Backup is the only way to restore a machine when disasters occur. The system handles two kinds of backup:
Configuration backup contains only system configuration files.
It’s scheduled to be executed every night and it will create a new archive, /var/lib/nethserver/backup/backup-config.tar.xz, only if any file is changed in the last 24 hours.
The configuration backup also saves a list of installed modules. All modules will be reinstalled during the configuration restore process.
The purpose of this kind of backup is to quickly restore a machine in case of disaster recovery.
When the machine is functional, a full data restore can be done even if the machine is already in production.
Data backup is enabled installing “backup” module and contains all data like user’s home directories and mails. It runs every night and can be full or incremental on a weekly basis. This backup also contains the archive of the configuration backup.
Data backup can be saved on three different destinations:
The backup status can be notified to the system administrator or to an external mail address.
Note
The destination directory is based on the server host name: in case of FQDN change, the administrator should take care to copy backup data from the old directory to the new one.
Make sure that backup destination is reachable (for example, USB disk must be connected).
It’s possible to list all files inside the last backup using this command:
backup-data-list
The command can take some times depending on the backup size.
All relevant files are saved under /var/lib/nethserver/ directory:
/var/lib/nethserver/vmail/<user>/var/lib/nethserver/ibay/<name>/var/lib/nethserver/home/<user>To restore a file/directory, use the command:
restore-file <position> <file>
Example, restore test mail account to /tmp directory:
restore-file /tmp /var/lib/nethserver/vmail/test
Example, restore test mail account to original position:
restore-file / /var/lib/nethserver/vmail/test
The system can restore a previous version of directory (or file).
Example, restore the version of a file from 15 days ago:
restore-file -t 15D /tmp "/var/lib/nethserver/ibay/test/myfile"
The -t option allows to specify the number of days (15 in this scenario).
In the menu section it is possible to search, select and restore one or more directories from backup, navigating the graphical tree with all paths included in the backup.
There are two options to restore:
Restore data in the original path, the current files in the filesystem are overwritten by the restored files from backup.
Restore data in original path but the restored files from backup are moved on a new directory (the files are not overwritten) in this path:
/complete/path/of/file_YYYY-MM-DD (YYYY-MM-DD is the date of restore)
To use the search field, simply insert at least 3 chars and the searching starts automatically, highlighting the matched directories
It is possible to restore the directories by clicking on Restore button.
Note
Multiple selection can be done with Ctrl key pressed.
The system is restored in two phases: configuration first, then data. Right after configuration restore, the system is ready to be used if proper packages are installed. You can install additional packages before or after restore. For example, if mail-server is installed, the system can send and receive mail.
Other restored configurations:
Note
The root/admin password is not restored.
Steps to be executed:
If a role configuration points to a missing network interface, the Dashboard, Backup (configuration) > Restore and Network pages pop up a warning. This happens for instance in the following cases:
The warning points to a page that lists the network cards present in the system, highlighting those not having an assigned role. Such cards have a drop down menu where to select a role available for restoring.
For instance, if a card with the orange role has been replaced, the
drop down menu will list an element orange, near the new
network card.
The same applies if the old card was a component of a logical interface, such as a bridge or bond.
By picking an element from the drop down menu, the old role is transferred to the new physical interface.
Click the Submit button to apply the changes.
Warning
Choose carefully the new interfaces assignment: doing a mistake here could lead to a system isolated from the network!
If the missing role is green an interactive procedure asks to fix
the configuration at boot-time, to ensure a minimal network
connectivity and login again on the Server Manager.
By default the process of configuration restore will also restore all previously installed modules.
To avoid the reinstallation, execute this command before the restore:
config setprop backup-config reinstall disabled
If additional software is installed, the administrator can edit the list of files and directories included (or excluded).
If you wish to add a file or directory to data backup, add a line to the file /etc/backup-data.d/custom.include.
For example, to backup a software installed inside /opt directory, add this line:
/opt/mysoftware
If you wish to exclude a file or directory from data backup, add a line to the file /etc/backup-data.d/custom.exclude.
For example, to exclude all directories called Download, add this line:
**Download**
To exclude a mail directory called test, add this line:
/var/lib/nethserver/vmail/test/
Same syntax applies to configuration backup. Modification should be done inside the file /etc/backup-config.d/custom.exclude.
Note
Make sure not to leave empty lines inside edited files.
In most cases it is not necessary to change the configuration backup. But it can be useful, for example, if you have installed a custom SSL certificate. In this case you can add the file that contains the certificate to the list of files to backup.
If you wish to add a file or directory to configuration backup, add a line to the file /etc/backup-config.d/custom.include.
For example, to backup /etc/pki/mycert.pem file , add this line:
/etc/pki/mycert.pem
Do not add big directories or files to configuration backup.
If you wish to exclude a file or directory from configuration backup, add a line to the file /etc/backup-config.d/custom.exclude.
Note
Make sure not to leave empty lines inside edited files. The syntax of the configuration backup supports only simple file and directory paths.
The best filesystem for USB backup disks is EXT3. FAT filesystem is supported but not recommended, while NTFS is not supported.
Before formatting the disk, attach it to the server and find the device name:
# dmesg | tail -20
Apr 15 16:20:43 mynethserver kernel: usb-storage: device found at 4
Apr 15 16:20:43 mynethserver kernel: usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning
Apr 15 16:20:48 mynethserver kernel: Vendor: WDC WD32 Model: 00BEVT-00ZCT0 Rev:
Apr 15 16:20:48 mynethserver kernel: Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: SCSI device sdc: 625142448 512-byte hdwr sectors (320073 MB)
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: sdc: Write Protect is off
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: sdc: Mode Sense: 34 00 00 00
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: sdc: assuming drive cache: write through
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: SCSI device sdc: 625142448 512-byte hdwr sectors (320073 MB)
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: sdc: Write Protect is off
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: sdc: Mode Sense: 34 00 00 00
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: sdc: assuming drive cache: write through
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: sdc: sdc1
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: sd 7:0:0:0: Attached scsi disk sdc
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: sd 7:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 0
Apr 15 16:20:49 mynethserver kernel: usb-storage: device scan complete
Another good command could be:
lsblk -io KNAME,TYPE,SIZE,MODEL
In this scenario, the disk is accessibile as sdc device.
Create a Linux partition on the whole disk:
echo "0," | sfdisk /dev/sdc
Create the filesystem on sdc1 partition with a label named backup:
mke2fs -v -T largefile4 -j /dev/sdc1 -L backup
Detach and reconnect the USB disk:
You can simulate it with the following command:
blockdev --rereadpt /dev/sdc
Now the backup label will be displayed inside the Backup (data) page.