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bacula

Introduction​

This cheat sheet provides a quick reference for some common Bacula commands and concepts. Bacula is an open-source network backup solution that enables you to back up and recover data across a network of computers.

Installation​

To use Bacula, you need to install it on a server. Installation methods vary depending on your operating system. Refer to the official Bacula documentation for installation instructions.

Bacula Concepts​

Components​

Bacula consists of several components:

  • Director: Manages and schedules backup jobs.
  • Storage Daemon: Stores backup data on storage devices.
  • File Daemon: Runs on client machines and backs up data.
  • Catalog: Stores metadata about backup jobs.

Configuration Files​

Bacula's configuration is defined in various configuration files:

  • bacula-dir.conf: Director configuration.
  • bacula-sd.conf: Storage Daemon configuration.
  • bacula-fd.conf: File Daemon (client) configuration.

Job Definitions​

Jobs in Bacula define what to back up, when, and where to store the data.

  • Define a new backup job in bacula-dir.conf:
    JobDefs {
      Name = "DefaultJob"
      Type = Restore
      FileSet="Full Set"
      Schedule = "WeeklyCycle"
      Storage = File
      Messages = Standard
      Pool = Default
      Priority = 10
    }

FileSets​

A FileSet is a collection of files and directories to back up.

  • Define a FileSet in bacula-dir.conf:
    FileSet {
      Name = "Full Set"
      Include {
        Options {
          signature = MD5
        }
        File = /path/to/data
      }
    }

Schedule​

Schedules define when backup jobs should run.

  • Define a schedule in bacula-dir.conf:
    Schedule {
      Name = "WeeklyCycle"
      Run = Full 1st sat at 23:05
    }

Storage​

Storage defines where backup data should be stored and how to access it.

  • Define a storage device in bacula-sd.conf:
    Storage {
      Name = File
      Address = localhost
      SDPort = 9103
      Password = "password"
      Device = FileStorage
      Media Type = File
    }

Bacula Command-Line​

  • Start the Bacula Director service:

    sudo systemctl start bacula-dir

  • Start the Bacula Storage Daemon service:

    sudo systemctl start bacula-sd

  • Start the Bacula File Daemon service on a client:

    sudo systemctl start bacula-fd

  • Run a backup job:

    bconsole
    * run

  • Restore files from a backup:

    bconsole
    * restore

  • Check the status of Bacula components:

    bconsole
    * status

Conclusion​

This cheat sheet covers some common Bacula commands and concepts. Bacula is a powerful network backup solution for data protection and recovery; refer to the official Bacula documentation for more in-depth information and advanced usage.