Linux Server Disaster Recovery & Azure Restore
Designed a production disaster-recovery workflow for a Linux application server, with database and persistent-data backups stored offsite in Azure and a real restore drill on a replacement Azure VM.
- Client
- Production Infrastructure
- Industry
- Cloud Infrastructure & DevOps
Challenge
A production Linux server hosted several business applications, databases and persistent service data. The recovery requirement was not simply to keep backups, but to be able to rebuild the environment if the original VPS became unavailable. The main risks were: • Multiple PostgreSQL databases across containerized services. • Persistent application data stored outside the databases. • Docker volumes and application media that also had to survive a server loss. • The need for an offsite copy independent of the production provider. • A recovery process that could be verified without putting the live server at risk.
Approach
We treated disaster recovery as a restore problem rather than only a backup problem. First, we built an explicit allow-list of the databases, application data and persistent volumes that actually mattered. PostgreSQL databases were exported with native database tooling, while selected application directories, media and Docker-backed persistent data were captured separately. The backup set was then uploaded to Microsoft Azure Blob Storage with a current recovery copy and dated daily snapshots. Integrity metadata and checksums were included so that a downloaded recovery set could be verified before restoration. Finally, we provisioned a temporary Azure virtual machine and performed a practical recovery exercise against the stored backup rather than assuming the backup was usable.
What We Delivered
• Automated daily offsite backup workflow to Azure Blob Storage. • PostgreSQL dumps for production application databases. • Backup of selected persistent application files, media and Docker volumes. • Separate latest and dated recovery snapshots with retention management. • SHA-256 integrity verification for the backup set. • Documented recovery order for databases, files and application services. • Temporary Azure VM used to validate the recovery process. • Restore verification performed without modifying the production environment.
Ongoing Support
The recovery design is maintained as part of the production operating process. New applications are added to the backup allow-list deliberately rather than assuming every new workload is protected automatically. The workflow can be checked for backup freshness, storage growth, integrity and restore readiness, and the restore procedure can be repeated when the production environment changes materially.
Services, products and platforms used in the engagement.
Technologies
The environment now has an offsite disaster-recovery path that has been tested beyond backup creation: production databases and persistent data can be retrieved from Azure, verified and restored onto replacement infrastructure when the original server is unavailable.
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