Re: Snapshot as Backup - Mailing list pgsql-admin

From Matt Clark
Subject Re: Snapshot as Backup
Date
Msg-id OAEAKHEHCMLBLIDGAFELKEBNEHAA.matt@ymogen.net
Whole thread Raw
In response to Snapshot as Backup  ("Ed Murphy" <emurphy1@email.arizona.edu>)
List pgsql-admin
The consensus from previous discussions (search for 'LVM' in the archives) is essentially that it definitely *should* work, some people *do* use it successfully, but that you *must* test it thoroughly in your own setup under heavy write load before relying on it.
 
PG will believe it has 'crashed' when you start it from a restored snapshot, and PG is designed to recover perfectly well from crashes.  If you stop the postmaster before the snapshot is taken then it will definitely work fine.
 
Matt
-----Original Message-----
From: pgsql-admin-owner@postgresql.org [mailto:pgsql-admin-owner@postgresql.org]On Behalf Of Ed Murphy
Sent: 13 January 2004 17:16
To: pgsql-admin@postgresql.org
Subject: [ADMIN] Snapshot as Backup

Hello,
 
I'm using Red Hat Enterprise v2.1 and PostgreSQL v7.3.4.  Our hardware setup includes a large Storage Area Network (SAN).  The systems folks are going to utilize a snapshot type backup to backup the file system.  This snapshot will include PGDATA and all the PostgreSQL files.  My question is if I restore this snapshot will PostgreSQL work?  I know if doing a typical file system backup of PostgreSQL I must first stop the postmaster or the backup will not produce a useable PostgreSQL system.  Is it necessary to stop the postmaster for this snapshot backup also?
 
Thanks,
 
Ed Murphy
The University of Arizona

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