Skip to main content
RunBook Academy

← All runbooks in Observability

low riskinformational~30 min

Runbook: Back Up Observability Configuration

1 · Prerequisites

Confirm every item is in place before any state change.

  • Configuration in version control
  • Backup target

2 · Pre-checks

Read-only diagnostic commands. If any of these don't match expected output, stop and investigate further.

  • · Schedule the backup
  • · Identify what to back up

3 · Procedure

Execute each step in order. Verify the expected output of a step before moving to the next.

  1. 1Back up /etc/prometheus/
  2. 2Back up /etc/alertmanager/
  3. 3Back up /etc/loki/
  4. 4Back up /etc/tempo/
  5. 5Back up /etc/grafana/
  6. 6Back up any TSDB snapshot location
  7. 7Verify backup is loadable
  8. 8Document the backup location

4 · Verification

Confirm the procedure actually fixed the problem.

  • All configuration is backed up
  • A test restore succeeded
  • Backup timing is recorded

5 · Rollback

If verification fails, undo the procedure in reverse order.

  • Re-run the backup manually if automated

6 · Escalation

When the runbook isn't enough, contact:

  • · Coordinate with the platform team

Purpose

Back Up Observability Configuration

When to use this runbook

Use this runbook when the operator needs a guided procedure to handle the situation described above.

Pre-checks

Before starting the procedure, confirm the prerequisites and pre-checks are met. The structured lists are rendered from the frontmatter by the page layout.

Procedure

Follow the steps from the frontmatter procedure steps. The page layout renders the steps as a checklist with copy-to-clipboard affordances.

Verification

After the procedure, the structured verification items from the frontmatter are rendered as a checklist.

Rollback

If the procedure fails or makes things worse, follow the structured rollback steps from the frontmatter.

Escalation

The structured escalation path is rendered from the frontmatter. Use it if the operator cannot complete the procedure safely.

References

  1. Prometheus documentation
  2. Grafana documentation
  3. Loki documentation
  4. Tempo documentation