Enterprise

# Production checklist

> Check a Synnax Core before you use it for real tests and operations.

Before you use a Synnax Core for real tests, check each item below. Each item links to the page with the steps.

## Checklist

1. **Hardware and network** -> the computer meets the [requirements](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/requirements) for your channels and sample rates. The firewall opens only the Core port, because the Core binds it on every network interface.
2. **License** -> the license is active, and you know how to renew it. If you start the Core with a key file, replace the file when you renew. See [Activate a license](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/license#renew-or-replace-a-license).
3. **TLS** -> the Core serves a certificate for the name that clients use, and every client trusts it. See [Set up TLS](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/tls).
4. **Root password** -> the Core starts with a `--password` that is not `seldon`. See [the root user](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/users#the-root-user).
5. **Users** -> each person has their own user, with the role that has the fewest permissions they need. See [Users](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/users).
6. **Service** -> the Core runs as a service that starts at boot, stops with `SIGINT`, and uses absolute paths for its data and logs. See [Run the Core as a service](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/service).
7. **Monitoring** -> a monitor polls the health check, and an alert fires before the data disk fills. The Core does not start with `--debug`. See [Monitor the Core](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/service#monitor-the-core).
8. **Backups** -> you copy the data folder on a schedule while the Core is stopped, and before each upgrade. See [Back up the Core](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/production-checklist#back-up-the-core).
9. **Clock** -> the computer syncs its clock with NTP. A clock that moves back more than 24 hours stops a license with an expiry date from applying.

## Back up the Core

A backup is a copy of the whole data folder, made while the Core is stopped. The Core is down during the copy, so clients cannot read or write data. The Core has no online backup.

To restore, stop the Core, replace the data folder with the copy, and start the Core.

### The data folder

The data folder holds everything the Core stores: metadata, users, and the license key in `kv/`, telemetry in `cesium/`, and a `LOCK` file. The `--data` flag (`-d`), the `SYNNAX_DATA` environment variable, or the `data` key of the config file sets it. The defaults are:

| How the Core runs                                                                           | Data folder                                                                   |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `synnax start` in a terminal                                                                | `synnax-data`, in the folder where you ran the command                        |
| Docker                                                                                      | `/synnax/synnax-data` in the container, usually the `synnax-data` volume      |
| Windows service                                                                             | `C:\ProgramData\Synnax\data`                                                  |
| systemd, as in [Run as a service](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/service) | `/var/lib/synnax/data`                                                        |
| Synnax Desktop                                                                              | See [Synnax Desktop data](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/desktop/data) |

To find the data folder of a running Core, look for this line near the start of its log. A relative path is relative to the folder where the Core started:

```plaintext
storage/layer.go:205  starting in directory  {"dirname": "synnax-data"}
```

On Windows, `synnax service status` also prints the data folder.

### Copy the data folder

For a Core that runs in a terminal, press **Ctrl+C**, copy the data folder, then start the Core again with the same flags. For a service:

**Linux**

For a Core that runs as a [systemd service](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/service), the data folder is `/var/lib/synnax/data`:

```bash
sudo systemctl stop synnax
sudo cp -a /var/lib/synnax/data /backups/synnax-data-$(date +%F)
sudo systemctl start synnax
```

**Windows**

For a Core that runs as a [Windows service](https://docs.synnaxlabs.com/reference/enterprise/service), the data folder is `C:\ProgramData\Synnax\data`. Run in an administrator terminal:

```powershell
synnax service stop
robocopy C:\ProgramData\Synnax\data D:\Backups\synnax-data /E
synnax service start
```

**Docker**

The data folder is the `synnax-data` volume. This copies it into an archive in the current folder:

```bash
docker stop synnax
docker run --rm -v synnax-data:/data -v "$PWD":/backup alpine \
  tar czf /backup/synnax-data.tar.gz -C /data .
docker start synnax
```