--- /dev/null
+
+ |\_
+ 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
+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) check the examples of the included helpers to see how they are
+ written. The dialog functions are defined in easydialog.sh.
+
projects / matthijs / upstream / backupninja.git / blobdiff