092378ba92
Before, there were mixed usages of "data store" and "datastore" throughout the docs. This improves consistency in the docs by using only "datastore" throughout. Signed-off-by: Dylan Whyte <d.whyte@proxmox.com>
183 lines
7.0 KiB
ReStructuredText
183 lines
7.0 KiB
ReStructuredText
Introduction
|
|
============
|
|
|
|
What is Proxmox Backup Server
|
|
-----------------------------
|
|
|
|
Proxmox Backup Server is an enterprise-class, client-server backup software
|
|
package that backs up :term:`virtual machine`\ s, :term:`container`\ s, and
|
|
physical hosts. It is specially optimized for the `Proxmox Virtual Environment`_
|
|
platform and allows you to back up your data securely, even between remote
|
|
sites, providing easy management with a web-based user interface.
|
|
|
|
Proxmox Backup Server supports deduplication, compression, and authenticated
|
|
encryption (AE_). Using :term:`Rust` as the implementation language guarantees high
|
|
performance, low resource usage, and a safe, high-quality codebase.
|
|
|
|
It features strong client-side encryption. Thus, it's possible to
|
|
backup data to targets that are not fully trusted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Architecture
|
|
------------
|
|
|
|
Proxmox Backup Server uses a `client-server model`_. The server stores the
|
|
backup data and provides an API to create and manage datastores. With the
|
|
API, it's also possible to manage disks and other server-side resources.
|
|
|
|
The backup client uses this API to access the backed up data. With the command
|
|
line tool ``proxmox-backup-client`` you can create backups and restore data.
|
|
For QEMU_ with `Proxmox Virtual Environment`_ we deliver an integrated client.
|
|
|
|
A single backup is allowed to contain several archives. For example, when you
|
|
backup a :term:`virtual machine`, each disk is stored as a separate archive
|
|
inside that backup. The VM configuration itself is stored as an extra file.
|
|
This way, it's easy to access and restore only important parts of the backup,
|
|
without the need to scan the whole backup.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Main Features
|
|
-------------
|
|
|
|
:Support for Proxmox VE: The `Proxmox Virtual Environment`_ is fully
|
|
supported and you can easily backup :term:`virtual machine`\ s and
|
|
:term:`container`\ s.
|
|
|
|
:Performance: The whole software stack is written in :term:`Rust`,
|
|
in order to provide high speed and memory efficiency.
|
|
|
|
:Deduplication: Periodic backups produce large amounts of duplicate
|
|
data. The deduplication layer avoids redundancy and minimizes the storage
|
|
space used.
|
|
|
|
:Incremental backups: Changes between backups are typically low. Reading and
|
|
sending only the delta reduces the storage and network impact of backups.
|
|
|
|
:Data Integrity: The built-in `SHA-256`_ checksum algorithm ensures accuracy and
|
|
consistency in your backups.
|
|
|
|
:Remote Sync: It is possible to efficiently synchronize data to remote
|
|
sites. Only deltas containing new data are transferred.
|
|
|
|
:Compression: The ultra-fast Zstandard_ compression is able to compress
|
|
several gigabytes of data per second.
|
|
|
|
:Encryption: Backups can be encrypted on the client-side, using AES-256 in
|
|
Galois/Counter Mode (GCM_) mode. This authenticated encryption (AE_) mode
|
|
provides very high performance on modern hardware.
|
|
|
|
:Web interface: Manage the Proxmox Backup Server with the integrated, web-based
|
|
user interface.
|
|
|
|
:Open Source: No secrets. Proxmox Backup Server is free and open-source
|
|
software. The source code is licensed under AGPL, v3.
|
|
|
|
:Support: Enterprise support will be available from `Proxmox`_ once the beta
|
|
phase is over.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reasons for Data Backup?
|
|
------------------------
|
|
|
|
The main purpose of a backup is to protect against data loss. Data loss can be
|
|
caused by both faulty hardware and human error.
|
|
|
|
A common mistake is to accidentally delete a file or folder which is still
|
|
required. Virtualization can even amplify this problem, as deleting a whole
|
|
virtual machine can be as easy as pressing a single button.
|
|
|
|
For administrators, backups can serve as a useful toolkit for temporarily
|
|
storing data. For example, it is common practice to perform full backups before
|
|
installing major software updates. If something goes wrong, you can easily
|
|
restore the previous state.
|
|
|
|
Another reason for backups are legal requirements. Some data, especially
|
|
business records, must be kept in a safe place for several years by law, so
|
|
that they can be accessed if required.
|
|
|
|
In general, data loss is very costly as it can severely damage your business.
|
|
Therefore, ensure that you perform regular backups and run restore tests.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Software Stack
|
|
--------------
|
|
|
|
Proxmox Backup Server consists of multiple components:
|
|
|
|
* A server-daemon providing, among other things, a RESTfull API, super-fast
|
|
asynchronous tasks, lightweight usage statistic collection, scheduling
|
|
events, strict separation of privileged and unprivileged execution
|
|
environments
|
|
* A JavaScript management web interface
|
|
* A management CLI tool for the server (`proxmox-backup-manager`)
|
|
* A client CLI tool (`proxmox-backup-client`) to access the server easily from
|
|
any `Linux amd64` environment
|
|
|
|
Aside from the web interface, everything is written in the Rust programming
|
|
language.
|
|
|
|
"The Rust programming language helps you write faster, more reliable software.
|
|
High-level ergonomics and low-level control are often at odds in programming
|
|
language design; Rust challenges that conflict. Through balancing powerful
|
|
technical capacity and a great developer experience, Rust gives you the option
|
|
to control low-level details (such as memory usage) without all the hassle
|
|
traditionally associated with such control."
|
|
|
|
-- `The Rust Programming Language <https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch00-00-introduction.html>`_
|
|
|
|
.. todo:: further explain the software stack
|
|
|
|
Getting Help
|
|
------------
|
|
|
|
Community Support Forum
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
We always encourage our users to discuss and share their knowledge using the
|
|
`Proxmox Community Forum`_. The forum is moderated by the Proxmox support team.
|
|
The large user base is spread out all over the world. Needless to say that such
|
|
a large forum is a great place to get information.
|
|
|
|
Mailing Lists
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
Proxmox Backup Server is fully open-source and contributions are welcome! Here
|
|
is the primary communication channel for developers:
|
|
|
|
:Mailing list for developers: `PBS Development List`_
|
|
|
|
Bug Tracker
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
Proxmox runs a public bug tracker at `<https://bugzilla.proxmox.com>`_. If an
|
|
issue appears, file your report there. An issue can be a bug as well as a
|
|
request for a new feature or enhancement. The bug tracker helps to keep track
|
|
of the issue and will send a notification once it has been solved.
|
|
|
|
License
|
|
-------
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2019-2020 Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH
|
|
|
|
This software is written by Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH <support@proxmox.com>
|
|
|
|
Proxmox Backup Server is free and open source software: you can use it,
|
|
redistribute it, and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Affero General
|
|
Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3
|
|
of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
|
|
|
|
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
|
|
``WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY``; without even the implied warranty of
|
|
``MERCHANTABILITY`` or ``FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE``. See the GNU
|
|
Affero General Public License for more details.
|
|
|
|
You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
|
|
along with this program. If not, see AGPL3_.
|
|
|
|
|
|
History
|
|
-------
|
|
|
|
.. todo:: Add development History of the product
|
|
|