What are the necessary files to backup on RHEL server?

Solution Unverified - Updated -

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux(RHEL) 5
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux(RHEL) 6

Issue

  • What files must be backed up for disaster protection in Red Hat Enterprise Linux ?

Resolution

  • To protect against any possible system crash or disaster, the most critical directories that should be backed up are:
    /etc (as it contains configuration files for all the services)
    /home (for home directories and data of all the users)
    /var (You can select only specific stuff as per the requirement)
    /opt (if some third-party application is installed in /opt)
    /root (root's home directory)
    /var/www  (For a web server)
    /var/named (For a DNS server)
  • In a situation of system crash, there is a need to reinstall a fresh system and restoring the above said directories.

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