Backup system (3-2-1 strategy)
Started: September 2024Written on March 15, 2026
Context
From the beginning of my work-study program, I had to design a suitable backup strategy. As the company was in a major transition phase, the budget was limited, which ruled out expensive proprietary solutions. However, we had significant storage available via Google Workspace, a major opportunity for cloud offloading.
Our applications run on Proxmox virtual machines (VMs). Therefore, we needed a solution capable of backing up entire VMs while also isolating specific application data to facilitate OS migrations or major updates.
Adaptability was crucial, especially for tools like Polarion that use specific extensions and files. This project began during my first year of BTS; I chose to develop a Python tool to meet my needs for flexibility while practicing for my scripting exam. This tool is using Linux utilities such as tar for transfer and compression, rclone for cloud integration, and gpg for encryption.
Regarding VMs, to respect the 3-2-1 backup model with limited resources, I combined several technologies. Locally, Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) ensures efficient backups thanks to block-level deduplication. For the cloud, I leveraged Google Drive via rclone and a service account. Proxmox backs up the VMs on the local NAS, then via a script instructs it to run rclone to move the backups to Google Drive. This hybrid approach guarantees data security and availability while optimizing costs.