My first try with REAR starts with the shipped version on Ubuntu 18.04 following the description https://linuxwissen.blogspot.com/2018/12/sicheres-backup-mit-rear-relax-and.html
Installation:
First I installed REAR on the ProLiant server$ sudo apt-get install rear
Then I created the described configuration files
/etc/rear/site.conf
TIMESYNC=NTP # since all your computers use NTP for time synchronisation
### Achtung ! Den NFS-Pfad OHNE den : vor dem / angeben !!!! ###
BACKUP_URL=nfs://192.168.178.20//srv/nfs/rear
BACKUP=NETFS
OUTPUT=ISO
USE_CFG2HTML=y
BACKUP_PROG=tar
BACKUP_PROG_COMPRESS_OPTIONS="--gzip"
/etc/rear/local.conf
###### Die folgende Zeile muss individuell an das jeweilige System angepasst werden ####
BACKUP_PROG_EXCLUDE=( '/dev/shm/*' '/home/[username]/.cache/*' '/root/.cache/*' '/tmp/*' '/var/cache/*' '/var/tmp/*' "$VAR_DIR/output/\*" )
LOGFILE="/var/log/rear/$HOSTNAME.log"
# Behalte ISO-BUILD in $TMPDIR/rear.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/rootfs/
KEEP_BUILD_DIR="true"
NETFS_KEEP_OLD_BACKUP_COPY=yes
/etc/rear/os.conf
OS_VENDOR=Ubuntu
OS_VERSION=18.04
Backup
I store the created files of REAR on a NFS Mount on my Laptop. For that I have to mount the NFS share on the server:$ sudo mount -t nfs 192.xxx.xxx.xxx:/srv/nfs/rear /mnt
After that there are two ways to create the backup:
1. Create the rescue ISO and the backup in two steps
$ rear -v -D mkrescue
$ rear -v -D mkbackuponly
2. Create the rescue ISO and the backup in one step
$ rear mkbackup
After the backup is finished you can find the created files on the Laptop under /srv/rear/<name_server>/ . The important files are the <name_server>.iso and the backup.tar.gz
Restore
For automatic restore of the backup through REAR it very important to mount the location of the backup on the laptop on the same place. Also it is necessary, that a active connection exists between the device running the virtual console of the LO and the ProLiant server itself.In my case I running the virtual console in a VM on my laptop. For that I have to create a bridge connecting to the VM, so that the VM can communicate actively with the server.
1. Step after starting the virtual console of the LO is to mount the ISO as virtual media.
2. In the next step connect the virtual media to the server. Klick on the mounted media and then click "Connect". If the connection is successfully established, the entry contains the IP of the bridge in the VM.
3. Reboot the server
4. The server boots now in the start menu of REAR. Select the automated REAR Recovery
5. REAR then makes the rest
6. Klick 3 to reboot after the successful recovery
Challenges with the REAR version 2.3
My first try to recover the backup shows, that the keyboard not works. If you don't choose "Automatic Recover <name_server>" I can't do anything, cause I can't make any input.Running the Automatic Recover works, but I can't reboot with the REAR menu showing at the end of the recover. I have to reboot the server over the LO. That works for me.
After one recover I decided to update REAR to the actual version 2.5.
$ wget http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Archiving:/Backup:/Rear:/Snapshot/xUbuntu_18.04/amd64/rear_2.5-0git.0.dff3f6a.unknown_amd64.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i rear_2.5-0git.0.dff3f6a.unknown_amd64.deb
Create the same config files like described above.
Create a new complete backup with the ISO file
After this I want to know, if it is functional and try directly the recover like described for version 2.3. The procedure is exactly the same. With the different that the keyboard is working.
