Quick start (old)
Installation
Amanda can be installed from pre-built RPMs or you can build Amanda using the source tree. Refer installation chapter for information on the installation procedure.
In case you install Amanda using pre-built RPMs, some of the configuration steps are performed as RPM post-installation procedure. Refer Amanda RPMs from Zmanda downloads page, for a list of configuration steps that are performed as RPM post-installation procedure.
Backup server configuration
Create a backup user on the server
Amanda runs as a normal user, but must be in the same group that has read access to the raw disk devices. Frequent choices are: amanda, backup, amandabackup, operator. Do not use the root user to run the Amanda suite.
If you install Amanda using pre-built RPMs from Zmanda, a user "amandabackup" gets created, and is added to the group "disk" with the home directory "/var/lib/amanda". You can assign a password to the "amandabackup" user for unlocking the account. On the other hand if you build Amanda using the source tree, you can create the user using the command:
# useradd -u amanda -g disk -d /home/amanda -s /bin/bash -c ...
If you are running NIS (aka YP), you can add the Amanda user to your NIS services database. Consult your NIS documentation for details.
Make sure the Amanda programs are in the PATH of the user amanda. If the programs reside in e.g. /usr/local/sbin, add in the file .profile, and/or .bashrc:
# Prepend these directories to PATH if needed
for d in /usr/local/bin /usr/local/sbin
do
case :$PATH: in
*:$d:*) : ;;
*) PATH=$d:$PATH ;;
esac
done
Invent a name for the configuration
You need to provide a unique name for each configuration in Amanda. The configuration name works as a label for a set of configuration files that describe the source and target for taking the backup. The configuration files specifies the source, such as disks, partitions, or directories that needs to backup and the target, such as tapes or directories where the data should be backed up.
You may have many configurations. Commonly used configuration names are: "daily" for normal daily backups, "archive" for offsite stored achive tapes having only full dumps, "test" for your test environment. Some linux-distributions ship Amanda with a default configuration named "DailySet1".
Find out where the CONFIG_DIR is:
$ amadmin x version | grep CONFIG_DIR CONFIG_DIR=/usr/local/etc/amanda
and create a directory with the chosen configuration name inside it:
$ cd /usr/local/etc/amanda $ mkdir daily
This directory works as the configuration name (label) for the configuration files.
Most Amanda commands need the configuration name as the first argument.
Modify amanda.conf
Copy the example amanda.conf into that directory. Edit this file to be correct for your site, consulting the amanda.conf(5) man page if necessary.
For a quick start and setting up a test environment, you may copy the parameters from a Test environment with virtual tapes.
Note the values you choose for the next parameters in amanda.conf:
amanda.conf:
logdir "/usr/local/var/amanda/confname" # log directory infofile "/usr/local/var/amanda/confname/curinfo" # database filename indexdir "/usr/local/var/amanda/confname/index" # index directory tapelist "/usr/local/var/amanda/confname/tapelist" # list of used tapes
and create the directories or files, making sure the directories and files are owned by the amanda user:
# mkdir -p /usr/local/var/amanda # chown -R amanda:disk /usr/local/var/amanda # su - amanda $ mkdir -p /usr/local/var/amanda/confname $ touch /usr/local/var/amanda/confname/tapelist
The directories "curinfo" and "index" will be created automatically, if amanda has permission to write in their parent. Otherwise you have to create these too. Note the holdingdisk(s) you specified in the amanda.conf file:
amanda.conf:
holdingdisk hd1 {
directory "/space/amandahold/confname"
...
}
And create them:
# mkdir -p /space/amandahold/confname # chown -R amanda:disk /space/amandahold
Add entries in /etc/services on the server
Put the Amanda services into your /etc/services file. Check your /etc/services for existing AMANDA-entries, most UNIX/Linux-distributions already provide the needed entries. If you can't find them, add entries like:
/etc/services:
amanda 10080/udp amandaidx 10082/tcp amidxtape 10083/tcp
You may choose a different port number if you like, but it must match the port number in the services file of your AMANDA-client hosts. If you are running NIS (aka YP), you have to enter the Amanda service into your NIS services database. Consult your NIS documentation for details. You may use the `patch-system' script, from client-src, in order to modify this file. Run it with a `-h' argument for usage.
Configure (x)inetd on server
Find out if you server uses inetd, xinetd, or Dan Bernstein's daemontools.
- Strictly speaking, the serverside configuration of amanda does not include the "amandad" entries below, but because the amanda-server is usually a client for itself (i.e. you make backups of the amanda server too), I added the "amandad" entries already.
Configuring inetd on server
If the server uses inetd, then add these lines to the inetd.conf on the tape server host:
/etc/inetd.conf:
amanda dgram udp wait $USER $LIBEXECDIR/amandad amandad amandaidx stream tcp nowait $USER $LIBEXECDIR/amindexd amindexd amidxtape stream tcp nowait $USER $LIBEXECDIR/amidxtaped amidxtaped
where $LIBEXECDIR is the complete path to where the amandad, amindexd and amidxtaped executables are located, and $USER is the Amanda user. Find the compile time values:
$ amadmin x version | grep libexecdir $ amadmin x version | grep CLIENT_LOGIN
The first entry (amandad) is not strictly needed when the server itself is not configured as a client.
You may use the `patch-system' script, from client-src, in order to modify this file. Run it with a `-h' argument for usage.
Make inetd reread its configuration file:
# kill -1 <pid-of-inetd>
On older systems you may have to kill it completely and restart it.
Configuring xinetd on server
If the tape server uses xinetd, then you have to add the following file to the xinetd-configuration (usually /etc/xinetd.d) and edit the paths:
/etc/xinetd.d/amanda:
service amanda
{
disable = no
socket_type = dgram
protocol = udp
wait = yes
user = $USER
group = $GROUP
groups = yes
server = $LIBEXECDIR/amandad
}
service amandaidx
{
disable = no
socket_type = stream
protocol = tcp
wait = no
user = $USER
group = $GROUP
groups = yes
server = $LIBEXECDIR/amindexd
}
service amidxtape
{
disable = no
socket_type = stream
protocol = tcp
wait = no
user = $USER
group = $GROUP
groups = yes
server = $LIBEXECDIR/amidxtaped
}
where $LIBEXECDIR is the complete path to where the amandad, amindexd and amidxtaped executables are located, and $USER is the Amanda user. Find the compile time values:
$ amadmin x version | grep libexecdir $ amadmin x version | grep CLIENT_LOGIN
The first entry (amandad) is not strictly needed when the server itself is not configured as a client.
Some administrators like to split up the above entries in 3 files instead of one.
Make xinetd reread its configuration file:
# kill -HUP <pid-of-xinetd>
Configuring daemontools on server
If your tape server uses Dan Bernstein's daemontools (http://cr.yp.to/daemontools.html) instead of (x)inetd, you have to create amandaidx and amidxtape services by hand.
mkdir -p $prefix/etc/amanda/supervise/amanda mkdir -p $prefix/etc/amanda/supervise/amandaidx mkdir -p $prefix/etc/amanda/supervise/amidxtape
Create service startup files and make them executable:
/etc/amanda/supervise/amandaidx/run:
#!/bin/sh exec /usr/local/bin/setuidgid amanda \ /usr/local/bin/tcpserver -DHRl0 0 10082 \ /usr/local/libexec/amindexd >/dev/null 2>/dev/null
/etc/amanda/supervise/amidxtape/run:
#!/bin/sh exec /usr/local/bin/setuidgid amanda \ /usr/local/bin/tcpserver -DHRl0 0 10083 \ /usr/local/libexec/amidxtaped >/dev/null 2>/dev/null
Link service directories into your svscan directory:
# cd /service # ln -s $prefix/etc/amanda/supervise/amandaidx . # ln -s $prefix/etc/amanda/supervise/amidxtape .
svscan should detect and start your new services automatically.
Create the disklist file
In the same directory as the amanda.conf file is the disklist file. Begin with a few entries while you are testing.
disklist:
client1.example.com /some/dir comp-user-tar client2.example.com /var comp-user-tar
Note that you might want to temporarily set the option "record no" in all your dumptypes when first installing Amanda if you'd like to run tests of Amanda in parallel with your existing dump scheme. Amanda will then run but will not interfere with your current dumpdates. However, you don't want to run with "record no" under normal operations.
Add crontab entries
Schedule the amcheck and amdump command by use of crontab: As the dumpuser execute "crontab -e". Here is a sample:
0 16 * * 1-5 /usr/local/sbin/amcheck -m confname 45 0 * * 2-6 /usr/local/sbin/amdump confname
Note: some OS'es have a shared crontab for all users, and may require a userid on each cron line. See your cron(8) for details.
With these cron lines, Amanda will check that the correct tape is in the drive every weekday afternoon at 4pm (if it isn't, all the operators will get mail). At 12:45am that night the dumps will be run.
It may be wise to add these crontab entries later, when all the tests succeeded.
Create file .amandahosts on the server
Create a file named ".amandahosts" in the home directory of the dumpuser. The syntax is similar as a .rhosts file. Such a file should exist on each client containing a line to allow the server access to the client (see Backup Client configuration). On the server additional entries are needed for each client in the disklist file that wants to use amrecover (amrecover needs to be run as root).
# su - amanda $ cat .amandahosts amandahost.yourdomain.com amanda amandahost.yourdomain.com root client1.yourdomain.com root client2.yourdomain.com root
The first line in the .amandahosts file above is for the Amanda client running on the server itself. The next lines allow the user root on each client computer to access the Amanda tape server and Amanda index server on this host with the amrecover command.
When compiled with the configure option --without-amandahosts, use the file .rhosts and/or /etc/hosts.equiv instead.
The .rhosts file or (since version 2.5.0) the .amandahosts file need also strict permissions. They should be owned by the dumpuser and not be readable or writeable by anyone else. Also, the home directory of the dumpuser (containing the .amandahosts file) should not be writeable by anyone else:
# chown amanda ~amanda ~/.amandahosts # chmod 755 ~amanda # chmod 600 ~amanda/.amandahosts
Backup client configuration
Each client in the disklist file of the server needs to be configured with the client part of Amanda.
Note: The server itself is usually also a client; this section applies to the server, too.
Create a backup user on the client
The dump user on the client does not have to be same name, uid or gid as the server. It must be in the same group that has read access to the raw disk devices. A real login shell is not really needed (therefore you might also set the shell to something like /bin/false inside /etc/passwd, but this isn't exactly "quickstart", maybe ... we do that in the following example, anyway.).
If the user does not exist, create one:
# useradd -u amanda -g disk -d /home/amanda -s /bin/false -c ...
Do not use root to run the Amanda suite (TODO: add link to meaningful explanation here. sgw).
If you are running NIS (aka YP), you can add the Amanda user to your NIS services database. Consult your NIS documentation for details.
Create file .amandahosts on the client
Create a file named ".amandahosts" in the home directory of the dumpuser on the client. The syntax is similar as a .rhosts file. Fill it with the hostname of the Amanda server and the Amanda user on the server:
amandahost.example.com amanda
This entry allows the user amanda on host amandahost.example.com to initiate a backup on this client.
When compiled with the configure option --without-amandahosts, use the file .rhosts and/or /etc/hosts.equiv instead.
The .rhosts file or (since version 2.5.0) the .amandahosts file also need strict permissions. They should be owned by the dumpuser and not be readable or writeable by anyone else. Also, the home directory of the dumpuser (containing the .amandahosts file) should not be writeable by anyone else:
# chown amanda ~amanda ~/.amandahosts # chmod 755 ~amanda # chmod 600 ~amanda/.amandahosts
Create file /etc/amandates and chmod /etc/dumpdates
Create an empty file /etc/amandates and make it owned by the dumpuser.
Note: when installing from RPM's, this step is already done.
# touch /etc/amandates # chown amanda /etc/amandates
Make the file /etc/dumpdates writable by the dumpuser:
# chmod 664 /etc/dumpdates # chgrp disk /etc/dumpdates
where "disk" is the group that amanda is in, and the group that has read access to the raw disk devices (see "ls -l /dev/hda1" or whatever your disks are).
Add entries in /etc/services on the client
Put the Amanda service into your /etc/services file:
/etc/services:
amanda 10080/udp
You may choose a different port number if you like, but it must match that in the services file on the tape server host, too.
If you are running NIS (aka YP), you have to enter the Amanda service into your NIS services database. Consult your NIS documentation for details.
You may use the `patch-system' script, from client-src, in order to modify this file. Run it with a `-h' argument for usage.
Configure (x)inetd on the Client
Find out if the host uses inetd, xinetd, or Dan Bernstein's daemontools.
Configuring inetd on client
If the Amanda client uses inetd, put the Amanda client service into inetd's config file. This file is usually found in /etc/inetd.conf, but on older systems it is /etc/servers. The format is different on different OSes, so you must consult the inetd man page for your site.
/etc/inetd.conf:
amanda dgram udp wait $USER $LIBEXECDIR/amandad amandad
where $LIBEXECDIR is the complete path to where the amandad executable is located and $USER is the Amanda user.
You may use the `patch-system' script, from client-src, in order to modify this file. Run it with a `-h' argument for usage.
Make inetd reread its configuration file:
# kill -1 <pid-of-inetd>
On older systems you may have to kill it completely and restart it.
Configuring xinetd on client
If the Amanda client uses xinetd, you have to add the following file to the xinetd-configuration (usually /etc/xinetd.d) and edit it to reflect your settings and paths:
/etc/xinetd.d/amanda:
service amanda
{
disable = no
socket_type = dgram
protocol = udp
wait = yes
user = $USER
group = $GROUP
groups = yes
server = $LIBEXECDIR/amandad
}
where $LIBEXECDIR is the complete path to where the amandad executables is located, $USER is the Amanda user, and $GROUP is the group name the Amanda user is in.
Make xinetd reread its configuration file:
# kill -HUP <pid-of-xinetd>
Configuring daemontools on client
If the Amanda client uses Dan Bernstein's daemontools (http://cr.yp.to/daemontools.html) instead of (x)inetd, you have to create the Amanda service by hand. You will need also an UDP super-server (netcat in this example).
Create service directory:
# mkdir -p /etc/amanda/supervise/amanda
Create service startup file and make it executable:
/etc/amanda/supervise/amanda/run:
#!/bin/sh exec /usr/local/bin/setuidgid amanda \ /usr/bin/netcat -l -u -p 10080 -q 0 \ -e /usr/local/libexec/amandad >/dev/null 2>/dev/null
The netcat-binary used in this run-file might also be called /usr/bin/nc on your system, depending on the OS-distribution you use. Refer to http://netcat.sourceforge.net for details of netcat.
Link service directory into your svscan directory:
# cd /service # ln -s /etc/amanda/supervise/amanda
svscan should detect and start your new services automatically.
Create the listed_incr_dir for gnutar
If the dumptype for this client uses GNU-tar, then you have to create a directory for it. Find out the compiled-in value, and create the directory, making sure the dumpuser can write into it:
# amadmin x version | grep listed_incr_dir listed_incr_dir=/usr/local/var/amanda/gnutar-lists # mkdir -p /usr/local/var/amanda/gnutar-lists # chown -R amanda:disk /usr/local/var/amanda
Special requirements
- If you intend to back up xfs filesystems on hosts running IRIX, you must create the directory /var/xfsdump/inventory, otherwise xfsdump will not work.
Running the configuration
Label a tape
Take a fresh tape, make sure the tapedrive has the correct settings, like compression off and variable blocksize, and label it using the amlabel command:
# su - amanda $ mt -t /dev/nst0 compression 0 $ mt -t /dev/nst0 setblk 0 $ amlabel daily Daily-01
The label you give it, in the example "Daily-01", must match the labelstr regular expression specified in the amanda.conf file. Otherwise amlabel will throw an error anyway.
While testing a setup, using a "virtual tape" (aka "vtape" = a tape emulated on disk) is very handy. Use this entry in amanda.conf:
amanda.conf:
tapedev "file:/space/amanda-vtapes/tape"
A "vtape" is a directory with a "data" subdirectory inside. Let's create one:
# mkdir /space/amanda-vtapes # chown amanda:disk /space/amanda-vtapes # su - amanda $ mkdir -p /space/amanda-vtapes/tape/data
And use ammt to manipulate the vtape:
$ ammt -t file:/space/amanda-vtapes/tape rewind $ amlabel test Test-01
You can even emulate a vtape-changer having many tapes, as described in a Test environment with virtual tapes.
Check the configuration
Log in on the Amanda server, and run amcheck as the dumpuser:
# su - amanda $ amcheck daily
Solve all problems it finds. You don't need to solve the "NOTE" level messages.
When debugging the setup, the debug files created by the different Amanda programs can be a great help. Find the Amanda debug directory that was compiled in:
$ amadmin x version | grep DBG AMANDA_DBGDIR=/tmp/amanda
The Amanda client programs create a debug file in this directory. The filename starts with the program name, followed by a date-time stamp.
The Amanda server program writes a log in a file named "amdump" in logdir specified in amanda.conf. When finished the file is named "amdump.1"; the previous file is then found with name "amdump.2", etc.
See Amanda log files for detailed information.
Some specific problem you may encounter are explained in the section Troubleshooting.
Run a backup
Rerun amcheck several times, until all the errors amcheck finds are solved.
Please note that this process is part of the normal way of setting up AMANDA: AMANDA is a complex combination of multiple parts and therefore the initial setup has to meet several requirements like existing directories, proper permissions and so on. The output of the amcheck-binary should provide you with any needed pointers to what is missing where.
Now it is time to make a real backup with amdump(8):
$ amdump daily
This command takes as long as the backup runs. Do not enter large disks in the disklist at this time.
You might also do:
$ amdump daily &
to run that process in the background and log off in the meantime.
When finished, you should receive a mail with the backup report.
When you want to reuse the already labeled tape for another test run, make Amanda forget about it using the amrmtape(8) command, and amlabel it again with the same label:
$ amrmtape daily Daily-01 $ amlabel -f daily Daily-01
Test a restore
You really need to test that you can restore a file from the backup. We assume that you have indexing on in the dumptype, and use amrecover, which looks like a ftp client program. We'll restore into a temporary location (a very good idea in the real, non-testing world also). To run amrecover you need to be root (and have an entry for that host in .amandahosts on the server, see "The File .amandahosts on the Server" above.
# mkdir /var/tmp/myrestoretest # cd /var/tmp/myrestoretest
Don't forget to rewind the tape!
# ammt -t file:/space/amanda-vtapes/tape rewind # amrecover test ... Invalid directory - /var/tmp/myrestoretest amrecover>
Amanda assumes that you are located in the top directory of a entry in the disklist, and complains here the current directory is not a valid disklist entry. No problem, that's what we intended. We set the disk manually, and explore the index, using ftp-client-like commands.
amrecover> setdisk /var 200 Disk set to /var. amrecover> ls ... amrecover> cd log amrecover> add messages.1 Added /log/messages.1 amrecover> extract Extracting files using tape drive file:/space/amanda-vtapes/tape on host amandahost. The following tapes are needed: Test-01 Restoring files into directory /var/tmp/myrestoretest Continue [?/Y/n]? y Extracting files using tape drive file:/space/amanda-vtapes/tape on host amandahost. Load tape Test-01 now Continue [?/Y/n/s/t]? y ./log/messages.1 amrecover> quit
Frequent errors
- Directories/files created during the configuration are not writeable by the dump user.
- Running some programs as root, instead of the dumpuser, creates some files owned by root instead of the dumpuser. When later running as the dumpuser, there could be permission problems with these files. Do not test or run Amanda suite programs as root (except amrecover, which must be run as root).
(TODO: Describe the reason for that somewhere in detail. "principle of least privilege". sgw)
- Specifying the wrong tapedevice: Amanda needs the non-rewind version of the tape device in your amanda.conf file.
- Forgetting to set "disable = no" in the amanda services of xinetd.
- Forgetting to have (x)inetd reread the config after adding the entries. Run "netstat -a" to verify the ports if it listening on the ports it should be listening on.
- Wrong hostname (FQDN or not) in .amandahosts file.
- Firewall issues on/between client and server.
- Sendmail/postfix/... configuration on the mail server refusing mail from your Amanda server. Amanda sends notification emails as non-root user (Amanda user). Sendmail or Postfix or mail server software should be configured to allow emails from non-root user. Also the SMTP-server of your ISP might block mails from [email protected] if the mailbox does not exist there.
See also: Troubleshooting.
Start production run
- Remove the "record no" option from the dumptype, if you added this for testing purposes.
- Add more hosts and disks to the disklist
- When you add them all at once, be prepared for loud complaints in the report from Amanda about not being able to get all the data on one tape. But after a few runs, Amanda should settle down.
- Alternatively, add hosts and disks a few at a time to avoid an indigestion.
- Label more tapes. Labeling them one each day a new tape is needed is fine too. After "tapecycle" runs, Amanda will ask for the first, oldest tape again.
- Verify/activate the crontab entries on the server.
- Insert the next tape for tonight, and let the amcheck in crontab verify the configuration.
- Verify the backup report you receive the next day carefully.
- Study more of the Amanda programs, and tune the amanda.conf to your needs.
- Subscribe to the Amanda forums and Amanda-users mailing list: