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Creating a Server Backup Plan

This guide walks you through creating a full server backup plan for complete disaster recovery protection.

Step-by-Step Guide​

1. Open the Add Plan Panel​

From the main Backup Plans page:

  • Click the "+ New" button in the page header
  • A side panel titled "Add New Plan" will slide in from the right

2. Step 1: Basic Configuration​

Configure the fundamental settings for your server backup plan:

Plan Name (Required)

  • Enter a descriptive name for your server backup plan
  • Example: "Production Server Full Backup" or "Main Server Disaster Recovery"
  • This name will appear in the plans list

Source Type (Required)

  • Select "Device" for server-level backups
  • Other options (Database, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365) are for different backup types

Backup Method (Required)

  • Select "Full Server Backup" or "Rescue Backup" to create a server backup plan
  • This uses ReaR (Relax-and-Recover) for bare-metal recovery
  • Different from "Periodic Backup" (file-level) and "Real-time Sync" (synchronization)

Important: Once you create a server backup plan, you cannot change it to a different method. Choose carefully based on your disaster recovery needs.

Click "Next: Configure Source/Destination" to proceed.

3. Step 2: Source and Destination​

Select Source Device

  • Choose which device/server to backup from the dropdown
  • "Main" refers to the Pluton server itself
  • Remote devices appear if you have Pluton agents installed
  • Note: Source device cannot be changed after plan creation

Filesystem Discovery

Instead of manually selecting folders, server backups automatically discover system filesystems:

  1. Click "Discover Filesystems" button
  2. Pluton scans the system for all mounted filesystems
  3. A list of discovered filesystems appears with details:
    • Device - Physical device or partition (e.g., /dev/sda1)
    • Mount Point - Where filesystem is mounted (e.g., /, /home, /var)
    • Size - Total filesystem size
    • Type - Filesystem type (ext4, xfs, btrfs, etc.)
    • Critical - Auto-identified as OS partition

Selecting Filesystems to Backup (Required)

  • Review the discovered filesystems list
  • Critical filesystems (OS partitions) are typically pre-selected
  • Check/uncheck filesystems based on your needs:

Recommended to Include:

  • / (root filesystem) - Always include
  • /boot - Boot partition, essential for recovery
  • /home - User home directories (if applicable)
  • /var - Variable data, logs, databases
  • /opt - Optional software installations
  • /usr - User programs and system utilities

May Exclude:

  • Temporary filesystems (/tmp, /run)
  • Virtual filesystems (automatically excluded by ReaR)
  • Network mounted filesystems (NFS, SMB)
  • External drives not critical for recovery
  • Swap partitions (recreated during recovery)

Understanding Filesystem Selection:

  • Selected filesystems will be included in the backup
  • Their data is backed up incrementally using Restic
  • Disk layout information is captured for all selected filesystems
  • During recovery, all selected filesystems are restored

Exclude Patterns (Optional)

  • Click "+ Add Exclude Pattern" to exclude specific paths or files
  • Even within selected filesystems, you can exclude certain data
  • Common patterns to exclude:
    • /var/cache/* - Cache files
    • /var/tmp/* - Temporary files
    • *.log - Log files (if not needed for recovery)
    • /home/*/.cache - User cache directories
  • Exclusions help reduce backup size and time

Backup Destination (Required)

  • Click "Select Storage" to choose where backups will be stored
  • Select from your configured storage destinations
  • Optionally specify a subfolder path within the storage
    • Example: /server-backups/production or /rescue/main-server/
    • Leave empty to use the root of the storage

Destination Storage Considerations:

  • ISO images and backup data are stored at this location
  • Initial backup requires significant space (full system size)
  • Ensure sufficient storage capacity for system size + ISOs
  • Remote storage is recommended for off-site protection

Important Notes:

  • You must discover and select at least one filesystem
  • The source device cannot be changed after plan creation
  • The storage destination cannot be changed after plan creation
  • ISO images can be several hundred MB to few GB in size
  • Test with a non-critical system first if unsure

Click "Next: Setup Schedule" to proceed.

4. Step 3: Schedule Configuration​

Server backups typically run less frequently than file backups due to their comprehensive nature.

Backup Interval (Required)

Choose how often backups should run:

  • Daily (Recommended)

    • Runs once per day at a specific time
    • Select time (e.g., "02:00 AM")
    • Best for: Most production servers
    • Provides daily recovery points

  • Weekly

    • Runs once per week on specific days
    • Select day(s) of the week (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.)
    • Select time
    • Best for: Stable servers with infrequent changes

  • Monthly

    • Runs once per month on a specific day
    • Select day of month (1-31)
    • Select time
    • Best for: Archive or rarely-changing systems

  • Every N Hours

    • Specify interval in hours
    • Example: Every 6 or 12 hours
    • Best for: Critical systems requiring more frequent protection

  • Every N Days

    • Specify interval in days
    • Example: Every 2 or 3 days
    • Best for: Flexible scheduling needs

Choosing the Right Interval:

  • Critical production servers: Daily at off-peak hours
  • Development servers: Weekly or bi-weekly
  • Stable infrastructure: Weekly
  • Test systems: Weekly or monthly

Important Scheduling Considerations:

  • Initial backup takes much longer (includes ISO creation)
  • Schedule during low-activity periods
  • Consider network bandwidth for remote storage
  • First backup after layout changes recreates ISO
  • Subsequent backups are much faster (incremental only)

Snapshots to Keep

  • Specify how many snapshots to retain (default: 5)
  • Each snapshot represents a complete system backup
  • Older snapshots are automatically cleaned up (pruned)
  • Consider:
    • 5-7 snapshots: 1 week of daily backups
    • 14 snapshots: 2 weeks of daily backups
    • 30 snapshots: 1 month of daily backups

Retention Considerations:

  • More snapshots = longer recovery history
  • More snapshots = more storage space used
  • Balance between history needs and storage costs
  • Consider compliance or policy requirements

Click "Next: Advanced Settings" to proceed.

5. Step 4: Advanced Settings​

Security Options

  • Encryption

    • Toggle ON to encrypt all backup data with AES-256
    • Strongly recommended for server backups
    • Encrypts both ISO images and filesystem data
    • Uses server-configured master encryption key
    • Cannot be changed after plan creation

  • ISO Encryption

    • Optionally set a separate password for ISO images
    • Protects bootable recovery media
    • Required during recovery boot process
    • Leave empty to use default encryption
    • Document this password securely for disaster recovery

  • Compression

    • Toggle ON to compress backup data
    • Reduces storage space and transfer time
    • Recommended for server backups
    • Minimal performance impact
    • Cannot compress ISO images (limited benefit)

Tags (Optional)

  • Add tags to organize your server backup plans
  • Click in the tags field and type a tag name, press Enter
  • Examples: "production", "critical", "database-server", "web-server"
  • Use tags to filter and group related plans

Retry Settings

  • Retry Attempts - Number of times to retry failed backups (default: 5)
  • Retry Delay - Seconds to wait between retry attempts (default: 60)
  • Server backups may take longer, so retries are important
  • Helps handle temporary network or system issues

Performance Settings (Advanced)

Click "Show Performance Settings" to expand:

  • CPU Concurrency - Number of CPU cores to use (default: system dependent)

    • More cores = faster backup processing
    • Too many cores may impact system performance
    • Adjust based on server workload

  • Read Concurrency - Number of concurrent file reads (default: 2)

    • Increase for faster disk systems
    • Decrease for slower disks to avoid contention

  • Pack Size - Size of data packs for upload (default: system dependent)

    • Larger packs = fewer network round-trips
    • Adjust based on network characteristics

When to Adjust Performance Settings:

  • Fast server + fast storage → Increase concurrency
  • Limited bandwidth → Decrease pack size
  • High system load → Decrease CPU concurrency
  • Slow source disks → Decrease read concurrency

Notification Settings (Advanced)

Click "Show Notification Settings" to configure:

  • Email Notifications

    • Enable to receive email alerts
    • Configure notification case:
      • On Failure (Recommended)
      • On Success
      • Both
    • Enter email addresses (comma-separated)
    • Uses email service configured in Settings

  • Webhook Notifications

    • Enable to send data to external services
    • Configure HTTP method (GET/POST)
    • Enter webhook URL
    • Useful for integrating with monitoring systems

  • Push Notifications (PRO)

    • Send push notifications to mobile devices
    • Configure push service URL and authentication

Notification Recommendations for Server Backups:

  • Enable "On Failure" notifications - critical for disaster recovery
  • Consider "On Success" for initial backups to confirm setup
  • Use webhooks for integration with monitoring/alerting platforms
  • Document notification configuration for disaster recovery procedures

Scripts (PRO Feature)

If you have Pluton PRO, configure custom scripts:

  • On Backup Start - Run before backup begins
  • On Backup Complete - Run after successful backup
  • On Backup Failure - Run when backup fails
  • On Backup End - Run regardless of success/failure

Use cases for server backups:

  • Stop critical services before backup starts
  • Start services after backup completes
  • Alert external systems on backup events
  • Perform pre/post-backup validation

6. Create the Plan​

  • Review all settings carefully
  • Settings that cannot be changed later:
    • Source device
    • Storage destination
    • Backup method (Full Server Backup)
    • Encryption (once backups exist)
  • Click "Create Plan" at the bottom of the panel

What Happens After Creation:

  1. Pluton validates your configuration
  2. Verifies connectivity to destination storage
  3. Initializes Restic repository at storage location
  4. Generates ReaR configuration file
  5. Registers the backup schedule
  6. Immediately starts the first full backup
  7. Navigates you to the plan details page

First Backup Behavior:

The initial backup is always a full backup including:

  • ISO Creation Phase

    • ReaR scans system configuration
    • Creates bootable recovery environment
    • Includes bootloader and drivers
    • Generates ISO image (typically 300MB-2GB)
    • Uploads ISO to storage destination

  • Data Backup Phase

    • Restic backs up all selected filesystems
    • All data is uploaded (can take hours for large systems)
    • Progress is tracked and displayed in real-time
    • Snapshot is created upon completion

After First Backup:

  • The plan appears in your main Backup Plans list
  • Subsequent backups run on your configured schedule
  • Most subsequent backups are incremental (faster)
  • Full backups only run again if disk layout changes

Understanding Backup Types​

Full Backup (mkbackup)​

Runs when:

  • First backup of a new plan
  • Disk layout has changed (new partitions, resized disks)
  • Filesystem configuration modified

Includes:

  • ISO image creation
  • Complete filesystem data backup
  • Disk layout information update

Duration: Longest (initial backup or after layout changes)

Incremental Backup (mkbackuponly)​

Runs when:

  • Disk layout unchanged since last backup
  • Normal scheduled backups

Includes:

  • Only changed filesystem data
  • Reuses existing ISO image
  • No ISO recreation

Duration: Much faster (minutes to hours depending on changes)

Monitoring First Backup​

After creating your plan:

  1. Watch the Progress

    • Plan details page shows real-time progress
    • Two phases: ISO Creation → Data Backup
    • Progress percentage, files processed, data transferred

  2. ISO Creation Phase

    • Typically completes in 5-30 minutes
    • No progress percentage (system analysis)
    • Completion message: "ISO Creation Complete"

  3. Data Backup Phase

    • Shows detailed progress with percentages
    • Files scanned and backed up
    • Current speed and estimated time remaining
    • Can take hours for large systems

  4. Completion

    • Success notification appears
    • Backup statistics are displayed
    • Snapshot ID is recorded
    • ISO location is saved

Post-Creation Verification​

After first backup completes:

Verify Backup Success​

  1. Check plan details page shows "Completed" status
  2. Review backup statistics (size, files, duration)
  3. Check logs for any warnings or errors
  4. Verify snapshot appears in backup history

Verify Storage​

  1. Navigate to Storages page
  2. Find the storage used by your plan
  3. Verify ISO image was uploaded
  4. Check backup data repository exists

Document Recovery Information​

For disaster recovery, document:

  • ISO image location and access credentials
  • Storage destination details
  • ISO encryption password (if set)
  • Backup plan configuration
  • Recovery procedure reference

Consider testing the recovery process:

  • In a virtual machine or test environment
  • Boot from ISO image
  • Verify recovery menu appears
  • Don't perform actual recovery on production
  • Validates ISO is bootable and functional

Troubleshooting Creation Issues​

Cannot Create Plan​

"Storage not accessible"

  • Verify storage configuration in Storages page
  • Test storage connectivity
  • Check credentials and permissions
  • Ensure network connectivity to remote storage

"Source device offline"

  • Ensure source device is powered on
  • Check Pluton agent is running (for remote devices)
  • Verify network connectivity
  • For local server, check system health

"Filesystem discovery failed"

  • Check system permissions (requires root)
  • Verify filesystems are properly mounted
  • Review system logs for disk errors
  • Ensure source device is accessible

First Backup Fails​

"Permission denied"

  • Check Pluton runs with sufficient privileges
  • Verify read access to selected filesystems
  • For remote devices, check agent permissions
  • Review system file permissions

"ISO creation failed"

  • Check ReaR is properly installed
  • Verify bootloader is accessible
  • Review ReaR logs for specific errors
  • Ensure /boot filesystem is included

"Insufficient storage space"

  • Verify destination storage has sufficient space
  • Initial backup requires full system size + ISO
  • Check storage quota limits
  • Consider excluding non-essential filesystems

"Network timeout"

  • Check network connectivity to storage
  • Verify bandwidth is sufficient
  • Consider scheduling during off-peak hours
  • Increase retry delay in settings

Backup Taking Too Long​

  • First backup can take many hours for large systems
  • Depends on system size, network speed, and storage performance
  • Check network utilization and transfer rates
  • Review plan details for progress updates
  • Normal for initial backup - subsequent backups are much faster

Next Steps​

Initial server backup takes longer but provides complete disaster recovery capability. Subsequent incremental backups are much faster.