Data backup is the most important part of running a business, especially in the Cloud space. With Cpanel, you have the option to backup your website data and databases locally, or to a cloud storage like Amazon S3. In this guide, we will configure a Cpanel automated backup policy – locally and to S3 Object storage.
How to Configure a Backup Policy in Cpanel
To configure Cpanel policy, login to WHM and search for “Backup” the open linkBackup Configuration.
By default Cpanel Backup is disabled, enable it by clicking the “Disable” button under Backup Status:
Under Backup Type, choose “Compressed”
When you select incremental backups, the system will not change or alter the state of your existing non-incremental backup destinations. Rsync transport is used for incremental backups.
Set minimum free Disk Space check before the system performs the backups. I recommend setting `10%`
Under Scheduling and Retention, set backup times that fit your setup
You can also choose a weekly and monthly backups with a retention policy
Configure Backup Directory
My Cpanel server has a dedicated disk for Backups /dev/xvdf:
# lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
xvda 202:0 0 160G 0 disk
└─xvda1 202:1 0 160G 0 part /
xvdf 202:80 0 100G 0 disk
I’ll partition and mount this disk to /backup directory.
sudo parted -s -a optimal -- /dev/xvdf mklabel gpt
sudo parted -s -a optimal -- /dev/xvdf mkpart primary 0% 100%
sudo parted -s -- /dev/xvdf align-check optimal 1Install LVM Tools
sudo yum -y install lvm2
Configure LVM and mount the partition to /backu
sudo pvcreate /dev/xvdf1
sudo vgcreate vg0 /dev/xvdf1
sudo lvcreate -n backups -l+100%FREE vg0
sudo mkfs.xfs /dev/mapper/vg0-backupsConfirm configurations
# lsblk -f /dev/xvdf
NAME FSTYPE LABEL UUID MOUNTPOINT
xvdf
└─xvdf1 LVM2_member zaDr75-WB07-dVsB-4Mtk-CUS9-fcq1-9KXQoO
└─vg0-backups xfs d0fb587e-3bd4-4084-81e7-5c2b209635e7Create the /backupdirectory if doesn’t exist:
[ -d /backup ] || sudo mkdir /backupSet mount on boot for the Logical Volume:
$ sudo vim /etc/fstab
dev/mapper/vg0-backups /backup xfs defaults 0 0Mount the partition:$ sudo mount -a $ df -h | grep backups /dev/mapper/vg0-backups 100G 33M 100G 1% /backup
Confirm Default Backup Directory and save your Configurations
Create S3 Bucket for Cpanel
Login to your AWS dashboard and navigate to S3 > Create bucket
Give the bucket a name and configure options and permissions then click “Create bucket“.
Go back to WHM Backup Configuration section, then click on Additional Destinations
Choose Amazon S3 and hit Create new destination. On the next page, provide Destination Name:
Provide system Backups folder, AWS S3 bucket name, Access Key ID and Secret Access Key:
When done, Save Destination. Good work!. Your Cpanel backup policy for both locally and to S3 Object Store has been configured. You can also read:
- How to Install PHP Composer on Cpanel
- How to add PHPZIP Archive in cPanel
- Configure Cpanel Firewalld on CentOS 7
Other AWS articles available in our blog are:
