backup and restore question
 

Hi guyz,
I've been backuping up my sites, mysql db's, and postfix configs using rsync and tar'ing and zip'ing them to a remote site.

If i wanted to restore, could i just rebuild the a fresh OS and just copy of the /etc /var/lib/mysql directories to the new server. THe 2 server are identical, I'm using CentOS 5 as well. Any other issues I should consider?

I forgot to mention that this is a test box and I'm only concerned with my sites, mysql db's, and configs. I have a IMAP server and I'm not concerned about and emails

In theory that should work. In practice there are usually glitches and specifics that make restore and disaster recovery procedures non-trivial. For this reason it is essential to test restore and disaster recovery procedures; some people say (often in the light of bad experiences!) a backup that is not periodically tested is useless. If restore or disaster recovery is time-critical, it is prudent to document how to do them.