Maintenance Task: Backup Verification

Description

Ensure that server/system backups are being created, stored, and are restorable.

Frequency

Daily (automated check) + manual monthly restore test.

Checklist

• Are backup files created recently?
• Do backup files match expected size?
• Can files be restored without error?

Verification Steps

1. List recent backup files:

   ls -lh /backups/
   

2. Check integrity (example for tar):

   tar -tzf /backups/backup-YYYY-MM-DD.tar.gz > /dev/null
   

3. Perform a test restore to a temp directory.

Preventive Actions

• Schedule alerts on backup script failure
• Rotate and archive older backups
• Store offsite or to another device

Tools & Commands

• tar, rsync, borg, restic, cron, ls