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TrueNAS Backup & Restore

Last Updated: YYYY-MM-DD Status:

Overview

This document covers: 1. What data lives on the storage server 2. How it's protected (local + offsite) 3. Recovery procedures

Data Inventory

Dataset Purpose Backup Priority

| VM backups | Hypervisor backups | Critical | | Photo library | Family photos | Critical | | File sync data | User files | High | | Application configs | Service configurations | High | | Media library | Movies, TV shows | Low (re-obtainable) |

Backup Layers

Layer 1: ZFS Snapshots (Local)

Purpose: Protect against accidental deletion, file corruption

Note: Not a backup - still on same hardware

Layer 2: Offsite Cloud Storage

Provider 1

Setting Value
Provider
Schedule
Monitoring

Provider 2 (if applicable)

Setting Value
Provider
Schedule

Scheduled Tasks

Task Schedule Purpose

| SMART Short | | Drive health check | | SMART Long | | Deep drive health | | ZFS Scrub | | Data integrity | | Offsite sync | | Offsite backup |

Recovery Procedures

Scenario: Total Loss

Step 1: Assess Damage

If ZFS drives intact: - Import existing pool (best case) - May recover all data without restore

If drives damaged: - Restore from offsite backup - Data loss = everything since last sync

Step 2: Reinstall OS

  1. Boot from install media
  2. Install on separate drive (NOT data drives)
  3. Configure network settings

Step 3A: Import Existing Pool (Drives OK)

Storage -> Import Pool -> Select pool -> Import

Step 3B: Restore from Cloud (Drives Failed)

  1. Create new ZFS pool
  2. Create datasets matching original structure
  3. Configure Cloud Sync to pull from offsite
  4. Wait for restore (may take days)
  5. Verify data integrity

Restore priority: 1. Photos - irreplaceable 2. Documents - important 3. VM backups - needed to restore VMs 4. Media - lowest priority (re-obtainable)

Step 4: Reconfigure Services

  1. Network shares: Recreate NFS/SMB shares
  2. Apps: Reinstall and point to restored data
  3. Scheduled tasks: Reconfigure cron jobs

Step 5: Verify

  • [ ] Storage pool healthy (zpool status)
  • [ ] All datasets accessible
  • [ ] Apps responding
  • [ ] Hypervisor can access backup shares
  • [ ] Offsite sync resumed

Config Backup

To backup config: 1. System -> General -> Manage Configuration 2. Download System Configuration 3. Store securely (not on this server!)

Recommended: Export config before any system changes

Verification

Monthly

  • [ ] Check offsite sync completing
  • [ ] Verify ZFS pool health: zpool status
  • [ ] Check SMART results

Quarterly

  • [ ] Test restore of small file from offsite
  • [ ] Verify ZFS scrub completing
  • [ ] Review cloud storage costs

Quick Reference

Check ZFS Health

ssh root@<NAS_IP>
zpool status
zpool list

Check Cloud Sync Status

Check monitoring dashboard or TrueNAS UI

Manual Cloud Sync

TrueNAS UI -> Data Protection -> Cloud Sync Tasks -> Run Now

External Resources