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Managing Server Backup Plans

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for managing full server backup plans in Pluton. Server backups use ReaR (Relax-and-Recover) and Restic for complete disaster recovery protection.

Running Backups​

Server backups run automatically on schedule, but you can also trigger them manually.

Automatic Backups​

Once created, your server backup plan will:

  • Run automatically at the scheduled intervals
  • Retry automatically if failures occur (based on retry settings)
  • Continue running until you pause or delete the plan
  • Automatically detect disk layout changes
  • Create full backups when layout changes, incremental otherwise

You can see the next scheduled backup time by hovering over the interval in the plan list.

Manual Backup (Backup Now)​

To run a backup immediately, outside of the regular schedule:

From the Plans List:​

  1. Locate your server backup plan in the list
  2. Click the three dots menu (⋮) on the right side
  3. Select "Backup Now"
  4. A notification confirms the backup has started
  5. The plan card will show "In Progress" status

From Plan Details Page:​

  1. Navigate to the plan by clicking on it
  2. Click the "Backup Now" button in the page header
  3. The backup starts immediately
  4. You'll see real-time progress with:
    • Current phase (ISO Creation or Data Backup)
    • Progress percentage (during data backup phase)
    • Files processed
    • Data transferred
    • Estimated time remaining

Important Notes:

  • You cannot start a manual backup while one is already in progress
  • Manual backups don't affect the regular schedule
  • Failed manual backups will retry based on your retry settings
  • Manual backups check for layout changes automatically
  • If layout changed, a full backup with ISO creation runs

Monitoring Backup Progress​

Two-Phase Progress:

Server backups have two distinct phases:

  1. ISO Creation Phase (Full Backups Only)

    • Runs when disk layout has changed
    • System configuration is analyzed
    • Bootable recovery environment is created
    • ISO image is generated and uploaded
    • Duration: 5-30 minutes typically
    • No progress percentage (system analysis)

  2. Data Backup Phase (All Backups)

    • Filesystems are backed up incrementally
    • Progress shows percentage, files, data transferred
    • Real-time speed and time estimates
    • Duration: Minutes to hours depending on changes

Real-Time Progress:

  • Open the plan details page during a backup
  • View live progress including:
    • Current phase indicator
    • Percentage complete (data backup phase)
    • Number of files processed
    • Amount of data backed up
    • Current speed
    • Estimated time remaining

Backup History:

  • Each completed backup appears in the "Backups" section
  • View snapshot ID, date/time, size, and status
  • Backup type indicator (Full or Incremental)
  • Click on individual backups to:
    • View detailed statistics
    • Check if ISO was created
    • Access logs for that backup
    • Initiate restoration (if needed)

Logs:

  • Click "View Logs" in the more options menu (⋮)
  • See detailed execution logs
  • Track ISO creation progress
  • Monitor filesystem backup operations
  • Helpful for troubleshooting issues
  • Download logs for offline review

Pausing a Plan​

Pausing a server backup plan stops automatic scheduled backups without deleting the plan or existing backups.

When to Pause a Plan​

  • During system maintenance or major updates
  • When the source server is offline temporarily
  • To save bandwidth during critical operations
  • When storage quota is reached temporarily
  • During hardware upgrades or migrations
  • When troubleshooting system issues

How to Pause​

From the Plans List:​

  1. Locate your server backup plan
  2. Click the three dots menu (⋮)
  3. Select "Pause Plan"
  4. A notification confirms the plan is paused
  5. The plan shows a "Paused" badge

From Plan Details Page:​

  1. Navigate to the plan details
  2. Click the "Pause" button in the page header
  3. The plan is immediately paused
  4. The page header shows "Paused" status

What Happens When Paused:

  • Scheduled backups stop running
  • The cron schedule is deactivated
  • Existing backups/snapshots remain intact
  • The plan remains in your plans list
  • You cannot run manual backups while paused
  • System changes are not tracked

Important for Server Backups:

  • System changes during pause are not captured
  • Next backup after resume may take longer
  • If disk layout changed during pause, full backup will run
  • Consider impact on disaster recovery readiness

Resuming a Paused Plan​

From the Plans List:​

  1. Locate the paused plan (has "Paused" badge)
  2. Click the three dots menu (⋮)
  3. Select "Resume Plan"
  4. A notification confirms the plan is active
  5. Scheduled backups resume automatically

From Plan Details Page:​

  1. Navigate to the paused plan
  2. Click the "Resume" button in the page header
  3. The plan is reactivated immediately
  4. The next scheduled backup will run as configured

What Happens When Resumed:

  • The backup schedule is reactivated
  • Next backup runs at the scheduled interval (not immediately)
  • System layout check will run on next backup
  • If layout changed during pause, full backup with ISO creation occurs
  • Normal backup operations continue

Important Notes:

  • You cannot pause a plan while a backup is in progress
  • Resuming doesn't trigger an immediate backup (use "Backup Now" if needed)
  • Pausing doesn't delete any data or configuration
  • First backup after resume may be full if system changed

Editing a Server Backup Plan​

You can modify most settings of an existing server backup plan. Some settings cannot be changed after creation.

What Can Be Edited​

Changeable Settings:

  • Plan name/title
  • Selected filesystems (add/remove filesystems to backup)
  • Exclude patterns
  • Storage subfolder path
  • Backup schedule/interval
  • Snapshots to keep
  • Compression setting
  • Tags
  • Retry settings
  • Performance settings
  • Notification settings
  • ISO encryption password

Cannot Be Changed:

  • Source device
  • Storage destination
  • Backup method (Full Server Backup)
  • Source type (device)
  • Data encryption (once backups exist)

How to Edit a Plan​

1. Open Edit Panel​

From Plans List:

  • Find your plan and click on it to open details
  • Click the "Edit" button in the page header

Or:

  • Click the three dots menu (⋮) next to the plan
  • Select "Edit"

The edit panel opens on the right side.

2. Modify Settings​

The edit panel has four tabs accessible from the top:

Step 1: Basics

  • Change the plan name
  • View source type and method (cannot change)

Step 2: Source/Destination

  • Click "Rediscover Filesystems" to scan for filesystem changes
  • Add or remove filesystems from backup selection
  • Modify exclude patterns
  • Use checkboxes to select/deselect filesystems
  • Adjust storage subfolder path (destination cannot change)

Important for Server Backups:

  • Adding filesystems triggers full backup on next run (ISO recreation)
  • Removing filesystems doesn't delete already-backed-up data
  • Exclude pattern changes apply to next backup
  • Filesystem changes are considered layout changes

Step 3: Schedule

  • Change backup interval and time
  • Modify snapshots to keep
  • All interval options are available

Schedule Considerations:

  • Daily schedules recommended for production servers
  • Consider backup duration when scheduling
  • Schedule during low-activity periods
  • First backup after schedule change runs at new time

Step 4: Advanced

  • Toggle compression on/off
  • Modify retry settings
  • Adjust performance settings
  • Update ISO encryption password
  • Configure notifications
  • Manage tags

Performance Tuning:

  • Adjust CPU concurrency based on server load
  • Modify read concurrency for disk performance
  • Change pack size for network optimization

3. Save Changes​

  • Click "Update Plan" at the bottom of the panel
  • Pluton validates your changes
  • The backup schedule is updated
  • A success notification appears

What Happens After Update:

  • Schedule changes take effect immediately
  • Filesystem changes trigger full backup on next run
  • Performance changes apply immediately
  • Notification changes take effect for future backups
  • ReaR configuration is regenerated

Important Notes:

  • You cannot edit a plan while a backup is in progress
  • Wait for active backups to complete before editing
  • Filesystem changes require full backup (ISO recreation)
  • Test configuration changes on non-critical systems first

Removing a Server Backup Plan​

Deleting a server backup plan removes the plan configuration and optionally the backup data from storage.

Before You Delete​

Consider:

  • Pausing instead if you might need the plan later
  • Verifying you have alternative disaster recovery capability
  • Checking if any backup operations are in progress
  • Documenting plan configuration for reference

Critical for Disaster Recovery:

  • Server backup plans provide complete system recovery capability
  • Ensure alternative recovery mechanisms exist before deletion
  • Consider archiving latest ISO and snapshots separately
  • Verify business continuity requirements

How to Remove a Plan​

1. Open Delete Confirmation​

From Plans List:

  • Click the plan card to open details
  • Click "More Options (⋮)" in the page header
  • Select "Remove"

Or from Plan Details:

  • Click the three dots menu (⋮) in the header
  • Select "Remove"

A confirmation modal appears.

2. Choose Data Removal Option​

Important Decision:

The modal shows a toggle option:

  • "Remove remote backup data from the Remote Storage"

If DISABLED (default):

  • Only the plan configuration is deleted from Pluton
  • All backup snapshots remain in the storage destination
  • ISO images remain in storage
  • You can manually access the data if needed for recovery
  • Storage space is not freed

If ENABLED:

  • The plan configuration AND all backup data are deleted
  • All snapshots are permanently removed from storage
  • ISO images are deleted
  • Storage space is freed
  • This action cannot be undone!

When to Enable:

  • You no longer need disaster recovery capability for this server
  • You want to reclaim storage space
  • You're sure you won't need to restore the system
  • Alternative backup solution is in place

When to Keep Disabled:

  • You want to keep disaster recovery capability
  • You might need to restore the server later
  • You want to manually review backups before deletion
  • Storage space is not a concern
  • Compliance requires retention

3. Confirm Deletion​

  • Read the warning message carefully
  • Set the toggle based on your needs
  • Click "Yes, Remove Plan"
  • The deletion process begins

What Happens:

  1. Pluton stops all scheduled backups for this plan
  2. The cron schedule is removed
  3. If enabled, remote data is purged from storage (this may take time)
  4. ISO images are deleted (if data removal enabled)
  5. The plan is removed from the database
  6. You're redirected to the main Plans page
  7. A success notification appears

Important Notes:

  • You cannot delete a plan while a backup is in progress
  • Deletion with data removal may take several minutes for large backups
  • There is no undo or recovery option
  • All backup history and logs for this plan are deleted
  • ISO images are deleted and cannot be recovered

After Deletion​

  • The plan no longer appears in your plans list
  • Scheduled backups stop immediately
  • If data was deleted, storage space is freed (may take time to reflect)
  • If data was kept:
    • Manually access through storage provider
    • ISO images remain available for emergency recovery
    • Snapshot data can be restored manually if needed

Viewing Backup Details​

Access detailed information about individual backups.

Backup Information​

  1. Navigate to the plan details page
  2. In the "Backups" history section, locate a backup
  3. Click on the backup entry to view details

Information Displayed:

  • Backup Type - Full (with ISO) or Incremental
  • Snapshot ID - Unique identifier for the backup
  • Date/Time - When backup started and completed
  • Duration - Total time taken
  • Status - Success, Failed, or In Progress
  • Size - Total data backed up
  • Files - Number of files processed
  • ISO Created - Whether new ISO was generated
  • ISO Location - Path to ISO image in storage

ISO Image Access​

For backups that created ISO images:

  1. View backup details
  2. Note the ISO location in storage
  3. Access ISO through:
    • Storage provider's interface
    • Direct download (if supported)
    • Rclone commands for retrieval

ISO Usage:

  • Burn to USB drive for physical recovery media
  • Mount in virtual environment for VM recovery
  • Store offline for disaster recovery
  • Keep accessible for emergency restoration

Troubleshooting​

Backup Fails to Start​

Symptoms: Clicking "Backup Now" doesn't start a backup

Solutions:

  • Check if a backup is already running
  • Verify the plan is not paused (Resume it first)
  • Check storage connectivity (verify storage in Storages page)
  • Review plan logs for error messages
  • Ensure source device is online (for remote backups)
  • Check ReaR installation and configuration

Cannot Edit Plan​

Symptoms: Edit button disabled or changes won't save

Solutions:

  • Wait for any active backup to complete
  • Ensure you're not trying to change immutable settings
  • Check that required fields are filled correctly
  • Verify at least one filesystem is selected
  • Check for validation errors in the edit panel

Pause/Resume Not Working​

Symptoms: Plan doesn't pause or resume properly

Solutions:

  • Wait for active backups to finish before pausing
  • Check plan logs for scheduling errors
  • Restart the Pluton server if schedules seem stuck
  • Verify cron service is running
  • Check system time and timezone settings

Plan Deletion Stuck​

Symptoms: Deletion takes too long or appears to hang

Solutions:

  • If deleting with data removal, large backups take time (be patient)
  • Check network connectivity to storage
  • Monitor the app logs (Settings → App Logs)
  • ISO images may take time to delete
  • If truly stuck after 30+ minutes, contact support

Backups Taking Too Long​

Symptoms: Backups take much longer than expected

Solutions:

  • Initial and full backups take hours (normal)
  • Check if full backup is running (ISO creation)
  • Review filesystem sizes being backed up
  • Check network and storage performance
  • Adjust performance settings (increase concurrency)
  • Consider excluding non-essential filesystems
  • Monitor system resources during backup

ISO Creation Fails​

Symptoms: Backup fails during ISO creation phase

Solutions:

  • Check ReaR installation and version
  • Verify bootloader is accessible
  • Ensure /boot filesystem is included
  • Review ReaR logs for specific errors
  • Check system configuration compatibility
  • Verify sufficient space for ISO generation

Filesystem Discovery Fails​

Symptoms: Cannot discover filesystems or rediscover shows errors

Solutions:

  • Check Pluton has root/administrator privileges
  • Verify filesystems are properly mounted
  • Review system logs for disk errors
  • Check device accessibility
  • Restart Pluton service if needed

Next Steps​

Regular monitoring ensures your server backup plans provide reliable disaster recovery capability.