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- rsyncrsnapshot
- Jonathan Haack
- Haack's Networking
- netcmnd@jonathanhaack.com
Let's start with rsnapshot. Before you begin, you must already know how to add a hard drive to your system, a mount point, and an appropriate fstab entry. This also assumes you have an MTA properly set-up in order to send email. To create a basic configuration, do the following:
sudo apt install rsnapshot nano /etc/rsnapshot.conf <rsnapshot_root /enter-mount-point-here>
Uncomment the alpha, beta, gamma, and delta sections under backup levels section, enable the sync-first option, and specify the directories you want to backup (remember, localhost, calls whatever you have above in rsnapshot_root from above):
<retain alpha 6> <retain beta 7> <retain gamma 4> <retain delta 3> <sync_first 1> <backup /home/ localhost> <backup /etc/ localhost>
Now, edit the default script inside cron.d and for, simple configurations, just enable the four entries they have inside that template. The default cron entries look like this:
<0 */4 * * * root /usr/bin/rsnapshot alpha> <30 3 * * * root /usr/bin/rsnapshot beta> <0 3 * * 1 root /usr/bin/rsnapshot gamma> <30 2 1 * * root /usr/bin/rsnapshot delta>
Personally, I use a simple script to ensure that the sync_first command completed before I run any of the rsnapshot alpha, or rsnapshot beta, and so on. My script is simple and limited to what I could get up and working. There are reliability problems with this script in full disclosure, but for my use case, it works at present. Here it is:
Of course, I have one of these for alpha, another for beta, and gamma, and so on until delta. Each of these checks the verbose log for successful completion and emails me upon verification of that from the output of the rsnapshot sync_first command. If it fails, it stops the service and emails me. A colleague of mine has a much more advanced script that checks whether the drive is mounted and other various niceties that should be part of a more robust backup solution. I have included a version of the script he developed and shared with me here:
OK … that's pretty much it for getting started with rsnapshot. Now, let's look at rsync over ssh, which is a great way to pull an immediate mirror of a site with ease. I have included syntax for alternate port and newer syntax without alternate port.
From remote server to target backup localhost, with alt port:
rsync -av --delete -e 'ssh -p 59333 -i /home/user/.ssh/id_rsa' user@10.8.9.3:/home/user/Server/ /home/user/Server/
From localhost to target remote backup server, with alt port:
rsync -av --delete -e 'ssh -p 59333 -i /home/user/.ssh/id_rsa' /home/user/Server/ user@10.8.9.3:/home/user/Server/
From remote server to target backup localhost, with standard port:
sudo rsync -avi --delete root@server.com:/home/location/of/mysqldump.sql /home/user/backup/of/mysqldump.sql
From localhost to target remote backup server, with standard port:
sudo rsync -avi --delete /home/user/backup/of/mysqldump.sql root@server.com:/home/location/of/mysqldump.sql
Once you master these steps, checkout remote-upgrades, so you can use these backup scripts and tools with a greater remote vpn and backup solution.
This tutorial is a designated “Invariant Section” of the “Technotronic” section of Haack's Wiki as described on the Start Page.
— oemb1905 2020/01/27 12:55
