Problem: untested backups
A backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a backup
Every server has a backup job. Far fewer have one that works, and nobody finds out until the day it matters: the zip has been failing since a log file was locked in March, the database dump is a login error saved as text, the archive is cut off halfway, or the files were backed up faithfully and the database never was. ServerMaid treats a backup as unproven until it has been opened, checked and replayed.
Backups module, £59 £29.50 per server for twelve months, on top of Server setup. 30-day money-back promise.
How backups quietly fail on Windows Server
- A locked file breaks the archive. IIS keeps the current log file open. A zip tool that stops at the first locked file has been producing nothing, or a partial archive, since the site went live.
- The dump is an error message. A scheduled mysqldump with a wrong password writes its error to the output file. The file exists, it has a date, and it contains one line.
- Files without the database. A file copy of the website is easy to set up. The database is where the orders, posts and users are.
- Truncated on the way out. A network share that dropped mid-copy leaves an archive that opens, lists its contents and fails at entry 400.
- Same disk, same server. Backups on the drive they protect disappear with it.
- No retention. Daily backups with no clean-up fill the disk, at which point the backup job, and then the websites, stop.
- Credentials on the command line. The database password in a scheduled task's arguments is visible to anyone who can list processes.
Test your current backup by hand
- Open the newest archive and read to the last entry, not just the listing. A tool such as 7-Zip's Test command does this.
- Open the newest database dump in a text editor. It should start with SQL statements and end with a completion marker, not an error.
- Restore the dump into a scratch database with a different name and count the rows in a table you know.
- Check the backup's date against the schedule. A last run older than the schedule allows means the job is failing silently.
- Check where it lives. If the answer is the same disk as the website, it is a copy, not a backup.
If any step fails, you have found out today instead of on restore day. Then decide whether you want to do this every week by hand.
What ServerMaid does
Every set verified, every dump replayed
Fingerprints checked
Every item's SHA-256 is compared with the manifest written during the run. A mismatch marks the set as failed and raises an alert.
Archives opened
Every archive is opened and every entry read to the end, so a truncated or corrupt file is found today, not on restore day. Locked log files do not stop the run.
Dumps replayed
Each database dump is replayed into a temporary scratch schema and dropped again. If it does not restore, you hear about it now.
Files, databases and configuration
One archive per website, one dump per user database made with the stored root credentials passed securely, and ServerMaid's own configuration so the server can be put back the way it was.
Schedule, destination, retention
Hourly, daily at a time you choose, or weekly. Local disk, a second drive or a network share with credentials in the encrypted vault. Retention in days, applied after each run.
On the health score
A missed run, a failed verification or a last set older than the schedule allows deducts points with the reason shown and a fix offered.
Questions about backups on Windows Server
Where do the backups go?
A folder on local disk, a second drive, or a network share with credentials stored in ServerMaid's encrypted vault. Each run writes a dated set under the server's name.
Can I restore to a different server?
Website archives and database dumps are standard zip and SQL files, so they can be used anywhere. Restoring a whole set onto a new server built by ServerMaid is straightforward: build, then restore.
What happens when I restore?
The Backups page lists what a set holds with a tick box each. The confirmation names exactly what will be overwritten, and a backup of exactly what will be replaced is taken first. If that safety backup fails, nothing is restored.
Does a backup slow the websites down?
Runs are scheduled for a quiet time you choose, files are archived with the standard Windows compression library and dumps stream to disk. On a typical small server a run finishes in minutes.
What if my licence lapses?
Scheduled backups that are already configured keep running. ServerMaid only pauses new changes, never the protection already in place.
Find out today, not on restore day
The Backups module schedules, verifies and proves every set, and the health score tells you the moment a run is missed.