On Thu, Nov 10, 2005 at 03:33:32PM -0500, Guy Dallaire wrote:
> I excluded /usr/local/var/amanda from my amanda server backup because amanda
> was complaining a lot about strange backups (the indexes and db were updated
> while amanda was running tar on them, or something like that)
> 
> I'm realizing that if I lose this directory for some reason (ex: destroy the
> db or index directories by error) I will no longer be able to use amrecover
> and get a list of the backups that are on a particular tape. Or restores
> will be a lot more difficult, until I go through a complete dumpcycle.

A really difficult thing is that the logs for the current dump are not
complete while they are being backed up.  So the best you can be sure
of having in the backup itself is yesterdays indexes and logs.

Recognizing this, some people tar up the amanda tree either right
after or right before an amdump then store it someplace.  Possibly
on a remote system.  Possibly somewhere it will be backed up while
/usr/local/var/amanda is excluded.

Gene H, on this list, has described his approach.  Realizing that
there is generally space left on the last tape, and further, amanda
does not rewind the tape when finished.  Thus he adds his tar'red
up amanda tree in an extra tape file after the last amanda file.

> 
> Say you lose the amanda indexes and db, is there some sort of way to rebuild
> it from the tapes ? Or a way to know what files (and last modified date) are
> on which tapes ?

That is a tool just waiting for someone to volunteer to write.

-- 
Jon H. LaBadie                  jon AT jgcomp DOT com
 JG Computing
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