Encrypted backups on FreeBSD ?

I'm having some strange issues as well, trying to do encrypted backups on FreeBSD. Let me ask this:

1. Is encrypted storage of backups a production feature?
2. What documentation is available giving technical details on encrypted backups using amanda?
What would really help is a flowchart of the path taken to encrypt and send backups

I know there's a page on the zamanda wiki that talks about encryption but from reading through it there's a question whether it's a proof-of-concept or something for actual use. So far I can use ssh authentication for encrypting the transmission of backups but what I really want is to do client side encryption. There's a brief, VERY brief, piece of information on amcrypt but there's not enough information to properly configure encryption.

Someone mentioned an issue with amaespipe, head and bash ... could be that's the problem. Attempting to run /usr/local/bin/amgtar by hand I get the error:

head: -: No such file or directory

On 4/2/08, Oscar Ricardo Silva <osilva AT scuff.cc.utexas DOT edu> wrote:

Sorry for the multiple recent posts but as I work my way through enabling
encrypted backups I keep running into different issues. In our last episode, I
had enabled encrypted backups and corrected an issue with ipv6 and key placement
on the amanda server.

My current issue is that while backups appear to run without a hitch, I can't
restore. These problems are all on FreeBSD machines, 4.x on up through 6.3. I
can launch amrecover and it communicates with the amanda server. When I try to
list files I get the error:

No index records for disk for specified date
If date correct, notify system administrator

I checked the amanda server and sure enough, there were no index files. The
file for that particular filesystem was there but it was empty. I have a feeling this isn't necessarily an amanda issue but more of a problem in how encryption is implemented. If I try encrypting the backup file manually I get the error:

bz2aespipe: wrong magic - aborted

I changed the output for amaespipe so that errors are written to a file instead
of /dev/tty and when the backup runs I get the same error message.

Is anybody else doing encrypted backups for FreeBSD clients? Could be we take this off-list since it's probably not an amanda specific problem.

Oscar