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@@ -0,0 +1,263 @@ + + |\_ + B A C K U P N I N J A /()/ + `\| + + a silent flower blossom death strike to lost data. + +Backupninja allows you to coordinate system backup by dropping a few +simple configuration files into /etc/backup.d/. Most programs you +might use for making backups don't have their own configuration file +format. Backupninja provides a centralized way to configure and +coordinate many different backup utilities. + +Features: + - easy to read ini style configuration files. + - you can drop in scripts to handle new types of backups. + - backup actions can be scheduled + - you can choose when status report emails are mailed to you + (always, on warning, on error, never). + - console-based wizard (ninjahelper) makes it easy to create + backup action configuration files. + - passwords are never sent via the command line to helper programs. + - works with Linux-Vservers (http://linux-vserver.org/) + +Backup types: + - secure, remote, incremental filesytem backup (via rdiff-backup). + incremental data is compressed. permissions are retained even + with an unpriviledged backup user. + - backup of mysql databases (via mysqlhotcopy and mysqldump). + - backup of ldap databases (via slapcat and ldapsearch). + - basic system and hardware info + - encrypted remote backups (via duplicity). + - backup of subversion repositories. + +The following options are available: +-h, --help This usage message +-d, --debug Run in debug mode, where all log messages are + output to the current shell. +-f, --conffile FILE Use FILE for the main configuration instead + of /etc/backupninja.conf +-t, --test Test run mode. This will test if the backup could run, without actually + preforming any backups. For example, it will attempt to authenticate + or test that ssh keys are set correctly. +-n, --now Perform actions now, instead of when they might be scheduled. + No output will be created unless also run with -d. +--run FILE Runs the specified action FILE (e.g. one of the /etc/backup.d/ files). + Also puts backupninja in debug mode. + +CONFIGURATION FILES +=================== + +The general configuration file is /etc/backupninja.conf. In this file +you can set the log level and change the default directory locations. +You can force a different general configuration file with "backupninja +-f /path/to/conf". + +To preform the actual backup, backupninja processes each configuration +file in /etc/backup.d according to the file's suffix: + + .sh -- run this file as a shell script. + .rdiff -- filesystem backup (using rdiff-backup) + .dup -- filesystem backup (using duplicity) + .mysql -- backup mysql databases + .ldap -- backup ldap databases + .pgsql -- backup PostgreSQL databases + .sys -- general hardware, partition, and system reports. + .svn -- backup subversion repositories + .maildir -- incrementally backup maildirs (very specialized) + +Support for additional configuration types can be added by dropping +bash scripts with the name of the suffix into /usr/share/backupninja. + +The configuration files are processed in alphabetical order. However, +it is suggested that you name the config files in "sysvinit style." + +For example: + 00-disabled.ldap + 10-runthisfirst.sh + 20-runthisnext.mysql + 90-runthislast.rdiff + +Typically, you will put a '.rdiff' config file last, so that any +database dumps you make are included in the filesystem backup. +Configurations files with names beginning with 0 (zero) or ending with +.disabled (preferred method) are skipped. + +Unless otherwise specified, the config file format is "ini style." + +For example: + + # this is a comment + + [fishes] + fish = red + fish = blue + + [fruit] + apple = yes + pear = no thanks \ + i will not have a pear. + + +SCHEDULING +========== + +By default, each configuration file is processed everyday at 01:00 (1 +AM). This can be changed by specifying the 'when' option in a config +file. + +For example: + + when = sundays at 02:00 + when = 30th at 22 + when = 30 at 22:00 + when = everyday at 01 <-- the default + when = Tuesday at 05:00 + +A configuration file will be processed at the time(s) specified by the +"when" option. If multiple "when" options are present, then they all +apply. If two configurations files are scheduled to run in the same +hour, then we fall back on the alphabetical ordering specified above. +If two configurations files are scheduled close to one another in +time, it is possible to have multiple copies of backupninja running if +the first instance is not finished before the next one starts. + +Make sure that you put the "when" option before any sections in your +configuration file. + +These values for 'when' are equivalent: + + when = tuesday at 05:30 + when = TUESDAYS at 05 + +These values for 'when' are invalid: + + when = tuesday at 2am + when = tuesday at 2 + when = tues at 02 + + +REAL WORLD USAGE +================ + +Backupninja can be used to implement whatever backup strategy you +choose. It is intended, however, to be used like so: + +(1) First, databases are safely copied or exported to /var/backups. + Typically, you cannot make a file backup of a database while it + is in use, hence the need to use special tools to make a safe copy + or export into /var/backups. + +(2) Then, vital parts of the file system, including /var/backups, are + nightly pushed to a remote, off-site, hard disk (using + rdiff-backup). The local user is root, but the remote user is not + priviledged. Hopefully, the remote filesystem is encrypted. + +There are many different backup strategies out there, including "pull +style", magnetic tape, rsync + hard links, etc. We believe that the +strategy outlined above is the way to go because: (1) hard disks are +very cheap these days, (2) pull style backups are no good, because then +the backup server must have root on the production server, and (3) +rdiff-backup is more space efficient and featureful than using rsync + +hard links. + + +SSH KEYS +======== + +In order for rdiff-backup to sync files over ssh unattended, you must +create ssh keys on the source server and copy the public key to the +remote user's authorized keys file. For example: + + root@srchost# ssh-keygen -t dsa + root@srchost# ssh-copy-id -i /root/.ssh/id_dsa.pub backup@desthost + +Now, you should be able to ssh from user 'root' on srchost to +user 'backup' on desthost without specifying a password. + +Note: when prompted for a password by ssh-keygen, just leave it +blank by hitting return. + +The included helper program "ninjahelper" will walk you through creating +an rdiff-backup configuration, and will set up the ssh keys for you. + +INSTALLATION +============ + +Requirements: + apt-get install bash gawk + +Recommended: + apt-get install rdiff-backup gzip hwinfo + +Files: + /usr/sbin/backupninja -- main script + /etc/cron.d/backupninja -- runs main script nightly + /etc/logrotate.d/backupninja -- rotates backupninja.log + /etc/backup.d/ -- directory for configuration files + /etc/backupninja.conf -- general options + /usr/share/backupninja -- handler scripts which do the actual work + +Installation: + There is no install script, but you just need to move files to the + correct locations. All files should be owned by root. + + # tar xvzf backupninja.tar.gz + # cd backupninja + # mv backupninja /usr/sbin/backupninja + # mv ninjahelper /usr/sbin/ninjahelper + # mv etc/logrotate.d/backupninja /etc/logrotate.d/backupninja + # mv etc/cron.d/backupninja /etc/cron.d/backupninja + # mkdir /etc/backup.d/ + # mv etc/backupninja.conf /etc/backupninja.conf + # mv handlers /usr/share/backupninja + + +VSERVERS +======== + +If you are using Linux-Vservers (http://linux-vserver.org/) there are some +special capabilities that different handlers have to make vserver +backups easier. + +Set the variable "vservers" to be "yes" in /etc/backupninja.conf and see the +example configuration files for each handler to configure the vserver specific +variables. + +Additional vserver variables that can be configured in /etc/backupninja.conf, +but they probably don't need to be changed: + +VSERVERINFO (default: /usr/sbin/vserver-info) +VSERVER (default: /usr/sbin/vserver) +VROOTDIR (default: `$VSERVERINFO info SYSINFO |grep vserver-Rootdir | awk '{print $2}'`) + +NINJAHELPER +=========== + +Ninjahelper is an additional script which will walk you through the process of +configuring backupninja. Ninjahelper has a menu driven curses based interface +(using dialog). + +To add an additional 'wizard' to ninjahelper, follow these steps: + +(1) to add a helper for the handler "blue", create the file + blue.helper in the directory where the handlers live. + (ie /usr/share/backupninja). + +(2) next, you need to add your helper to the global HELPERS variable + and define the main function for your helper (the function name + is always <helper>_wizard). for example, blue.helper: + HELPERS="$HELPERS blue:description_of_this_helper" + blue_wizard() { + ... do work here ... + } + +(3) look at the existing helpers to see how they are written. Try to re-use + functions, such as the dialog functions that are defined in easydialog.sh, + or the vserver functions defined in lib/vserver. + +(4) test, re-test, and test again. Try to break the helper by going backwards, + try to think like someone who has no idea how to configure your handler + would think, try to make your helper as simple as possible. Walk like a cat, + become your shadow, don't let your senses betray you. |