Exhaustion of Data Storage Space Due to Incremental Backup Location

Problem:

The client reported that their data storage space was being rapidly exhausted because incremental backups were stored in the same location as the primary data storage. This resulted in the storage becoming full, forcing them to delete incremental backups to make room for new data. The client requested guidance on configuring incremental backups to be saved in a different location than the default data storage location.

Solution:

Upon investigation, the expert determined that there is no built-in solution to change the incremental backup location. The expert examined possible alternatives, including creating a custom script to move the backups to a different location. This option was deemed dangerous due to the complexities involved in ensuring the backups could be restored correctly. The expert then considered the safer option of expanding the storage capacity.
While a custom backup script could technically fix the issue, it introduces significant risks and complexities, especially during the restore process. The more reliable solution is to increase the storage capacity, which eliminates the need to relocate backups and prevents storage space from being exhausted.

Conclusion:

The expert recommended expanding the data storage capacity as the safest and most effective solution. For clients using cloud services like Amazon AWS, this can be done by enlarging the storage disks through the hosting user interface (UI) and then resizing the file system using resizefs. This solution not only resolves the immediate storage issue but also reduces the risk of future problems related to storage space.