Backup Central

Hi,


My Amanda backup system has gone live recently. I still have to keep an eye on it and check if everything is alright. It took a while, but it was worth the effort.


I use VMWare Server on one of my servers. I get 'strange' results from this server. I already excluded the memory and disk files (because each VM has its own Amanda client) of the VMs. Here is some of the output:
...
| gtar: ./var/run/acpid.socket: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmnat.4996: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/proxy-mob: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/proxy-webserver: socket ignored
? gtar: ./var/run/vmware/hostd-fifo/wqppollWQ3.C282FA0.19a8: Warning: Cannot stat: No such file or directory
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/root_0/1290854406892367_2793/ha-nfc-fd: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/root_0/1290854406892367_2793/ha-nfcssl-fd: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/root_0/1290854406892367_2793/hostd-vmdb-fd: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/root_0/1290854602573389_5338/ha-nfc-fd: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/root_0/1290854602573389_5338/ha-nfcssl-fd: socket ignored
...


I am pretty sure I can add '/var/run' and a number of other directories to the exclude file, but I can't seem to find guidelines for exclude patterns for the OS and specific applications. Are there guides/how-tos for exclude patterns and/or backup strategies for applications?


Kind regards,


Johan Stuyts

man amgtar

Jean-Louis

Johan Stuyts wrote:
Hi,

My Amanda backup system has gone live recently. I still have to keep
an eye on it and check if everything is alright. It took a while, but
it was worth the effort.

I use VMWare Server on one of my servers. I get 'strange' results from
this server. I already excluded the memory and disk files (because
each VM has its own Amanda client) of the VMs. Here is some of the output:
...
| gtar: ./var/run/acpid.socket: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmnat.4996: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/proxy-mob: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/proxy-webserver: socket ignored
? gtar: ./var/run/vmware/hostd-fifo/wqppollWQ3.C282FA0.19a8: Warning:
Cannot stat: No such file or directory
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/root_0/1290854406892367_2793/ha-nfc-fd:
socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/root_0/1290854406892367_2793/ha-nfcssl-fd:
socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/root_0/1290854406892367_2793/hostd-vmdb-fd:
socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/root_0/1290854602573389_5338/ha-nfc-fd:
socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmware/root_0/1290854602573389_5338/ha-nfcssl-fd:
socket ignored
...

I am pretty sure I can add '/var/run' and a number of other
directories to the exclude file, but I can't seem to find guidelines
for exclude patterns for the OS and specific applications. Are there
guides/how-tos for exclude patterns and/or backup strategies for
applications?

Kind regards,

Johan Stuyts

man amgtar

I don't have the man page on my machines but I found this:
<http://wiki.zmanda.com/man/amgtar.8.html>

It does explain exclude patterns and provides a number of examples, but
what I am actually looking for are instructions for specific applications.
For example (WARNING: just an example. Do not use without review):

LINUX

Patterns:
./proc
./media
./mnt
./dev

SQUID CACHING PROXY

Patterns:
./var/spool/squid

POSTGRESQL

Add the data directories. Example patterns:
./var/lib/postgresql/7.4/main

Then backup using one of the following strategies:
...

VMWARE

Patterns:
*.vmem
*.vmem.lck
*.vmdk
*.vmdk.lck

Install the Amanda client on each virtual machine. Then change the
following settings on the Amanda server to prevent the virtual machines
backing up add the same time, slowing down disk reads:
...

Kind regards,

Johan Stuyts

On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 06:00:06AM +0100, Johan Stuyts wrote:
man amgtar

I don't have the man page on my machines but I found this:
<http://wiki.zmanda.com/man/amgtar.8.html>

It does explain exclude patterns and provides a number of examples,
but what I am actually looking for are instructions for specific
applications. For example (WARNING: just an example. Do not use
without review):

LINUX

Patterns:
./proc
./media
./mnt
./dev

SQUID CACHING PROXY

Patterns:
./var/spool/squid

POSTGRESQL

Add the data directories. Example patterns:
./var/lib/postgresql/7.4/main

Then backup using one of the following strategies:
...

VMWARE

Patterns:
*.vmem
*.vmem.lck
*.vmdk
*.vmdk.lck

Install the Amanda client on each virtual machine. Then change the
following settings on the Amanda server to prevent the virtual
machines backing up add the same time, slowing down disk reads:
...

Collecting exclude schemes and authoring such a document
sounds like an excellent project for someone who wishes
to contribute to Amanda without coding.

--
Jon H. LaBadie jon < at > jgcomp.com
JG Computing
12027 Creekbend Drive (703) 787-0884
Reston, VA 20194 (703) 787-0922 (fax)

Am 29.11.2010 19:02, schrieb Johan Stuyts:
Here is some of the output:
...
| gtar: ./var/run/acpid.socket: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmnat.4996: socket ignored

You don't have to exclude this. Use the property "IGNORE" of amgtar:


define application-tool app_gtar {
plugin "amgtar"
property "ATIME-PRESERVE" "NO"
property "CHECK-DEVICE" "YES"
property "GNUTAR-LISTDIR" "/var/lib/amanda/gnutar-lists/"
property "GNUTAR-PATH" "/bin/tar"
property "ONE-FILE-SYSTEM" "YES"
property "SPARSE" "YES"
property "EXIT-HANDLING" "1=GOOD 2=BAD"
property "IGNORE" ": socket ignored$"
property append "IGNORE" ": Directory is new$"
property append "IGNORE" ": Directory has been renamed"
property append "IGNORE" "file changed as we read it$"
}




Regards,
Marc


--
Marc Muehlfeld (IT-Leiter)
Zentrum fuer Humangenetik und Laboratoriumsmedizin Dr. Klein und Dr. Rost
Lochhamer Str. 29 - D-82152 Martinsried
Telefon: +49(0)89/895578-0 - Fax: +49(0)89/895578-780
http://www.medizinische-genetik.de

Am 30.11.2010 16:41, schrieb Johan Stuyts:
But would excluding these kind of files prevent me from properly restoring? If
not, why would I want to backup temporary files that applications
recreate/regenerate after they have been restored?

IGNORE just ignores the output for the report and prevents making the state
"STRANGE". Everything that could be backuped, is on tape. But what couldn't
because of any reason that isn't on tape and can't, of course, not be
restored. But the same is if you exclude something. How you want to restore
anything that isn't on tape (because it was excluded)?



Unfortunately I use Debian Lenny and it still uses 2.5.2, so I can't define my
own applications.

Compile it by yourself or use a rpm, or deb in your case, for installation. As
I remember, in older versions you can just put all on the exclude list.



--
Marc Muehlfeld (IT-Leiter)
Zentrum fuer Humangenetik und Laboratoriumsmedizin Dr. Klein und Dr. Rost
Lochhamer Str. 29 - D-82152 Martinsried
Telefon: +49(0)89/895578-0 - Fax: +49(0)89/895578-780
http://www.medizinische-genetik.de

Am 29.11.2010 19:02, schrieb Johan Stuyts:
Here is some of the output:
...
| gtar: ./var/run/acpid.socket: socket ignored
| gtar: ./var/run/vmnat.4996: socket ignored

You don't have to exclude this. Use the property "IGNORE" of amgtar:


define application-tool app_gtar {
plugin "amgtar"
property "ATIME-PRESERVE" "NO"
property "CHECK-DEVICE" "YES"
property "GNUTAR-LISTDIR" "/var/lib/amanda/gnutar-lists/"
property "GNUTAR-PATH" "/bin/tar"
property "ONE-FILE-SYSTEM" "YES"
property "SPARSE" "YES"
property "EXIT-HANDLING" "1=GOOD 2=BAD"
property "IGNORE" ": socket ignored$"
property append "IGNORE" ": Directory is new$"
property append "IGNORE" ": Directory has been renamed"
property append "IGNORE" "file changed as we read it$"
}




Regards,
Marc


--
Marc Muehlfeld (IT-Leiter)
Zentrum fuer Humangenetik und Laboratoriumsmedizin Dr. Klein und Dr. Rost
Lochhamer Str. 29 - D-82152 Martinsried
Telefon: +49(0)89/895578-0 - Fax: +49(0)89/895578-780
http://www.medizinische-genetik.de

Collecting exclude schemes and authoring such a document
sounds like an excellent project for someone who wishes
to contribute to Amanda without coding.

I am willing to setup such a resource (I assume the wiki would be the best
place for it), but I am not a system administrator so I won't be able to
contribute a lot of content.

Should I go ahead and create a page 'OS- and application-specific
information' on the wiki, link to it from the Configuration and
Exclude_and_include_lists pages and then add (mostly empty) pages for some
common applications?

Regards,

Johan

Should I go ahead and create a page 'OS- and application-specific
information' on the wiki, link to it from the Configuration and
Exclude_and_include_lists pages and then add (mostly empty) pages for
some common applications?

I just created the page and added some information for Linux. I will add
more information about applications later:
<http://wiki.zmanda.com/index.php/OS-_and_application-specific_information>

Review of my addition and more OS and application information are welcome.

Regards,

Johan