# Gyro Cloud Istanbul: snapshots and reverse DNS (rDNS)

https://www.gyrohosting.com/en/knowledgebase/article/gyro-cloud-istanbul-rdns-snapshots

- **What you will learn**: How to take and restore a snapshot of your server, its price and limits, and how to request a reverse DNS (PTR) record for your IP address.
- **Time**: 8 minutes
- **Who this is for**: Anyone who wants a safety net before an update, or who sends email from the server.
- **What you need**: An active Gyro Cloud Istanbul server; for reverse DNS, a domain name and access to its DNS settings.

## 1. What is a snapshot?

A snapshot is a **point-in-time image** of your server's disk. Take one before a big update or configuration change and **restore it** if something goes wrong.

- **1 snapshot is free.** Additional snapshots are charged hourly (the price is shown in the panel and deducted from your balance by the hour).
- A snapshot is **not an automatic backup.** It gives no retention guarantee or regular backups; back up important data separately.
- A snapshot is kept with your server; **if you delete the server its snapshots are deleted too**.

> **Warning**
> 
> A restore **overwrites** the server's disk: everything you changed after the snapshot is lost.

## 2. Take, restore and delete a snapshot

In the panel, the **Snapshots** tool is on the server's **Management** tab (it appears when your plan includes a snapshot allowance).

1. Open **Management** > **Snapshots**.
2. If your allowance is used up the panel says "You have used your whole backup allowance. Delete an old one for a new backup."; delete the old one first, or take an additional snapshot.
3. Press the new-snapshot button and confirm. The message "Backup is being taken." appears; it takes a few minutes depending on size.
4. To restore, choose the snapshot in the list and press the restore button. The server is unavailable during the restore.
5. To delete, use the delete button on the snapshot row.

From the command line:

```
gyro server snapshot list 12345
gyro server snapshot create 12345 --wait
gyro server snapshot restore 12345 <SNAPSHOT-ID> --wait
gyro server snapshot delete 12345 <SNAPSHOT-ID>
```

`list` also shows your snapshot allowance (quota). Snapshot ids are stable numbers derived by the API.

> **Info**
> 
> Before a snapshot, stop databases running on the server or take a dump if you can; this matters for a consistent image.

## 3. What is reverse DNS (rDNS / PTR)?

Reverse DNS is the record that maps an IP address back to a name (`203.0.113.10` → `mail.example.com`). It is especially needed by servers that **send email**: receiving servers may reject or flag as spam mail from an IP with no reverse record or a mismatching one.

## 4. Requesting reverse DNS

1. Open **Management** > **Network & Security** > **Reverse DNS**.
2. On your IP address row write the name as a **fully qualified domain name** (for example `mail.example.com`) and save.
3. The status becomes **In progress** and the message "rDNS request saved; it goes live once approved" appears. When approved it becomes **Active**; if it is not acceptable it says **Rejected**.
4. To remove a record use the delete button on the row; the delete request is also applied after approval.

```
gyro server rdns list 12345
gyro server rdns set 12345 --ip 203.0.113.10 --hostname mail.example.com
```

> **Warning**
> 
> The name you set must have an **A record in your domain's DNS pointing to the same IP address**. Receiving servers check both directions. You can request records only for your own server's IP address.

> **Info**
> 
> If you get an error such as "There is no rDNS record for this IP", open a support ticket and we will set the record for you.

## 5. Frequently asked questions

**Can I copy a snapshot to another server?**

No. A snapshot is restored only onto the server it was taken from. To move data to another server copy files or dumps.

**Is the second snapshot charged?**

Yes. The first snapshot is free; additional snapshots are charged hourly at the price shown in the panel and appear as a separate item on the Spending page.

**How long until rDNS goes live?**

It goes live once the request is approved; it shows **In progress** until **Active**. For mail delivery, verify with `dig -x 203.0.113.10` after it goes live.

**Do snapshots remain if I delete the server?**

No; snapshots are deleted with the server.

## Next step

- [Firewall and security groups](https://www.gyrohosting.com/en/knowledgebase/article/gyro-cloud-istanbul-firewall)
- [Resizing, server name and deleting](https://www.gyrohosting.com/en/knowledgebase/article/gyro-cloud-istanbul-resize-and-hostname)