[OpenIndiana-discuss] Sending our zpool offsite using encrypted USB HDDs

[Sašo Kiselkov]

On 08/30/2012 01:37 PM, Edward Ned Harvey (openindiana) wrote:
>> From: Jan Owoc [mailto:jsowoc at gmail.com]
>>
>> My personal opinion is that a variant on the way you described it in
>> your original mail is the best:
>> zfs send your_data | your_favourite_compression |
>> your_favourite_encryption > /usb_fs/backup.gz.gpg
> 
> I still say, don't receive into a file.  This is an obvious best practice suggestion that's written in all the manuals and all over every wiki, including the zfs best practices guide and solaris administration guide. 

I'm unaware of this kind of best practices advice (and can't find it on
the ZFS Best Practices Guide wiki page). The only thing that remotely
resembles this kind advice is this paragraph:

"If you store ZFS send stream on a file or on tape, and that file
becomes corrupted, then it will not be possible to receive it, and none
of the data will be recoverable. However, Nevada, build 125 adds the
zstreamdump(1m) command to verify a ZFS snapshot send stream. See also,
RFE 6736794."

That would be true even if the filesystem on which the snapshot is
stored becomes corrupted (due to being stored on a single-device vdev,
for example).

Cheers,
--
Saso