Dreamhost MySQL 300MB VPS (Unlimited Storage & Bandwidth)

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
First off, sorry if this is the wrong subforum. It seems like it should fit based on my question, but we'll see - mods, feel free to move if so desired.

So the basic question is this: with 300MB of RAM, could I have enough resources to backup from a different server to this server? And really not quite a backup, but just a continued swell of data, like adding to a cloud and removing from the local host.

And the next question: considering this is described as a MySQL VPS, would I even be permitted to do with it what I am intending? That's my only option that I've seen so far, outside of paying per gigabyte, to achieve any kind off-site replication.

https://www.dreamhost.com/hosting/vps/mysql/
 

pitz

Senior member
Feb 11, 2010
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My understanding is that such service is selling a virtual machine that's set up to run MySQL. As opposed to "other" MySQL hosting services which merely create sub-databases against which you query.

I'm not sure, in either instance, that you actually get access to the shell on the "server" itself. You only get a MySQL login and an IP address. You then use the MySQL client to communicate with the MySQL server, and manipulate the databases that you're entitled to use.

Certainly you could write a script that queries another database and 'dumps' it into that database. As a snapshot form of 'backup' of an existing database. Is that what you're looking for? What are you trying to do anyways? Absent some hackery (which sooner or later will be detected by the sysadmins as you'll have a really, really honkin' big and unwieldy sized database), you're not going to be backing up filesystems to a MySQL database.
 

pitz

Senior member
Feb 11, 2010
461
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0
Use your favourite search engine (Google, Yahoo, whatever) for "mysqlfs".

I believe that, sooner or later, some sysadmin will give you hell and boot you off for what is an obvious 'abuse' of an "unlimited" service. But its technically possible, and there is software written to do it under Linux.
 
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destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
Well the real question is what the MySQL VPS comes with - Dreamhost has removed sudo access for the VPS services, so I don't even know what would be capable.

Keep in mind that it is advertised as a managed VPS as opposed to a straight up MySQL shared hosting scenario. I realize I'd be, in almost every situation, abusing the unlimited tier, especially because even 1TB of backup storage on Dreamhost is about $20/month, and they appear to be one of the cheapest host on a per/GB basis, but obviously I hope to avoid that kind of pricing.
 

pitz

Senior member
Feb 11, 2010
461
0
0
Well the real question is what the MySQL VPS comes with - Dreamhost has removed sudo access for the VPS services, so I don't even know what would be capable.

You should ask them, but I suspect that you get absolutely no "shell" login. All you get is a MySQL username and password, along with appropriate permissions in the database itself.


Keep in mind that it is advertised as a managed VPS as opposed to a straight up MySQL shared hosting scenario. I realize I'd be, in almost every situation, abusing the unlimited tier, especially because even 1TB of backup storage on Dreamhost is about $20/month, and they appear to be one of the cheapest host on a per/GB basis, but obviously I hope to avoid that kind of pricing.

You might have the technical means of abusing their service. They have the means to cut you off.

You're clearly proposing to use a database hosting service for a purpose for which it completely was not intended.

What can I say? Raspberry Pi's are $30. 1TB SSDs are $300. You could build your own "backup server" and stash it at your mother-in-laws or something too. Lots of ways of handing things if you just need off-site backup but don't want to pay a 'cloud' provider the proper/going rate.
 
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destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
You should ask them, but I suspect that you get absolutely no "shell" login. All you get is a MySQL username and password, along with appropriate permissions in the database itself.




You might have the technical means of abusing their service. They have the means to cut you off.

You're clearly proposing to use a database hosting service for a purpose for which it completely was not intended.

What can I say? Raspberry Pi's are $30. 1TB SSDs are $300. You could build your own "backup server" and stash it at your mother-in-laws or something too. Lots of ways of handing things if you just need off-site backup but don't want to pay a 'cloud' provider the proper/going rate.

Yeah there are a few ways. Part of the problem is that I have a limited bandwidth cap, and also only 3Mbps upload. It's atrocious, the whole combination. I'm happy enough with the service, it is reliable and consistent, but damn, I hate caps on a home ISP.

So that introduces issues. I'll be building a FreeNAS server, likely with ~12TIB or ~18TiB available storage, but that's not a permanent backup solution, especially as it is in the same building as my other systems. But half of the data that will get put onto the storage pool will come from a different VPS I use, which has a 1TB cap. I figured an easier approach to backup that portion of my data is to perform a backup between the two servers, and only let that data count once on my home bandwidth allocation.

So even offsite at a relative's house still means wasting home bandwidth, of which I have a 350GB/month cap at the moment, combined Down/Up.

For local data on my systems, I'll basically be using the storage server as a backup. I might use a service like Crashplan for my home computers, backing up occasionally to the cloud service but doing regular backups to the local server. My main goal for that kind of backup is simply to have a local copy in the event the desktop or laptop gets hosed, but it would be nice for Time Machine type backups with file history.

But yeah, if I can't find an affordable hosted storage solution, I'll likely get some additional external hard drives or some internal hard drives with an external dock, and just do semi-regular backups from the storage server, using compression on the disks, and take the disks in my bag to work. Maybe get 4x 4TB drives, use compression and do a full backup monthly, and weekly do an incremental or differential, and keep all the drives not in use at work until it's time to overwrite.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
94,667
14,929
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You need to solve your pipe issue before you can do anything cloud based.
 

Essence_of_War

Platinum Member
Feb 21, 2013
2,650
4
81
It sounds like you're trying to abuse this service and they will probably not let you be a customer for very long.

What exactly are you trying to do? Set-up a remote back-up for your local-server?

Edit: If you're trying to backup a server and are worried about the initial backup on data-capped plans, many backup providers allow you to "seed"your backup by sending them a physical device. rsync.net for example, does this. This should allow you to do your future incremental backups on a capped plan without too much difficulty.
 
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destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
server to server over small pipe = no go. Especially when you have a limited upload speed.

Server to server would not be from my server, it would be from another hosted solution/VPS that temporarily holds data before I would bring it down to my local server. So to get around the bandwidth speed and limitation, I'd transfer between those two servers if I could get that setup.
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
It sounds like you're trying to abuse this service and they will probably not let you be a customer for very long.

What exactly are you trying to do? Set-up a remote back-up for your local-server?

Edit: If you're trying to backup a server and are worried about the initial backup on data-capped plans, many backup providers allow you to "seed"your backup by sending them a physical device. rsync.net for example, does this. This should allow you to do your future incremental backups on a capped plan without too much difficulty.

Yeah, that specific service I don't think would really work out for me, and I certainly don't want to abuse a service in that way. Would I like to take advantage of unlimited? Absolutely. :D

I remember seeing they had a 300MB VPS plan, but I think somewhat recently they moved that to be specifically a MySQL VPS. They no longer have any other unlimited storage VPS plans, because they are all on SSDs now. I think they used to be the only VPS provider that offered unlimited storage, and you just paid based on memory need.

Thus I wasn't sure if that 300MB VPS still offered the right to use it for non-MySQL, or if they've since changed that.

As for starting with an initial - well, that could work out, but the issue is, the data will likely balloon up as much as I can get away with based on bandwidth. So what may start with an initial 1-2TB backup (based on what I have now that would go on the NAS), would relatively quickly turn into a 3, 4, 5, 6TB backup (over months/years).


Also, rsync's prices are terrible. Amazon Glacier offers $0.007/GB, which if I hit 10TB is still $70/month, but that would be a long way away. 1TB is $7/month, but I wouldn't really want to see the price balloon like that.
They too offer a shippable solution, the Snowball, which is a $200 service fee but no data fee for transfers into their solution.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
94,667
14,929
126
Server to server would not be from my server, it would be from another hosted solution/VPS that temporarily holds data before I would bring it down to my local server. So to get around the bandwidth speed and limitation, I'd transfer between those two servers if I could get that setup.

So two servers colocated in the same host and backup over virtual lan? That will cost a pretty penny.
 

Essence_of_War

Platinum Member
Feb 21, 2013
2,650
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Also, rsync's prices are terrible. Amazon Glacier offers $0.007/GB, which if I hit 10TB is still $70/month, but that would be a long way away. 1TB is $7/month, but I wouldn't really want to see the price balloon like that.
They too offer a shippable solution, the Snowball, which is a $200 service fee but no data fee for transfers into their solution.

I wouldn't say they are terrible, they are different because they have a different business model from AWS glacier. You're trading off whatever black-box AWS is doing, for a very simple CLI tool that integrates straightforwardly with your proposed FreeNAS server, higher availability (which might not be of any value to you since it's a backup only), better support (again, which you may not value), and no-charges for bandwidth, either up or down.
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
So two servers colocated in the same host and backup over virtual lan? That will cost a pretty penny.

Not what I was saying. Was thinking of as simple as OwnCloud to run on both servers and have it replicate data from one to the other. Over the internet, just not using my bandwidth. ;)

Get fiber hookup and go with backblaze?

Not really anything suitable in my region.

If the costs would be cheaper to get a high speed uncapped service compared to any other hosting plan, it wouldn't take much convincing to make that move. But I don't care to pay that kind of monthly price just yet.
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
I wouldn't say they are terrible, they are different because they have a different business model from AWS glacier. You're trading off whatever black-box AWS is doing, for a very simple CLI tool that integrates straightforwardly with your proposed FreeNAS server, higher availability (which might not be of any value to you since it's a backup only), better support (again, which you may not value), and no-charges for bandwidth, either up or down.

Well, 14c/GB compared to less than a penny?

1TB the would be $140/month. Ridiculous to an astronomical degree. And most places don't charge for transfer to their service, and as this is a backup solution and not an always-accessed data solution, I don't care to worry about their outbound transfer prices.
 

Essence_of_War

Platinum Member
Feb 21, 2013
2,650
4
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I think we're now pretty far off-topic, for your original question. If you make a new thread describing exactly what you're trying to do, and what your budget is, and how much leg work you're willing to do (replicate your NAS at granny's place?), I'm sure people will give you some good ideas.