Backup to remote NAS storage seems almost impossible??

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#1 Sat, 11/07/2015 - 09:19
soydemadrid

Backup to remote NAS storage seems almost impossible??

Hi I hope someone can please help. I have a readynas nv+ and I want to backup my virtualmin/webmin and all server files to it as a compressed tar/zip etc file...

I'd hoped to have a full backup once per week at least, or maybe with nightly incremental backups.

Now I've tried and tried via the built in backup filesystem module and tried with bacula and I can't get anything to work.

After much trying I realised that bacula needs to run also on the backup machine so this is no good.

I nearly got the build in filesystem backup to work but again I get an error:

"tar (child): admin@192.168.0.2:backup: Cannot open: Input/output error"

The backup options seem to want a weird device name field where as I'm just trying to specify a path. but it's sticking a colon in there...

Can anyone please advise how I just backup my server to my NAS on my local network?

Thanks for any help at all.

Sat, 11/07/2015 - 11:07
mahial

As your NAS is in your local network, the easiest way is to put the FTP server of your NAS on. After that, point your backup to your new FTP account. I do like that and it works perfectly.

I join an example of my config in the pdf file

  • "x" letters" are for the IP adress

  • "y" letters are for the MAC address, if your NAS is often on S4 mode and wake-on-lan capable

  • "%Y-%m-%d" allows you to call backup files with the date of day.

If it doesn't work, maybe you can check your FTP config on your NAS. Here is an exemple for ReadyNAS (with luck it's yours) http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/23097/~/how-do-i-configure...

Sat, 11/07/2015 - 14:25 (Reply to #2)
soydemadrid

Hi thanks - I was hoping to back up the whole server though from webmin/virtualmin rather than the virtual servers - is there a way to do this to a NAS?

Sat, 11/07/2015 - 15:29
mahial

You can try what you want by using "Webmin > System > Filesystem backup". With this command, you will be able to backup all the folders you want (for instance /etc, /usr, ...). To restore your files, you will have to copy+paste them via FTP or SSH.

Faster than that and maybe more careful, I advise you to backup the virtual servers and the webmin configuration files ("Webmin > backup configuration files" and choose what you want to be backed up - Apache, Postfix, Dovecot ...). The restore engine will reinstall all the /etc; /usr, /var /home ... files for your apps (Apache, Postfix, Dovecot ... ) and for your virtual servers if needed.

Sat, 11/07/2015 - 15:49
soydemadrid

Hi thanks Mahial,

Filesystem backup looks cool, but I couldn't get it to work. I put my host address 192.168.0.2 which is my NAS. but could my nas be not compatible with this way of backing up as it mentions rtm path and seems like you may have to install something on the host before it will work?

Sat, 11/07/2015 - 16:56
mahial

It would be unusual that your NAS can not get FTP connection, unless there is a firewall rule (on webmin or, more probably, on the NAS).

If there is no firewall issue and the FTP is running on the NAS, maybe you didn't configure the "Filesystem backup" correctly. You have just to fill in the "TAR filesystem backup details" part of the form to make the basics work.

  • first of all, choose the "directories to backup" (for instance, /etc)

  • in the "backup to" section, choose FTP and put your configuration parameters. No problem for the IP, userneme and password, but be careful for the name of the backup file. You have to put the .tar.gz extension to your backup file (e.g. /path/to/backup/file.tar.gz), even if you didn't tick the "in TAR format" when you created the scheduled backup. Perhaps the .tar extension works well, but I didn't try.

Sun, 11/08/2015 - 11:02 (Reply to #6)
soydemadrid

Hi thanks I've tried this as you said putting tar.gz in the file or device to backup to. (But there is a backup 'label' field in Backup Options further down?

It still doesn't work and I get these errors;

"tar: Removing leading `/' from member names admin@192.168.0.2's password: tar (child): admin@192.168.0.2:HY_LocalServerBackup.tar.gz: Cannot open: Input/output error tar (child): Error is not recoverable: exiting now"

thanks again for any help.

Wed, 11/11/2015 - 03:13 (Reply to #7)
mahial

Hi, virtualmin seems to have some trouble to make the archive. This issue comes generally from the mean you use to specify the path of your file (absolute path or relative path). I join an example of working config. In my case, the backup are sent to a FTP server wich is hosted by an IIS server, but I think it doesn't matter.

Note that :

  • I didn't tick the "in TAR format" when I created this schedule (but it could be interesting in your case)

  • you can replace the file name "backup.tar.gz" by "%Y-%m-%d.tar.gz" if you have activate the strftime in the module config.

  • if your NAS is always on, you can remove the "ether-wake && sleep" command.

In addition, this page (http://doxfer.webmin.com/Webmin/Filesystem_Backup) may be useful. I used it when I created my backup schedules.

Wed, 11/11/2015 - 10:17
soydemadrid

Hi I'm really sorry I've copied all your settings and suggestions but I still get the same errors.

tar: Removing leading `/' from member names admin@192.168.0.2's password: tar (child): admin@192.168.0.2:HYlocalserverBackup.tar.gz: Cannot open: Input/output error tar (child): Error is not recoverable: exiting now

admin@192.168.0.2\ doesn't look right to me on there?? I'm not sure how that is getting added, but could that be the problem?

Wed, 11/11/2015 - 10:37
mahial

For now, I have no answer, sorry. Maybe this could help http://sourceforge.net/p/webadmin/discussion/600155/thread/9100482a/

If it is the same issue, it comes from rmt, as you thought before.

Wed, 11/11/2015 - 11:16
andreychek

Howdy,

While I haven't read your entire thread, a few thoughts --

You may want to post a screenshot of your settings, just so we can double-check nothing unusual is going on there.

But out of curiosity, if you use Virtualmin itself to generate a set of Virtual Server backups, are you able to get that working properly?

Also, are you able to connect to your NAS with an FTP client to upload files manually?

-Eric

Fri, 11/13/2015 - 03:15
soydemadrid

Hi thanks I've attached a screenshot of my settings. and also a screenshot of the failure to connect.

I've also attached a screenshot of webftp connected...

Thanks again for any help on this.

Fri, 11/13/2015 - 03:25
soydemadrid

Hi, good news!

Thanks for helping I've not got this working. Mahial was correct:

For now, I have no answer, sorry. Maybe this could help http://sourceforge.net/p/webadmin/discussion/600155/thread/9100482a/

This was the solution, the path to rmt needed changing to /etc/rmt

Thanks for getting this working!

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