Backups

As Scorelink is a data management system it is important that backup measures are implemented to ensure that in the event of a system failure that it can be restored to a previous state with no loss of data. Whilst the entire virtual machine can conceivably be backed up in its entirety, doing so will require >25GB of disk space per backup, and this is not an efficient use of disk space as the majority of the space consumed will be consistent betweeen backups.
Instead we recommend backing up the virtual machine periodically at key change points, and backing up just the database at regular intervals.

System Backup

Backing up the working Scorelink system involves taking a snapshot of the virtual machine that can be reverted back to in the event of a system failure. Following is a step-by-step process to follow for a Hyper-V deployment. For other virtual platforms (vSphere, XenServer et al) you should consult the documentation of your specific system to find the correct process to follow.

Once the Scorelink system is installed and configured a snapshot should be taken as an ‘installation’ image; thereafter a new snapshot should be taken after each quarterly update, to ensure that the snapshot is in step with the current system configuration. This will allow you to restore the system to a working configuration in the event of system failure without incurring a callout fee to redeploy the system from scratch. For instructions on restoring the system please see the factsheet entitled Restoring a Backup.

Hyper-V snapshot instructions

vSphere/ESXi snapshot instructions

Data Backup

The Scorelink Server is configured to take a nightly backup of the databases contained within the virtual machine every weekday (Monday to Friday) at 9:00pm. Each database backed up will result in a *.bak file being created in the backup directory. The contents of this directory should be included in your regular backup strategy to ensure that the data is adequately protected from system failure.

Database backup (*.bak) files will be periodically created inside a hidden share \\scorelink\backup$; use the siteuser account (username scorelink\siteuser, default password d3fault!) to authenticate to the share.
The root of the share can be included in your backup strategy, or a script coud be written to copy the contents of the share to a location that is already included. Advice on script writing is outside the scope of this document, but for some general advice please contact the support team.

Data backup instructions

Tagged: Deep-dive