What are typical MySQL backup and restore solutions for >1TB databases?

If you need to take a full backup of a large database you should consider a solution along the following lines: Create a slave server (replica) that you will use to make the backups. You can do this once with a raw copy of the database but you have to consider some downtime. Use a tool like http://www.lenzg.net/mylvmbackup/. This is, AFAIK, the most cost effective way you will find in space and time. Play with the different options this tool supports to find out which ones makes sense to you (e.g., you might not want to use compression to speed up backup and restore times). Now, let me share with you some of my experience with http://www.lenzg.net/mylvmbackup/. First, experiment the tool with a smaller database. Once you feel comfortable, move to the larger one. This will save you lots of time.Plan your hardware. For a large database you want to have lots of disks (with lots of space). And fast! Separate system from data. Use hardware RAID. For data use RAID10 or if you need more space RAID6 might also be ok. xfs is a good choice for the filesystem. If possible, separate the live data, logs and backups in different arrays.Finally, make a good plan of your disk layout: you need to leave some space free on the volume group for the snapshot. How much space? Well, it depends on your data dynamics. You can also stop the replication, take the backup on the slave and resume when finished but I would not recommend this because you might end up with a huge replication lag.And don't forget: backups are only good if you can restore them. So, always try to restore your backups regularly.Final disclaimer: I'm not a DBA myself, but I've learned a few tricks from a real one.