Disaster recovery
- Disaster Recovery for MediaWiki
Introduction
Disaster recovery (DR) is a critical component of maintaining a reliable and accessible MediaWiki installation. It's not simply about *backing up* your data (although that's a core element); it’s about having a comprehensive, tested plan to restore your wiki to full functionality in the event of a catastrophic failure. This failure could stem from a multitude of sources: hardware malfunctions, natural disasters, security breaches (including ransomware), human error, or even software corruption. Ignoring disaster recovery leaves your wiki – and the valuable knowledge it contains – vulnerable to permanent loss or prolonged downtime. This article will provide a detailed guide to understanding and implementing a robust DR strategy for your MediaWiki site, geared towards beginners but encompassing considerations for more complex setups. We will cover planning, backup strategies, recovery methods, testing, and ongoing maintenance.
Understanding the Risks
Before diving into solutions, it’s vital to understand the potential threats to your MediaWiki installation. These can be broadly categorized:
- **Hardware Failure:** Servers, hard drives, and network equipment inevitably fail. Redundancy (RAID, redundant power supplies, etc.) can *mitigate* this risk, but doesn’t eliminate it.
- **Software Failure:** Bugs in MediaWiki itself, PHP, the database server (typically MySQL or PostgreSQL), or operating system can lead to data corruption or system instability.
- **Human Error:** Accidental deletion of files, incorrect configuration changes, or unintentional database modifications are surprisingly common causes of downtime.
- **Security Breaches:** Hackers can compromise your system, leading to data theft, corruption, or ransomware attacks. Strong security practices (see Security for details) are crucial, but even the most secure systems can be breached.
- **Natural Disasters:** Floods, fires, earthquakes, and other natural events can physically destroy your servers and infrastructure.
- **Data Center Outages:** If you rely on a hosting provider, their infrastructure can experience outages due to power failures, network issues, or other problems.
The impact of these events can range from minor inconvenience to complete data loss. Consider the potential financial, reputational, and operational consequences of prolonged downtime for *your* wiki.
Core Components of a Disaster Recovery Plan
A successful DR plan consists of several key components:
1. **Risk Assessment:** Identify the most likely threats to your wiki and their potential impact. This will help prioritize your DR efforts. (See [1](NIST Cybersecurity Framework) for a comprehensive risk management approach). 2. **Backup Strategy:** Define how frequently and what data you will back up. This is arguably the most important part of your plan. 3. **Recovery Point Objective (RPO):** The maximum acceptable amount of data loss, measured in time. For example, an RPO of 24 hours means you can tolerate losing up to 24 hours of data. (See [2](TechTarget's definition of RPO)). 4. **Recovery Time Objective (RTO):** The maximum acceptable time to restore your wiki to full functionality. For example, an RTO of 4 hours means you need to have your wiki back online within 4 hours of a disaster. (See [3](TechTarget's definition of RTO)). 5. **Recovery Procedures:** Detailed, step-by-step instructions for restoring your wiki from backups. 6. **Testing:** Regularly test your DR plan to ensure it works as expected. 7. **Documentation:** Keep your DR plan and related documentation up-to-date.
Backup Strategies for MediaWiki
Choosing the right backup strategy is crucial. Here are several options, ranging in complexity and cost:
- **File System Backups:** Backing up the entire file system where MediaWiki is installed. This includes the MediaWiki code, images, and the `config/` directory. This is a good starting point but doesn't include the database. Tools like `rsync`, `tar`, or your hosting provider's backup tools can be used.
- **Database Backups:** Regularly backing up your MediaWiki database (MySQL or PostgreSQL) is *essential*. Use tools like `mysqldump` (for MySQL) or `pg_dump` (for PostgreSQL). Automate this process using cron jobs or similar scheduling tools. Consider using logical backups (SQL dumps) rather than physical backups (copying database files) for greater portability. (See [4](Percona's discussion of logical vs. physical backups)).
- **MediaWiki Backup Extension:** The Backup extension provides a user-friendly interface for creating and restoring backups directly from within MediaWiki. It simplifies the process for less technical users.
- **Replication:** Setting up database replication (master-slave or master-master) provides a real-time copy of your database. In the event of a failure, you can quickly switch to the replica. This offers the lowest RPO and RTO, but is also the most complex to implement. (See [5](DigitalOcean's tutorial on MySQL replication)).
- **Snapshots:** If your hosting provider offers snapshot functionality, you can create point-in-time copies of your entire server. This is a quick and easy way to create backups, but may not be as flexible as other methods.
- **Offsite Backups:** Storing backups in a different physical location than your primary server is crucial. This protects against disasters that affect your primary data center. Consider using cloud storage services like Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Azure Blob Storage. (See [6](Amazon S3) and [7](Google Cloud Storage)).
- **Version Control (for Customizations):** If you've made significant customizations to MediaWiki's code or templates, use a version control system like Git to track changes. This allows you to easily revert to previous versions if necessary. (See [8](Git's website)).
- Backup Frequency:**
- **Database:** Daily, or even more frequently if your wiki is heavily updated.
- **Filesystem:** Weekly, or after any significant changes to the MediaWiki installation.
Recovery Methods
Once you have backups, you need to know how to restore your wiki.
- **File System Restore:** Restore the MediaWiki files from your file system backup. This typically involves copying the files back to their original location.
- **Database Restore:** Restore the database from your database backup using `mysql` or `psql` command-line tools. You may need to create a new database and user first.
- **MediaWiki Backup Extension Restore:** Use the MediaWiki Backup extension to restore your wiki from a backup file created using the extension.
- **Replication Failover:** Promote the database replica to be the new primary database. You may need to update your MediaWiki configuration to point to the new primary database.
- **Snapshot Restore:** Restore the server from a snapshot. This is typically the fastest recovery method, but may require some configuration changes.
- Detailed Database Restore Example (MySQL):**
```bash mysql -u <username> -p <database_name> < backup.sql ```
Replace `<username>`, `<database_name>`, and `backup.sql` with your actual values.
Testing Your Disaster Recovery Plan
A DR plan is useless if it hasn't been tested. Regularly test your plan to ensure it works as expected.
- **Tabletop Exercises:** Walk through the DR plan with your team to identify potential issues.
- **Simulated Failures:** Simulate a disaster scenario (e.g., server failure) and practice restoring your wiki from backups.
- **Full Restores:** Periodically perform a full restore of your wiki to a test environment to verify that the entire process works correctly.
Document the results of your tests and update your DR plan accordingly.
Ongoing Maintenance
Disaster recovery is not a one-time task. It requires ongoing maintenance.
- **Regularly Review and Update Your Plan:** Keep your DR plan up-to-date with changes to your wiki and infrastructure.
- **Monitor Your Backups:** Verify that your backups are being created successfully and that they are valid.
- **Keep Software Up-to-Date:** Apply security patches and updates to MediaWiki, PHP, the database server, and the operating system.
- **Train Your Team:** Ensure that your team members are familiar with the DR plan and their roles in the recovery process.
Advanced Considerations
- **Geographic Redundancy:** Consider hosting your wiki in multiple geographic locations to protect against regional disasters.
- **Cloud-Based Disaster Recovery:** Utilize cloud-based DR services to automate the replication and recovery process. (See [9](AWS Disaster Recovery) and [10](Azure Disaster Recovery)).
- **Automated Failover:** Implement automated failover mechanisms to switch to a backup server or data center in the event of a failure.
- **Monitoring and Alerting:** Set up monitoring and alerting systems to detect potential issues and trigger the DR plan. (See [11](Datadog) and [12](New Relic)).
- **Immutable Backups:** Consider using immutable backups, which cannot be modified or deleted, to protect against ransomware attacks. (See [13](Veeam's discussion of immutable backups)).
Resources and Further Reading
- **MediaWiki Official Documentation:** Manual:Configuration and Extension:Backup
- **MySQL Documentation:** [14](MySQL Documentation)
- **PostgreSQL Documentation:** [15](PostgreSQL Documentation)
- **Disaster Recovery Planning Guide (Ready.gov):** [16](Ready.gov DR Planning Guide)
- **SANS Institute:** [17](SANS Institute - cybersecurity training and resources)
- **OWASP:** [18](OWASP - Web application security resource)
- **Backup Exec:** [19](Backup Exec - commercial backup software)
- **Acronis Cyber Protect:** [20](Acronis - commercial backup and disaster recovery)
- **Rubrik:** [21](Rubrik - commercial data management solution)
- **Zerto:** [22](Zerto - commercial disaster recovery platform)
- **Veeam:** [23](Veeam - commercial data protection and disaster recovery)
- **Trend Micro:** [24](Trend Micro - cybersecurity solutions)
- **Kaspersky:** [25](Kaspersky - cybersecurity solutions)
- **Bitdefender:** [26](Bitdefender - cybersecurity solutions)
- **Sophos:** [27](Sophos - cybersecurity solutions)
- **Carbonite:** [28](Carbonite - cloud backup solutions)
- **Backblaze:** [29](Backblaze - cloud backup solutions)
- **IDrive:** [30](IDrive - cloud backup solutions)
- **CrashPlan:** [31](CrashPlan - cloud backup solutions)
- **Duplicati:** [32](Duplicati - free backup software)
- **Bacula:** [33](Bacula - open-source backup software)
- **Amanda:** [34](Amanda - open-source backup software)
- **Restic:** [35](Restic - fast, secure backup program)
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