Option for adding recordings to backup.pl script

[carpenox]

What do you think Matt? Adding the option to include all recordings in the backup script, or to include recordings with a date trigger option as well such as --recordings --rec-age=60

I dunno, it seems like a smart play to me


Chris

[mflorell]

I assume you're talking about call recordings here. It's not a bad idea at all, but the backup script was really designed for regular quick backups of servers, and as such, having a call recordings option was not really a priority.

[williamconley]

What do you think Matt? Adding the option to include all recordings in the backup script, or to include recordings with a date trigger option as well such as --recordings --rec-age=60

I dunno, it seems like a smart play to me


Chris

Note that recordings can take up a LOT of disk space. Backing up all the recordings (or even a subset of them) nightly would be prohibitive. Especially with that "seven day backup set" presently in use.

The recording management scripts (that mix, compress, and store the recording, roughly every three minutes) have a brother that will push to FTP. Each recording. One at a time. As they arrive, they get mixed, compressed, stored ... and then offloaded to an FTP service (IF you activate the ftp script). There's even a secondary ftp push to push all the files already on FTP to FTP2. And each of these "pushes" moves the compressed file to a new folder so any "next step" has a folder of files awaiting management. In essence, this management of a lineup makes "nightly backup" possible if you only run the "push to ftp" scripts at night, but most of our call centers push the recordings to FTP service all day long. At that point, redundant backups (for legally required files, so a drive failure doesn't cause a law to be broken by not having the required recording) are accomplished with the FTP2 script.

And that's already built-in. Loaded into crontab -e (but commented out).

[carpenox]

Yea but i think to have it not as a default option but as a trigger for manual backups when moving servers or even just doing a weekly or monthly backup would be extremely helpful to a lot of people

[williamconley]

I'm not sure I'm onboard.

Anyone actually making recordings is likely to be using a LOT of drive space. Nightly backups have seven copies. Seven copies of ALL the recordings on the drive, which defy compression as MP3's do, would more likely than not cause a lot of places who turn that feature on to fill their HD even if they have a 1T HD or larger. Whereas the FTP Push (which already exists) allows moving the recordings to ANY other server, including the archive server, and keeping a single copy. If redundancy is requires, there's the FTP2 script. If "mission critical" redundancy is required, a mirror of that FTP server's HD is likely in place.

But I've seen too many clients fill their HDs during the nightly backup just because they're archiving their VM, I'm pretty sure it would cause a lot more problems if Recordings were an option. Too many "hey, I think that sounds like a good idea! Lets back up everything" reflexes out there.

IMHO

and it's not like it's hard to back up a folder with tar -xzf anyhoo. lol. It's not like there is some sort of requirement to also grab web files and configuration files for asterisk and linux ... these are just folders with recordings in them. Honestly if you can't figure out how to back those up using tar ... you should probably just be using the FTP scripts built in to the exiting Vicidial core.

[carpenox]

Is not that I or some people dont know how to do it, its just something that would make it easier for the general public

[williamconley]

... would make it easier for the general public

That was my point: It would make it easier for the General Public to fill their HD and crash their system.

That same general public could just as easily use the existing audio management as designed and NOT fill their HDs.

[carpenox]

lol whatever, again, its to be used as a TRIGGER for a one time use WHEN needed, not on a daily backup, but thx for sharing your input