5 - Document that two Verifys at same time on same client do not work.
6 - Document how to recycle a tape in 7 days even if the backup takes a long time.
8 - Figure out why my Catalog size keeps growing (Filename and Path
9 tables keep growing) -- fix it.
11 - Add Doc on saving MySQL databases, where to find code for shutting
12 down and saving other databases.
15 - Continue improving the restore process (handling
16 of tapes, efficiency improvements e.g. use FSF to
17 position the tape, ...)
18 - Allow restore with options (e.g. overwrite, overwrite
19 if newer, no overwrite, permit changing ownership, ...).
20 - Test recovery of a damaged tape.
21 - Work more on how to to a Bacula restore beginning with
22 just a Bacula tape and a boot floppy (bare metal recovery).
23 - Possibly add a File System Module permitting an external
24 program do the file reading and writing during save and
25 restore (i.e. with this you could backup/restore
26 ANYTHING to and from a Bacula Volume, including horrible
27 stuff like Windows ACLs).
29 - Preprocessing command per file.
30 - Postprocessing command per file (when restoring).
31 - File system type from File daemon
32 - Decide what to do with JobTDate in catalog (make real btime_t?)
33 - File daemon should pass Director the operating system info
34 to be stored in the Client Record (or verified that it has
36 - Add VOLUME_CAT_INFO to the EOS tape record (as
37 well as to the EOD record).
38 - Send Volumes needed during restore to Console (just after
39 create_volume_list) -- also in restore command?
40 - Document buffer size considerations with Sparse files --
41 - Document all daemon tools MUST have a config file.
42 - Move block size code from block.c to init_dev().
43 - Add code to fast seek to proper place on tape/file
44 when doing Restore. If it doesn't work, try linear
46 - Add code to reject whole blocks if not wanted on restore.
47 - Why does btape error when pointed to a file?
48 - Possibly add email to Watchdog if drive is unmounted too
49 long and a job is waiting on the drive.
50 - Disallow compile if long long not 64 bits.
51 - What to do with btime and JobTDate?
52 - Add FileSet MD5 to bscan.
53 - Finish implementation of restore "replace" options, and document.
54 - Strip trailing slashes from Include directory names in the FD.
55 - Use read_record.c in SD code.
56 - Allow changing ownership/group of files on restore.
57 - Restore options (overwrite, ...)
58 - Program files (i.e. execute a program to read/write files).
59 Pass read date of last backup, size of file last time.
60 - Try bare metal Windows restore
61 - Recovery of a bad tape (bcopy)
62 - EOM records?????????????????
63 - Why don't we get an error message from Win32 FD when bootstrap
64 file cannot be created for restore command?
65 - Put MaximumVolumeSize in Director.
66 - Document to have patience when SD first starts.
67 - Document running a test version.
68 - When Marking a file in Restore that is a hard link, also
69 mark the link so that the data will be reloaded.
70 - Restore program that errors in SD due to no tape reports
71 OK incorrectly in output.
72 - Make BSR accept count (total files to be restored).
73 - Make BSR return next_block when it knows record is not
74 in block, done when count is reached, and possibly other
75 optimizations. I.e. add a state word.
78 - After unmount, if restore job started, ask to mount.
79 - Fix db_get_fileset in cats/sql_get.c for multiple records.
80 - Fix start/end blocks for File devices
81 - Add new code to scheduler.c and run_conf.c
82 - Fix catalog filename truncation in sql_get and sql_create. Use
83 only a single filename split routine.
84 - Add command to reset VolFiles to a larger value (don't allow
85 a smaller number or print big warning).
86 - Make Restore report an error if FD or SD term codes are not OK.
87 - Convert all %x substitution variables, which are hard to remember
88 and read to %(variable-name). Idea from TMDA.
89 - Add JobLevel in FD status (but make sure it is defined).
90 - Make Pool resource handle Counter resources.
91 - Remove NextId for SQLite. Optimize.
92 - Fix gethostbyname() to use gethostbyname_r()
93 - Implement ./configure --with-client-only
94 - Strip trailing / from Include
95 - Move all SQL statements into a single location.
96 - Cleanup db_update_media and db_update_pool
97 - Add UA rc and history files.
98 - put termcap (used by console) in ./configure and
99 allow -with-termcap-dir.
100 - Remove JobMediaId it is not used.
101 - Enhance time and size scanning routines.
102 - Fix Autoprune for Volumes to respect need for full save.
103 - DateWritten field on tape may be wrong.
104 - Fix Win32 config file definition name on /install
105 - No READLINE_SRC if found in alternate directory.
106 - Add Client FS/OS id (Linux, Win95/98, ...).
110 Bacula Projects Roadmap
112 last update 7 October 2002
114 Item 1: Multiple simultaneous Jobs. (done)
117 What: Permit multiple simultaneous jobs in Bacula.
119 Why: An enterprise level solution needs to go fast without the
120 need for the system administrator to carefully tweak
121 timing. Based on the benchmarks, during a full
122 backup, NetWorker typically hit 10 times the bandwidth to
123 the tape compared to Bacula--largely. This is probably due to
124 running parallel jobs and multi-threaded filling of buffers
125 and writing them to tape. This should also make things work
126 better when you have a mix of fast and slow machines backing
129 Notes: Bacula was designed to run multiple simultaneous jobs. Thus
130 implementing this is a matter of some small cleanups and
134 Item 2: Make the Storage daemon use intermediate file storage to buffer data.
135 Deferred -- not necessary yet.
137 What: If data is coming into the SD too fast, buffer it to
138 disk if the user has configured this option.
140 Why: This would be nice, especially if it more or less falls out
141 when implementing (1) above. If not, it probably should not
142 be given a high priority because fundamentally the backup time
143 is limited by the tape bandwidth. Even though you may finish a
144 client job quicker by spilling to disk, you still have to
145 eventually get it onto tape. If intermediate disk buffering
146 allows us to improve write bandwidth to tape, it may make
149 Notes: Whether or not this is implemented will depend upon performance
150 testing after item 1 is implemented.
153 Item 3: Write the bscan program.
156 What: Write a program that reads a Bacula tape and puts all the
157 appropriate data into the catalog. This allows recovery
158 from a tape that is no longer in the database, or it allows
159 re-creation of a database if lost.
161 Why: This is a fundamental robustness and disaster recovery tool
162 which will increase the comfort level of a sysadmin
163 considering adopting Bacula.
165 Notes: A skeleton of this program already exists, but much work
166 needs to be done. Implementing this will also make apparent
167 any deficiencies in the current Bacula tape format.
170 Item 4: Implement Base jobs.
172 What: A base job is sort of like a Full save except that you
173 will want the FileSet to contain only files that are unlikely
174 to change in the future (i.e. a snapshot of most of your
175 system after installing it). After the base job has been run,
176 when you are doing a Full save, you can specify to exclude
177 all files saved by the base job that have not been modified.
179 Why: This is something none of the competition does, as far as we know
180 (except BackupPC, which is a Perl program that saves to disk
181 only). It is big win for the user, it makes Bacula stand out
182 as offering a unique optimization that immediately saves time
185 Notes: Big savings in tape usage. Will require more resources because
186 the e. DIR must send FD a list of files/attribs, and the FD must
187 search the list and compare it for each file to be saved.
190 Item 5: Implement Label templates
192 What: This is a mechanism whereby Bacula can automatically create
193 a tape label for new tapes according to a detailed specification
194 provided by the user.
196 Why: It is a major convenience item for folks who use automated label
199 Notes: Bacula already has a working form of automatic tape label
200 creation, but it is very crude. The design for the complete
201 tape labeling project is already documented in the manual.
204 Item 6: Write a regression script.
207 What: This is an automatic script that runs and tests as many features
208 of Bacula as possible. The output is compared to previous
209 versions of Bacula and any differences are reported.
211 Why: This is an enormous help in preventing introduction of new
212 errors in parts of the program that already work correctly.
214 Notes: This probably should be ranked higher, it's something the typical
215 user doesn't see. Depending on how it's implemented, it may
216 make sense to defer it until the archival tape format and
217 user interface mature.
220 Item 7: GUI for interactive restore
221 Item 8: GUI for interactive backup
223 What: The current interactive restore is implemented with a tty
224 interface. It would be much nicer to be able to "see" the
225 list of files backed up in typical GUI tree format.
226 The same mechanism could also be used for creating
227 ad-hoc backup FileSets (item 8).
229 Why: Ease of use -- especially for the end user.
231 Notes: Rather than implementing in Gtk, we probably should go directly
232 for a Browser implementation, even if doing so meant the
233 capability wouldn't be available until much later. Not only
234 is there the question of Windows sites, most
235 Solaris/HP/IRIX, etc, shops can't currently run Gtk programs
236 without installing lots of stuff admins are very wary about.
237 Real sysadmins will always use the command line anyway, and
238 the user who's doing an interactive restore or backup of his
239 own files will in most cases be on a Windows machine running
243 Item 9: Add SSL to daemon communications.
245 What: This provides for secure communications between the daemons.
247 Why: This would allow doing backup across the Internet without
248 privacy concerns (or with much less concern).
250 Notes: The vast majority of near term potential users will be backing up
251 a single site over a LAN and, correctly or not, they probably
252 won't be concerned with security, at least not enough to go to
253 the trouble to set up keys, etc. to screw things down. We suspect
254 that many users genuinely interested in multi-site backup
255 already run some form of VPN software in their internetwork
256 connections, and are willing to delegate security to that layer.
259 Item 10: Define definitive tape format.
260 Mostly done (version 1.27)
262 What: Define that definitive tape format that will not change
263 for the next millennium.
265 Why: Stability, security.
267 Notes: See notes for item 11 below.
270 Item 11: New daemon communication protocol.
272 What: The current daemon to daemon protocol is basically an ASCII
273 printf() and sending the buffer. On the receiving end, the
274 buffer is sscanf()ed to unpack it. The new scheme would
275 be a binary format that allows quick packing and unpacking
276 of any data type with named fields.
278 Why: Using binary packing would be faster. Named fields will permit
279 error checking to ensure that what is sent is what the
280 receiver really wants.
282 Notes: These are internal improvements in the interest of the
283 long-term stability and evolution of the program. On the one
284 hand, the sooner they're done, the less code we have to rip
285 up when the time comes to install them. On the other hand, they
286 don't bring an immediately perceptible benefit to potential
287 users. Item 10 and possibly item 11 should be deferred until Bacula
288 is well established with a growing user community more or
289 less happy with the feature set. At that time, it will make a
290 good "next generation" upgrade in the interest of data
295 I haven't put these in any particular order.
298 - Rework Storage daemon with new rwl_lock routines.
299 - Compare tape to Client files (attributes, or attributes and data)
300 - Restore options (overwrite, overwrite if older,
301 overwrite if newer, never overwrite, ...)
302 - Restore to a particular time -- e.g. before date, after date.
303 - Make all database Ids 64 bit.
304 - Write an applet for Linux.
305 - Add estimate to Console commands
306 - Find solution to blank filename (i.e. path only) problem.
307 - Implement new daemon communications protocol.
310 mysqldump -f --opt bacula >bacula
314 - Remove PoolId from Job table, it exists in Media.
315 - Allow console commands to detach or run in background.
316 - Fix status delay on storage daemon during rewind.
317 - Add SD message variables to control operator wait time
318 - Maximum Operator Wait
319 - Minimum Message Interval
320 - Maximum Message Interval
321 - Add EOM handling variables
323 - Require EOD records
324 - Send Operator message when cannot read tape label.
325 - Think about how to handle I/O error on MTEOM.
326 - Verify level=Volume (scan only), level=Data (compare of data to file).
327 Verify level=Catalog, level=InitCatalog
329 - Add keyword search to show command in Console.
330 - Fix Win2000 error with no messages during startup.
331 - Events : tape has more than xxx bytes.
332 - Write general list maintenance subroutines.
333 - Restrict characters permitted in a Resource name.
334 - Complete code in Bacula Resources -- this will permit
335 reading a new config file at any time.
336 - Handle ctl-c in Console
337 - Implement LabelTemplate (at least first cut).
338 - Implement script driven addition of File daemon to config files.
340 - see setgroup and user for Bacula p4-5 of stunnel.c
341 - Implement new serialize subroutines
342 send(socket, "string", &Vol, "uint32", &i, NULL)
343 - On I/O error, write EOF, then try to write again ????
344 - Audit all UA commands to ensure that we always prompt where possible.
345 - If ./btape is called without /dev, assume argument is a Storage resource name.
346 - Put memory utilization in Status output of each daemon
347 if full status requested or if some level of debug on.
348 - Make database type selectable by .conf files i.e. at runtime
349 - gethostbyname failure in bnet_connect() continues
350 generating errors -- should stop.
351 - Add HOST to Volume label.
352 - Set flag for uname -a. Add to Volume label.
353 - Implement throttled work queue.
354 - Check for EOT at ENOSPC or EIO or ENXIO (unix Pc)
355 - Allow multiple Storage specifications (or multiple names on
356 a single Storage specification) in the Job record. Thus a job
357 can be backed up to a number of storage devices.
358 - Implement full MediaLabel code.
359 - Implement dump label to UA
360 - Copy volume using single drive.
361 - Copy volume with multiple driven (same or different block size).
362 - Add block size (min, max) to Vol label.
363 - Concept of VolumeSet during restore which is a list
364 of Volume names needed.
365 - Restore files modified after date
366 - Restore file modified before date
367 - Emergency restore info:
369 - Backup working directory
371 - Restore options (do not overwrite)
372 - Restore -- do nothing but show what would happen
373 - SET LD_RUN_PATH=$HOME/mysql/lib/mysql
374 - Implement Restore FileSet=
375 - Write a scanner for the UA (keyword, scan-routine, result, prompt).
376 - Create a protocol.h and protocol.c where all protocol messages
378 - If SD cannot open a drive, make it periodically retry.
379 - Put Bacula version somewhere in Job stream, probably Start Session
381 - Remove duplicate fields from jcr (e.g. jcr.level and jcr.jr.Level, ...).
382 - Timout a job or terminate if link goes down, or reopen link and query.
383 - Fill all fields in Vol/Job Header -- ensure that everything
384 needed is written to tape. Think about restore to Catalog
385 from tape. Client record needs improving.
386 - Find general solution for sscanf size problems (as well
387 as sprintf. Do at run time?
388 - Concept of precious tapes (cannot be reused).
389 - Allow FD to run from inetd ???
391 - Restore should get Device and Pool information from
392 job record rather than from config.
393 - Autolabel should be specified by DR instead of SD.
394 - Find out how to get the system tape block limits, e.g.:
395 Apr 22 21:22:10 polymatou kernel: st1: Block limits 1 - 245760 bytes.
396 Apr 22 21:22:10 polymatou kernel: st0: Block limits 2 - 16777214 bytes.
399 - AutoScan (check checksum of tape)
400 - Format command = "format /dev/nst0"
404 - Seek resolution (usually corresponds to buffer size)
405 - EODErrorCode=ENOSPC or code
406 - Partial Read error code
407 - Partial write error code
408 - Nonformatted read error
409 - Nonformatted write error
410 - WriteProtected error
414 - IgnoreCloseErrors=yes
424 - FD sends unsaved file list to Director at end of job.
425 - Write a Storage daemon that uses pipes and
426 standard Unix programs to write to the tape.
428 - Need something that monitors the JCR queue and
429 times out jobs by asking the deamons where they are.
431 - Enhance Jmsg code to permit buffering and saving to disk.
432 - device driver = "xxxx" for drives.
433 - restart: paranoid: read label fsf to
434 eom read append block, and go
435 super-paranoid: read label, read all files
436 in between, read append block, and go
437 verify: backspace, read append block, and go
438 permissive: same as above but frees drive
439 if tape is not valid.
441 - Ensure that /dev/null works
442 - File daemon should build list of files skipped, and then
443 at end of save retry and report any errors.
444 - Need report class for messages. Perhaps
445 report resource where report=group of messages
446 - enhance scan_attrib and rename scan_jobtype, and
447 fill in code for "since" option
448 - To buffer messages, we need associated jobid and Director name.
449 - Need to save contents of FileSet to tape?
450 - Director needs a time after which the report status is sent
451 anyway -- or better yet, a retry time for the job.
452 Don't reschedule a job if previous incarnation is still running.
453 - Figure out how to save the catalog (possibly a special FileSet).
454 - Figure out how to restore the catalog.
455 - Some way to automatically backup everything is needed????
456 - Need a structure for pending actions:
458 - termination status (part of buffered msgs?)
459 - Concept of grouping Storage devices and job can use
460 any of a number of devices
462 Read, Write, Clean, Delete
463 - Login to Bacula; Bacula users with different permissions:
464 owner, group, user, quotas
465 - Tape recycle destination
466 - Job Schedule Status
470 - Store info on each file system type (probably in the job header on tape.
471 This could be the output of df; or perhaps some sort of /etc/mtab record.
474 - Use media 1 time (so that we can do 6 days of incremental
475 backups before switching to another tape) (already)
476 specify # times (jobs)
477 specify bytes (already)
478 specify time (seconds, hours, days)
479 - Implement FSM (File System Modules).
480 - Identify unchanged or "system" files and save them to a
481 special tape thus removing them from the standard
482 backup FileSet -- BASE backup.
483 - Turn virutally all sprintfs into snprintfs.
484 - Heartbeat between daemons.
485 - Audit M_ error codes to ensure they are correct and consistent.
486 - Add variable break characters to lex analyzer.
487 Either a bit mask or a string of chars so that
488 the caller can change the break characters.
489 - Make a single T_BREAK to replace T_COMMA, etc.
490 - Ensure that File daemon and Storage daemon can
491 continue a save if the Director goes down (this
492 is NOT currently the case). Must detect socket error,
493 buffer messages for later.
496 Done: (see kernsdone for more)
499 - Check if GZIP1 is working -- check speed.
500 - Document forcing a new tape to be used.
501 - Ensure that AcceptAnyVolume works.
502 - Document running multiple Jobs
503 - Preserve block number when EOT and writing on next tape.
504 - Document how to cancel a job that is waiting on a Volume.
505 Must "cancel" then "mount".
506 - Document Volume Bytes shows bytes on last volume written in Job summary.
507 - Restore all Windows attributes. Leave hooks for ACLs and security.
508 (Handle x = (HANDLE)get_osfhandle(fd);
509 - Test Windows restore.
511 - Implement sparse files.
512 - Document sparse files.
513 - Document better Include (does it cross file systems ?).
514 - Document default config file locations.
515 - Document specifically how to add new File daemon to config files.
516 - Add VerNo to each Session label record.
517 - Add Job to Session records.
518 - Cold start full restore (restore catalog then
519 user selects what to restore). Write summary file containing only
520 Job, Media, and Catalog information. Store on another machine.
521 - Dump/Restore database
522 - Write bscan program that will syncronize the DB Media record with
523 the contents of the Volume -- for use after a crash.
524 - Figure out how to put a Volume into the catalog (from the tape)
525 - Figure out how to do a restore from a Volume
526 - Report compression % and other compression statistics if turned on.
527 - Put Windows files in Windows stream?
528 - Ensure that everyone uses btime routines (mostly done).
529 - Put Job statistics in End Session Label (files saved,
530 total bytes, start time, ...).
531 - Put FileSet name in the SOS label.
532 - Eliminate duplicate File records to shrink database.
533 - If Storage daemon aborts a job, ensure that this
534 is printed in the error message.
535 - Add save type to Session label.
536 - Correct date on Session label.
537 - Test restore of Windows backup
538 - Ability to recreate the catalog from a tape.
539 - Bug: anonymous Volumes requires mount in some cases.
540 - Define how we handle times to avoid problem with Unix dates (2049 ?).
541 - Add daemon JCR JobId=0 to have a daemon context
542 - Implement full restoration of all Windows attributes
543 (such as Hidden, System, creation dates, ...)
544 - Handle sparse files (i.e. files with holes in them)
545 - Enhance testing for Bacula compatibility with
547 - Turn on new BB02 tape format implemented in 1.26 but
549 - More testing of restoring on Unix systems.
550 - Implement additional tape format enhancements to better
551 support Windows and other non-Unix systems e.g.
553 - Upgrade to latest version of cygwin. (not possible)
554 - Add configure for gettimeofday.
555 - At line 51 of ua_input.c, why is = 0 necessary. Previously without
556 it, if cancel gnome-console during sql command, DIR crashed. However,
557 with it, blank line input for Where: is not possible.
558 - Make SD disallow writing on Volume with fewer files than in
560 - Label (asks for slot, return and it stops).
561 - Make SD reject writing on tape where Catalog and tape # files
562 don't agree (possibly OK if tape > catalog).