Designing my backup process

This page describes how I designed my current Backup process.

This design phase started on [[2023-08-05]]

Situation at [[2023-08-05]]

• So far, I’ve got my files placed in several places:
  • Home NAS
  • Phone
  • Computer
  • Server
  • Next Cloud (Hetzner Storage Share)
  • External drives
    • Some have the files directly on NTFS
    • Some use restic

I came up with a data classification that is in the Backup process.

Absolute Backup

• For the result I came up with, see the “Absolute Backup” in Backup

• Criteria for absolute backup

  • It needs to be encrypted when stored on device that I don’t own or device that doesn’t have encrypted drives
    • If my NAS supports encrypted volumes (that require password on startup) then the data can live there.
  • I need to have an easy access to that data. I assume it will be up to 1TB and I can’t fit all that on my laptop or my phone
  • It is done automatically, my phone and mac get backed up every day
  • the default automated account supports append-only rights (only write, no delete)
  • I can easily delete photos that got backed up without these deleted photos being backed up forever
  • I would like to back up some server data (e.g. DB for my projects)
  • My wife should be able to use it as well

• Alternative options

  • syncthing option
    • Use syncthing for the day-to-day data. (e.g. documents, recent photos)
    • use NAS for older pictures and videos
    • back up both to cloud storage with restic
    • This is more complicated than the chosen option with nextcloud