Backup operations guide
How to Monitor Scheduled Backups
A backup command existing is not proof that a usable backup was produced. Monitor execution, completion, validation and restoration separately.
Separate the questions
- Did the scheduler start the backup?
- Did the command finish successfully?
- Does the output exist and meet basic storage checks?
- Can a restore be rehearsed?
A heartbeat can provide evidence after the backup command reaches its own completion checkpoint. It should not be presented as proof that the backup contents are correct or restorable.
Use a success path
Place the heartbeat after the command and its local validation, not before it. Record the backup identifier, timestamp and result in your own logs. Keep restore testing as a separate operational process.
What to do with silence
Silence can indicate a missing schedule, unavailable host, failed command or network problem. It is a reason to investigate, not an automatic diagnosis. The alerting and incident response layer remains separate from the heartbeat storage contract.
See dead man's switch monitoring for the pattern and cron job monitoring for scheduled execution.