Solution / Backup monitoring

Monitor Backup Jobs Without Confusing Execution with Recovery

A scheduled backup can be started, alive and still fail to produce a usable recovery point. Monitor each question separately.

Solution pattern; no backup validation claim

Four questions for a backup job

  1. Was the scheduled command started?
  2. Did it reach its completion checkpoint?
  3. Did the backup system record the expected result?
  4. Has a restore been tested separately?

A heartbeat can provide evidence after the backup command reaches its own completion condition. It cannot validate backup contents or prove that a restore will succeed.

Where the product concepts fit

Heartbeat Monitor records the outbound completion evidence. Dead Man Monitor describes a missing expected report. Dead Hand Monitor becomes relevant when a long-running backup should advance a progress marker while remaining alive.

False positives and safety

Account for long runtimes, maintenance windows, network interruptions and the fact that the monitoring path can fail independently of the backup host. Keep restore rehearsals and backup-system validation outside the heartbeat claim.

Read the backup monitoring guide