How do I verify that an existing server backup is intact?
Check both the recovery system’s metadata and the stored data, then confirm that the result can be restored. A successful job status or a file being present is useful evidence, but neither proves that every required item is readable and complete. Integrity and application correctness need separate checks.
Before you start
- Authorised read access to the existing repository and its supported verification tools.
Instructions
1. Review completion and coverage
Check the last completed run, source list, exclusions, warnings and expected data volume. Compare the recovery point’s date and scope with the application inventory. A zero-byte output or a successful run that excluded the database should not be accepted as a complete recovery point.
2. Select the right verification depth
Read the tool’s distinction between structural checks and reading stored data. For example, restic’s default check verifies repository structure; reading all pack data requires an additional option and can consume substantial time, I/O and transfer. Schedule the appropriate check with the repository owner and review all reported errors.
3. Confirm usability by restoration
Restore representative data or the complete application into an approved isolated target. Compare expected records, permissions and key files, then exercise the application. Record the repository and recovery-point identifiers, verification method and result so the evidence can be traced to the point you may need.
Check the result
- The selected structural and data checks complete without unresolved errors.
- A restore test validates the actual content and application behaviour.
Troubleshooting
- The metadata check passes but a restore fails
- Perform the documented data verification and inspect missing keys, unavailable storage and damaged objects. Do not delete or repair repository objects by guesswork.
Official references
Use the documentation for your installed version when a flag, service name or platform feature differs.