform a MySQL backup every 24 hours, with a 1 month retention policy.

What data is contained in the backup MySQL dump?

The MySQL dump contains an output of the entire ProVision database, with all DNS data and configuration information specific to the ProVision instance. This does not include MySQL configuration or system level configuration data. The MySQL dump also does not contain the globals.php files under ProVision's /data folder, though it may easily be recreated if needed.  User passwords are included as one-way hashes, while passwords for external systems are included in two-way encrypted format.  The encryption key is not stored in the database and is unique to each install.

How much space does the backup need?

Database sizing has many factors for both space planning and backup strategies. For larger databases, moving large MySQL databases can be challenging and reduce efficiencies. For a rough idea on how to estimate database sizes and thus backups, here are some conservative metrics that you can use:

• We estimate 3KB to 5KB per “resource object” for planning purposes. Each “Resource Object” is a discrete entry in the ProVision database. For example, a DNS Zone or a Resource Holder would each count as a Resource Object. The estimate has a wide range - this is largely based on logging.
• If you have years of logging data stored in ProVision, that will drive you to the higher end. By default, MySQL dumps will export everything including logging. So if you have a dataset with 10M records and 180 days of logging retention, that will be smaller than if you had the same number of records and 1,800 days of logging retention. If you have a centralized logging system and only store 6 months of transaction logs in ProVision, 3KB should be a good estimate. These are conservative estimates based on what we have seen in production across a variety of customers.

If you have specific questions regarding your backup scenario - please contact support at any time.

Restoration

Restoration is only a phone call or email away. We can spin up a new instance with your preferred data set, or send you a link to download your database. Optionally, we can even help you set it up and import your data to your new instance or assist with redundant configuration options depending on your RPO/RTO guidelines.