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Automated Recovery Testing

Pluton PRO's Automated Recovery Testing verifies your backup snapshots are restorable and free from corruption. This feature runs periodic integrity checks and alerts you immediately if issues are detected.

Manual Integrity Check​

Run an on-demand integrity check to verify your backup snapshots.

  1. Navigate to your backup plan details page
  2. Click "More Options (⋮)" in the header
  3. Select "Check Integrity"
  4. The integrity check starts and verifies repository data
  5. Results display when complete:
    • Success: "No Corruption or Bit rot found. Your backup snapshots are completely restorable."
    • Error: Details about detected issues with fix suggestions

Manual integrity check

Output Logs:

  • The integrity check output logs are displayed showing verification progress
  • Logs include timestamp of when the check was performed
  • Fix suggestions are provided if issues are detected

Scheduled Integrity Checks​

Configure automatic periodic verification of your backup snapshots.

Enabling Scheduled Checks​

Pluton enable scheduled integrity checks

  1. Edit your backup plan
  2. Go to Integrity settings section
  3. Toggle "Enable Snapshot Integrity Checks" on
  4. Configure the check parameters:
    • Integrity Check Method: Select verification depth
    • Integrity Check Interval: Set how often to run checks
  5. Save your plan

Integrity Check Methods​

Choose the verification depth based on your needs:

MethodDescriptionSpeedUse Case
Basic Metadata CheckVerifies repository structure onlyFastestQuick health check
5% Data CheckSamples 5% of data blocksFastCloud storage (minimal bandwidth)
10% Data CheckSamples 10% of data blocksFastCloud storage (low bandwidth)
25% Data CheckSamples 25% of data blocksMediumBalanced verification
50% Data CheckSamples 50% of data blocksSlowerHigher confidence
Full Integrity CheckReads all backup dataSlowestMaximum verification

Recommendations:

  • Use 5-10% Data Check for cloud storages to minimize bandwidth and API costs
  • Use Full Integrity Check for local storage or when maximum confidence is required
  • Use Basic Metadata Check for quick structural verification

Check Interval​

Set how frequently integrity checks run:

  • Configure interval in hours, days, or weeks
  • Recommended: Weekly for critical data, monthly for less critical data
  • Consider storage costs when setting interval for cloud destinations

Integrity Check Notifications​

Get notified when integrity issues are detected.

Pluton integrity issue email

Email Notifications​

  1. Toggle "Send Email on error detection" on
  2. Select an email integration (requires prior setup in Settings → Integrations)
  3. Enter recipient email addresses (comma-separated for multiple)

Webhook Notifications​

Send integrity check results to external systems:

  1. Toggle "Send details through Webhook on error detection" on
  2. Select Content Type: application/json, application/x-www-form-urlencoded, or text/plain
  3. Enter your Webhook URL
  4. Click "Send Test Request" to verify connectivity

Ntfy Push Notifications​

Receive push notifications via Ntfy:

  1. Configure Ntfy Auth Token in Settings → Integrations
  2. Toggle "Send Ntfy Push Notifications on error detection" on
  3. Enter your Ntfy Push URL (e.g., https://ntfy.sh/mytopic)
  4. Optionally add Tags for notification categorization

Viewing Integrity Results​

Access the results of past integrity checks:

  1. Navigate to your backup plan details page
  2. Click "More Options (⋮)"
  3. Select "Check Integrity"
  4. View the last check results:
    • Status (success/error)
    • Timestamp of last check
    • Output logs
    • Fix suggestions (if errors detected)

Understanding Results​

Successful Check:

  • Confirms snapshots are complete and restorable
  • No data corruption or bit rot detected
  • Repository structure is valid

Failed Check:

  • Indicates potential corruption or missing data
  • Provides specific error messages
  • Includes fix suggestions when available
  • Links to Restic troubleshooting documentation for advanced fixes

What Gets Verified​

The integrity check validates:

  • Repository structure - Index files, pack files, and metadata
  • Snapshot consistency - All referenced data exists
  • Data integrity - No corruption or bit rot (based on check method)
  • Encryption - Encrypted data can be decrypted correctly