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authorMatthew Bloch <matthew@bytemark.co.uk>2013-11-13 12:54:08 +0000
committerMatthew Bloch <matthew@bytemark.co.uk>2013-11-13 12:54:08 +0000
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+byteback - maintenance-free client & server backup scripts for Linux
+====================================================================
+
+byteback encapsulates Bytemark's "best practice" for maintenance-free backups
+with easy client and server setup.
+
+"Maintenance-free" means that we'd rather make full use of a fixed amount of
+disc space with simple & predictable rules. Management of disc space must be
+completely automatic, so it never grinds to a halt. Failed backups can be
+restarted in case of network problems.
+
+We use the standard OpenSSH on the server for encrypted transport & access
+control, btrfs for snapshots and rsync for efficient transfer.
+
+Backups should require as little configuration as possible to be safe - just
+the server address will be enough.
+
+Setting up: server
+------------------
+Install the 'byteback' package on the server, along with its dependencies
+(rsync, sudo).
+
+Create a UNIX user to receive the backups e.g. 'byteback', create a btrfs
+home directory with quotas enabled.
+
+# adduser byteback
+# echo 'byteback btrfs subvolume' XXX >>/etc/sudoers
+# lvcreate my_volume_group -n byteback -L1000GB
+# echo '/dev/my_volume_group /home/byteback btrfs compress 0 0' >>/etc/fstab
+# mount /home/byteback
+# btrfs quota enable /home/byteback
+
+The server is launched from the 'byteback' user with OpenSSH as the transport,
+so there is no special daemon to start, but you do need to set up the program's
+data directory which is done with
+
+# su byteback
+$ byteback-server setup
+
+That's it! You're now ready to start backing up your first client.
+
+Setting up: client
+------------------
+Clients are machines that need to be backed up. You need to tell each client
+where its server is using normal SSH user/host syntax:
+
+# byteback setup byteback@mybackuphost.net
+Your backup key is ssh-rsa AAAAAo ... w== root@host.to.back.up
+This will create keys for communication with the server, and put them into
+/etc/byteback.
+
+You need to then log onto the server and inform it of this client, by using
+the "byteback-server new-client" command and supplying the SSH public key.
+
+# su byteback
+$ byteback-server new-client ssh-rsa AAAAAo ... w== root@host.to.back.up
+Client setup for host.to.back.up done!
+
+This will have created a new directory and subvolume for this host's backups.
+Then back on the client:
+
+# byteback test
+Connecting to server mybackuphost.net...
+The authenticity of host 'mybackuphost.net (10.10.10.1)' can't be established.
+RSA key fingerprint is c8:f5:bf:75:1b:34:6f:08:24:04:ba:a2:71:9f:5d:22.
+Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
+Successfully connected and found backup space, ready to go.
+
+This means the host is ready to start backing up, though you need to set
+a schedule.
+
+Setting a backup schedule
+-------------------------
+You can then type "byteback backup" or put it on a daily cron job to start
+backing up the server.
+
+Without any further options this will copy every file from the root downwards,
+excluding kernel-based virtual filesystems (/proc, /sys etc.) network
+filesystems (NFS, SMB) and tmpfs or loopback mounts.
+
+When the backup has completed successfully, the server will take a snapshot
+so that the client can't alter the backups.
+
+If the backup is interrupted or dies unexpected, running "byteback backup"
+will cause the backup to be resumed, with rsync saving the work of re-copying
+any files that hadn't changed. By default this will happen automatically up to
+5 times, with a 10 minute pause in between each attempt.