Configuring Block Storage for Classic for backup with Plesk

Configure Block Storage for Classic for Plesk backups with root or sudo SSH access and full admin-level Plesk permissions.

For more information, see Plesk's Documentation for backing up and restoration.

1. Connect to the host through SSH.

2. Make sure that a mount point target exists.

   Plesk has two options for storing backups. One option is the internal Plesk storage (backup storage on your Plesk server). The other option is an external FTP storage (backup storage on an external server in the web or your local network). Commonly on Plesk boxes, internal backups are stored in /var/lib/psa/dumps and use /tmp as a temporary directory. In this example, the temporary directory is kept local, but the dumps directory is moved to the Block Storage for Classic target (/backup/psa/dumps). No FTP user credentials are required.

3. Configure your Block Storage for Classic as described in one of the following tutorials. Mount Block Storage for Classic to /backup and configure /etc/fstab to enable mounting on start.

   • Mount iSCSI volume on Red Hat Enterprise Linux® 8.
   • Mount iSCSI volume on CloudLinux 8.
   • Mount iSCSI volume on Ubuntu 20.

4. Optional: Copy existing backups to the new storage. You can use rsync.

   rsync -avz /var/lib/psa/dumps /backup/psa/dumps
   

   This command compresses and transmits your data, and preserves as much as possible, except for hard links. It provides information about what files are being transferred plus a brief summary at the end.

5. Edit /etc/psa/psa.conf to point the DUMP_D value at the new target. It appears as: DUMP_D /backup/psa/dumps.

6. Optional: As dictated by your particular use case and business needs, remove the old storage from the server and cancel from the account.