4 \section*{Bacula Console}
5 \label{_ConsoleChapter}
6 \index[general]{Console!Bacula}
7 \index[general]{Bacula Console}
8 \index[console]{Console!Bacula}
9 \index[console]{Bacula Console}
10 \addcontentsline{toc}{section}{Bacula Console}
13 \index[general]{General}
14 \addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{General}
16 The {\bf Bacula Console} (sometimes called the User Agent) is a program that
17 allows the user or the System Administrator, to interact with the Bacula
18 Director daemon while the daemon is running.
20 The current Bacula Console comes in two versions: a shell interface (TTY
21 style), and a GNOME GUI interface. Both permit the administrator or authorized
22 users to interact with Bacula. You can determine the status of a particular
23 job, examine the contents of the Catalog as well as perform certain tape
24 manipulations with the Console program.
26 In addition, there is a wx-console built with wxWidgets that allows a graphic
27 restore of files. As of version 1.34.1 it is in an early stage of development,
28 but it already is quite useful. Unfortunately, it has not been enhanced for
31 Since the Console program interacts with the Director through the network, your
32 Console and Director programs do not necessarily need to run on the same
35 In fact, a certain minimal knowledge of the Console program is needed in order
36 for Bacula to be able to write on more than one tape, because when Bacula
37 requests a new tape, it waits until the user, via the Console program,
38 indicates that the new tape is mounted.
40 \subsection*{Console Configuration}
41 \index[general]{Console Configuration}
42 \index[general]{Configuration!Console}
43 \index[console]{Console Configuration}
44 \index[console]{Configuration!Console}
45 \addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Console Configuration}
47 When the Console starts, it reads a standard Bacula configuration file named
48 {\bf bconsole.conf} or {\bf gnome-console.conf} in the case of the GNOME
49 Console version. This file allows default configuration of the Console, and at
50 the current time, the only Resource Record defined is the Director resource,
51 which gives the Console the name and address of the Director. For more
52 information on configuration of the Console program, please see the
53 \ilink{Console Configuration File}{_ChapterStart36} Chapter of
56 \subsection*{Running the Console Program}
57 \index[general]{Running the Console Program}
58 \index[general]{Program!Running the Console}
59 \index[console]{Running the Console Program}
60 \index[console]{Program!Running the Console}
61 \addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Running the Console Program}
63 The console program can be run with the following options:
66 Usage: bconsole [-s] [-c config_file] [-d debug_level]
67 -c <file> set configuration file to file
68 -dnn set debug level to nn
71 -t test - read configuration and exit
72 -? print this message.
77 After launching the Console program (bconsole), it will prompt you for the
78 next command with an asterisk (*). (Note, in the GNOME version, the prompt is
79 not present; you simply enter the commands you want in the command text box at
80 the bottom of the screen.) Generally, for all commands, you can simply enter
81 the command name and the Console program will prompt you for the necessary
82 arguments. Alternatively, in most cases, you may enter the command followed by
83 arguments. The general format is:
87 <command> <keyword1>[=<argument1>] <keyword2>[=<argument2>] ...
91 where {\bf command} is one of the commands listed below; {\bf keyword} is one
92 of the keywords listed below (usually followed by an argument); and {\bf
93 argument} is the value. The command may be abbreviated to the shortest unique
94 form. If two commands have the same starting letters, the one that will be
95 selected is the one that appears first in the {\bf help} listing. If you want
96 the second command, simply spell out the full command. None of the keywords
97 following the command may be abbreviated.
107 will list all files saved for JobId 23. Or:
115 will display all the Pool resource records.
117 \subsection*{Stopping the Console Program}
118 \index[general]{Program!Stopping the Console}
119 \index[general]{Stopping the Console Program}
120 \index[console]{Program!Stopping the Console}
121 \index[console]{Stopping the Console Program}
122 \addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Stopping the Console Program}
124 Normally, you simply enter {\bf quit} or {\bf exit} and the Console program
125 will terminate. However, it waits until the Director acknowledges the command.
126 If the Director is already doing a lengthy command (e.g. prune), it may take
127 some time. If you want to immediately terminate the Console program, enter the
130 There is currently no way to interrupt a Console command once issued (i.e.
131 Ctrl-C does not work). However, if you are at a prompt that is asking you to
132 select one of several possibilities and you would like to abort the command,
133 you can enter a period ({\bf .}), and in most cases, you will either be
134 returned to the main command prompt or if appropriate the previous prompt (in
135 the case of nested prompts). In a few places such as where it is asking for a
136 Volume name, the period will be taken to be the Volume name. In that case, you
137 will most likely be able to cancel at the next prompt.
140 \subsection*{Alphabetic List of Console Keywords}
141 \index[general]{Keywords!Alphabetic List of Console}
142 \index[general]{Alphabetic List of Console Keywords}
143 \index[console]{Keywords!Alphabetic List of Console}
144 \index[console]{Alphabetic List of Console Keywords}
145 \addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Alphabetic List of Console Keywords}
146 Unless otherwise specified, each of the following keywords
147 takes an argument, which is specified after the keyword following
148 an equal sign. For example:
154 Please note, this list is incomplete as it is currently in
155 the process of being created and is not currently totally in
161 Permitted on the python command, and causes the Python
162 interpreter to be restarted. Takes no argument.
164 Permitted on the status and show commands to specify all components or
165 resources respectively.
167 Used in the restore command.
169 Used in the restore command.
171 Allowed in the use command to specify the catalog name
174 Used in the show command. Takes no arguments.
177 Used in the show, list, and llist commands. Takes no arguments.
179 Used in the show command. Takes no arguments.
181 Used in the restore command. Takes no argument.
183 Used to define the number of days the "list nextvol" command
184 should consider when looking for jobs to be run. The days keyword
185 can also be used on the "status dir" command so that it will display
186 jobs scheduled for the number of days you want.
188 Used in the show command. Takes no arguments.
189 \item [dir | director]
191 Used in the show command. Takes no arguments.
193 Used in the restore command. Its argument specifies the directory
196 This keyword can appear on the {\bf update volume} as well
197 as the {\bf update slots} commands, and can
198 allows one of the following arguments: yes, true, no, false, archived,
199 0, 1, 2. Where 0 corresponds to no or false, 1 corresponds to yes or true, and
200 2 corresponds to archived. Archived volumes will not be used, nor will
201 the Media record in the catalog be pruned. Volumes that are not enabled,
202 will not be used for backup or restore.
204 Used in the restore command. Takes no argument.
206 Used in the restore command.
208 Used in the list and llist commands. Takes no arguments.
211 Used in the show command. Takes no arguments.
213 Used in the show command. Takes no arguments.
215 Used in the show, list and llist commands. Takes no arguments.
217 Used in the list and llist commands. Takes no arguments.
219 Used in the list and llist commands. Takes no arguments.
221 The JobId is the numeric jobid that is printed in the Job
222 Report output. It is the index of the database record for the
223 given job. While it is unique for all the existing Job records
224 in the catalog database, the same JobId can be reused once a
225 Job is removed from the catalog. Probably you will refer
226 specific Jobs that ran using their numeric JobId.
227 \item [job | jobname]
228 The Job or Jobname keyword refers to the name you specified
229 in the Job resource, and hence it refers to any number of
230 Jobs that ran. It is typically useful if you want to list
231 all jobs of a particular name.
234 Permitted on the estimate command. Takes no argument.
237 Used in the show command. Takes no arguments.
239 Used in the list and llist commands. Takes no arguments.
240 \item [nextvol | nextvolume]
241 Used in the list and llist commands. Takes no arguments.
248 Used in the show, list, and llist commands. Takes no arguments.
250 Used in the restore command. Takes no argument.
252 Used in the show command. Takes no arguments.
254 Used in the show command. Takes no arguments.
255 \item [sd | store | storage]
257 The ujobid is a unique job identification that is printed
258 in the Job Report output. At the current time, it consists
259 of the Job name (from the Name directive for the job) appended
260 with the date and time the job was run. This keyword is useful
261 if you want to completely identify the Job instance run.
264 Used in the list and llist commands. Takes no arguments.
266 Used in the restore command.
268 Used in the restore command. Takes no argument.
272 \subsection*{Alphabetic List of Console Commands}
273 \index[general]{Commands!Alphabetic List of Console}
274 \index[general]{Alphabetic List of Console Commands}
275 \index[console]{Commands!Alphabetic List of Console}
276 \index[console]{Alphabetic List of Console Commands}
277 \addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Alphabetic List of Console Commands}
279 The following commands are currently implemented:
282 \item [{add [pool=\lt{}pool-name\gt{} storage=\lt{}storage\gt{}
283 jobid=\lt{}JobId\gt{}]} ]
285 This command is not normally used since Bacula will normally
286 do it automatically as Volumes are labeled. However, if you need it,
287 this command is used to add Volumes to an existing Pool. The Volume names
288 entered are placed in the Catalog and thus become available for backup
289 operations. Normally, the {\bf label} command is used rather than this
290 command because the {\bf label} command labels the physical media (tape) and
291 does the equivalent of the {\bf add} command. This command affects only the
292 Catalog and not the physical media (data on Volumes). The physical media must
293 exist and be labeled before use (usually with the {\bf label} command). This
294 command can, however, be useful if you wish to add a number of Volumes to the
295 Pool that will be physically labeled at a later time. It can also be useful
296 if you are importing a tape from another site. Please see the {\bf label}
297 command below for the list of legal characters in a Volume name.
299 \item [autodisplay on/off]
300 \index[console]{autodisplay on/off}
301 This command accepts {\bf on} or {\bf off} as an argument, and turns
302 auto-display of messages on or off respectively. The default for the
303 console program is {\bf off}, which means that you will be notified when
304 there are console messages pending, but they will not automatically be
305 displayed. The default for the gnome-console program is {\bf on}, which
306 means that messages will be displayed when they are received (usually
307 within 5 seconds of them being generated).
309 When autodisplay is turned off, you must explicitly retrieve the
310 messages with the {\bf messages} command. When autodisplay is turned
311 on, the messages will be displayed on the console as they are received.
313 \item [automount on/off]
314 \index[console]{automount on/off}
315 This command accepts {\bf on} or {\bf off} as the argument, and turns
316 auto-mounting of the tape after a {\bf label} command on or off
317 respectively. The default is {\bf on}. If {\bf automount} is turned
318 off, you must explicitly {\bf mount} the tape after a label command to
321 \item [{cancel [jobid=\lt{}number\gt{} job=\lt{}job-name\gt{} ujobid=\lt{}unique-jobid\gt{}]}]
322 \index[console]{cancel jobid}
323 This command is used to cancel a job and accepts {\bf jobid=nnn} or {\bf
324 job=xxx} as an argument where nnn is replaced by the JobId and xxx is
325 replaced by the job name. If you do not specify a keyword, the Console
326 program will prompt you with the names of all the active jobs allowing
329 Once a Job is marked to be canceled, it may take a bit of time
330 (generally within a minute) before it actually terminates, depending on
331 what operations it is doing.
333 \item [{create [pool=\lt{}pool-name\gt{}]}]
334 \index[console]{create pool}
335 This command is not normally used as the Pool records are automatically
336 created by the Director when it starts based on what it finds in
337 the conf file. If needed, this command can be
338 to create a Pool record in the database using the
339 Pool resource record defined in the Director's configuration file. So
340 in a sense, this command simply transfers the information from the Pool
341 resource in the configuration file into the Catalog. Normally this
342 command is done automatically for you when the Director starts providing
343 the Pool is referenced within a Job resource. If you use this command
344 on an existing Pool, it will automatically update the Catalog to have
345 the same information as the Pool resource. After creating a Pool, you
346 will most likely use the {\bf label} command to label one or more
347 volumes and add their names to the Media database.
349 When starting a Job, if Bacula determines that there is no Pool record
350 in the database, but there is a Pool resource of the appropriate name,
351 it will create it for you. If you want the Pool record to appear in the
352 database immediately, simply use this command to force it to be created.
354 \item [{delete [volume=\lt{}vol-name\gt{} pool=\lt{}pool-name\gt{} job
355 jobid=\lt{}id\gt{}]}]
356 \index[console]{delete}
357 The delete command is used to delete a Volume, Pool or Job record from
358 the Catalog as well as all associated catalog Volume records that were
359 created. This command operates only on the Catalog database and has no
360 effect on the actual data written to a Volume. This command can be
361 dangerous and we strongly recommend that you do not use it unless you
362 know what you are doing.
364 If the keyword {\bf Volume} appears on the command line, the named
365 Volume will be deleted from the catalog, if the keyword {\bf Pool}
366 appears on the command line, a Pool will be deleted, and if the keyword
367 {\bf Job} appears on the command line, a Job and all its associated
368 records (File and JobMedia) will be deleted from the catalog. The full
369 form of this command is:
372 delete pool=\lt{}pool-name\gt{}
378 delete volume=\lt{}volume-name\gt{} pool=\lt{}pool-name\gt{} or
382 delete JobId=\lt{}job-id\gt{} JobId=\lt{}job-id2\gt{} ... or
386 delete Job JobId=n,m,o-r,t ...
389 The first form deletes a Pool record from the catalog database. The
390 second form deletes a Volume record from the specified pool in the
391 catalog database. The third form deletes the specified Job record from
392 the catalog database. The last form deletes JobId records for JobIds
393 n, m, o, p, q, r, and t. Where each one of the n,m,... is, of course, a
394 number. That is a "delete jobid" accepts lists and ranges of
397 \item [disable job\lt{}job-name\gt{}]
398 \index[console]{enable}
399 This command permits you to disable a Job for automatic scheduling.
400 The job may have been previously enabled with the Job resource
401 {\bf Enabled} directive or using the console {\bf enable} command.
402 The next time the Director is restarted or the conf file is reloaded,
403 the Enable/Disable state will be set to the value in the Job resource
406 \item [enable job\lt{}job-name\gt{}]
407 \index[console]{enable}
408 This command permits you to enable a Job for automatic scheduling.
409 The job may have been previously disabled with the Job resource
410 {\bf Enabled} directive or using the console {\bf disable} command.
411 The next time the Director is restarted or the conf file is reloaded,
412 the Enable/Disable state will be set to the value in the Job resource
417 \index[console]{estimate}
418 Using this command, you can get an idea how many files will be backed
419 up, or if you are unsure about your Include statements in your FileSet,
420 you can test them without doing an actual backup. The default is to
421 assume a Full backup. However, you can override this by specifying a
422 {\bf level=Incremental} or {\bf level=Differential} on the command line.
423 A Job name must be specified or you will be prompted for one, and
424 optionally a Client and FileSet may be specified on the command line.
425 It then contacts the client which computes the number of files and bytes
426 that would be backed up. Please note that this is an estimate
427 calculated from the number of blocks in the file rather than by reading
428 the actual bytes. As such, the estimated backup size will generally be
429 larger than an actual backup.
431 Optionally you may specify the keyword {\bf listing} in which case, all the
432 files to be backed up will be listed. Note, it could take quite some time to
433 display them if the backup is large. The full form is:
437 estimate job=\lt{}job-name\gt{} listing client=\lt{}client-name\gt{}
438 fileset=\lt{}fileset-name\gt{} level=\lt{}level-name\gt{}
441 Specification of the {\bf job} is sufficient, but you can also override
442 the client, fileset and/or level by specifying them on the estimate
446 As an example, you might do:
451 estimate job=NightlySave listing level=Incremental
456 which will do a full listing of all files to be backed up for the Job {\bf
457 NightlySave} during an Incremental save and put it in the file {\bf
458 /tmp/listing}. Note, the byte estimate provided by this command is
459 based on the file size contained in the directory item. This can give
460 wildly incorrect estimates of the actual storage used if there are
461 sparse files on your systems. Sparse files are often found on 64 bit
462 systems for certain system files. The size that is returned is the size
463 Bacula will backup if the sparse option is not specified in the FileSet.
464 There is currently no way to get an estimate of the real file size that
465 would be found should the sparse option be enabled.
469 \index[console]{help}
470 This command displays the list of commands available.
473 \index[console]{label}
474 \index[console]{relabel}
475 \index[general]{label}
476 \index[general]{relabel}
477 This command is used to label physical volumes. The full form of this command
481 label storage=\lt{}storage-name\gt{} volume=\lt{}volume-name\gt{}
485 If you leave out any part, you will be prompted for it. The media type
486 is automatically taken from the Storage resource definition that you
487 supply. Once the necessary information is obtained, the Console program
488 contacts the specified Storage daemon and requests that the tape be
489 labeled. If the tape labeling is successful, the Console program will
490 create a Volume record in the appropriate Pool.
492 The Volume name is restricted to letters, numbers, and the special
493 characters hyphen ({\bf -}), underscore ({\bf \_}), colon ({\bf :}), and
494 period ({\bf .}). All other characters including a space are illegal.
495 This restriction is to ensure good readability of Volume names to reduce
498 Please note, when labeling a blank tape, Bacula will get {\bf read I/O
499 error} when it attempts to ensure that the tape is already labeled. If
500 you wish to avoid getting these messages, please write an EOF mark on
501 your tape before attempting to label it:
511 The label command can fail for a number of reasons:
514 \item The Volume name you specify is already in the Volume database.
515 \item The Storage daemon has a tape already mounted on the device, in which
516 case you must {\bf unmount} the device, insert a blank tape, then do the
518 \item The tape in the device is already a Bacula labeled tape. (Bacula will
519 never relabel a Bacula labeled tape unless it is recycled and you use the
520 {\bf relabel} command).
521 \item There is no tape in the drive.
524 There are two ways to relabel a volume that already has a Bacula label. The
525 brute force method is to write an end of file mark on the tape using the
526 system {\bf mt} program, something like the following:
530 mt -f /dev/st0 rewind
535 Then you use the {\bf label} command to add a new label. However, this could
536 leave traces of the old volume in the catalog.
538 The preferable method to relabel a tape is to first {\bf purge} the volume,
539 either automatically, or explicitly with the {\bf purge} command, then use
540 the {\bf relabel} command described below.
542 If your autochanger has barcode labels, you can label all the Volumes in your
543 autochanger one after another by using the {\bf label barcodes} command. For
544 each tape in the changer containing a barcode, Bacula will mount the tape and
545 then label it with the same name as the barcode. An appropriate Media record
546 will also be created in the catalog. Any barcode that begins with the same
547 characters as specified on the "CleaningPrefix=xxx" directive in the
548 Director's Pool resource, will be
549 treated as a cleaning tape, and will not be labeled. However,
550 an entry for the cleaning tape will be created in
551 the catalog. For example with:
557 Cleaning Prefix = "CLN"
563 Any slot containing a barcode of CLNxxxx will be treated as a cleaning tape
564 and will not be mounted. Note, the full form of the command is:
568 update storage=xxx pool=yyy slots=1-5,10 barcodes
573 \index[console]{list}
574 The list command lists the requested contents of the Catalog. The
575 various fields of each record are listed on a single line. The various
576 forms of the list command are:
581 list jobid=<id> (list jobid id)
583 list ujobid<unique job name> (list job with unique name)
585 list job=<job-name> (list all jobs with "job-name")
587 list jobname=<job-name> (same as above)
589 In the above, you can add "limit=nn" to limit the output to
594 list jobmedia jobid=<id>
596 list jobmedia job=<job-name>
598 list files jobid=<id>
600 list files job=<job-name>
610 list volumes jobid=<id>
612 list volumes pool=<pool-name>
614 list volumes job=<job-name>
616 list volume=<volume-name>
618 list nextvolume job=<job-name>
620 list nextvol job=<job-name>
622 list nextvol job=<job-name> days=nnn
627 What most of the above commands do should be more or less obvious. In
628 general if you do not specify all the command line arguments, the
629 command will prompt you for what is needed.
631 The {\bf list nextvol} command will print the Volume name to be used by
632 the specified job. You should be aware that exactly what Volume will be
633 used depends on a lot of factors including the time and what a prior job
634 will do. It may fill a tape that is not full when you issue this
635 command. As a consequence, this command will give you a good estimate
636 of what Volume will be used but not a definitive answer. In addition,
637 this command may have certain side effect because it runs through the
638 same algorithm as a job, which means it may automatically purge or
639 recycle a Volume. By default, the job specified must run within the
640 next two days or no volume will be found. You can, however, use the
641 {\bf days=nnn} specification to specify up to 50 days. For example,
642 if on Friday, you want to see what Volume will be needed on Monday,
643 for job MyJob, you would use {\bf list nextvol job=MyJob days=3}.
645 If you wish to add specialized commands that list the contents of the
646 catalog, you can do so by adding them to the {\bf query.sql} file.
647 However, this takes some knowledge of programming SQL. Please see the
648 {\bf query} command below for additional information. See below for
649 listing the full contents of a catalog record with the {\bf llist}
652 As an example, the command {\bf list pools} might produce the following
657 +------+---------+---------+---------+----------+-------------+
658 | PoId | Name | NumVols | MaxVols | PoolType | LabelFormat |
659 +------+---------+---------+---------+----------+-------------+
660 | 1 | Default | 0 | 0 | Backup | * |
661 | 2 | Recycle | 0 | 8 | Backup | File |
662 +------+---------+---------+---------+----------+-------------+
666 As mentioned above, the {\bf list} command lists what is in the
667 database. Some things are put into the database immediately when Bacula
668 starts up, but in general, most things are put in only when they are
669 first used, which is the case for a Client as with Job records, etc.
671 Bacula should create a client record in the database the first time you
672 run a job for that client. Doing a {\bf status} will not cause a
673 database record to be created. The client database record will be
674 created whether or not the job fails, but it must at least start. When
675 the Client is actually contacted, additional info from the client will
676 be added to the client record (a "uname -a" output).
678 If you want to see what Client resources you have available in your conf
679 file, you use the Console command {\bf show clients}.
682 \index[console]{llist}
683 The llist or "long list" command takes all the same arguments that the
684 list command described above does. The difference is that the llist
685 command list the full contents of each database record selected. It
686 does so by listing the various fields of the record vertically, with one
687 field per line. It is possible to produce a very large number of output
688 lines with this command.
690 If instead of the {\bf list pools} as in the example above, you enter
691 {\bf llist pools} you might get the following output:
702 VolRetention: 1,296,000
703 VolUseDuration: 86,400
719 VolUseDuration: 3,600
731 \index[console]{messages}
732 This command causes any pending console messages to be immediately displayed.
736 \index[console]{mount}
737 The mount command is used to get Bacula to read a volume on a physical
738 device. It is a way to tell Bacula that you have mounted a tape and
739 that Bacula should examine the tape. This command is normally
740 used only after there was no Volume in a drive and Bacula requests you to mount a new
741 Volume or when you have specifically unmounted a Volume with the {\bf
742 unmount} console command, which causes Bacula to close the drive. If
743 you have an autoloader, the mount command will not cause Bacula to
744 operate the autoloader unless you specify a {\bf slot} and possibly a
745 {\bf drive}. The various forms of the mount command are:
747 mount storage=\lt{}storage-name\gt{} [ slot=\lt{}num\gt{} ] [
748 drive=\lt{}num\gt{} ]
750 mount [ jobid=\lt{}id\gt{} | job=\lt{}job-name\gt{} ]
752 If you have specified {\bf Automatic Mount = yes} in the Storage daemon's
753 Device resource, under most circumstances, Bacula will automatically access
754 the Volume unless you have explicitly {\bf unmount}ed it in the Console
758 \index[console]{python}
759 The python command takes a single argument {\bf restart}:
763 This causes the Python interpreter in the Director to be reinitialized.
764 This can be helpful for testing because once the Director starts and the
765 Python interpreter is initialized, there is no other way to make it
766 accept any changes to the startup script {\bf DirStartUp.py}. For more
767 details on Python scripting, please see the \ilink{Python
768 Scripting}{_ChapterStart60} chapter of this manual.
770 \label{ManualPruning}
772 \index[console]{prune}
773 The Prune command allows you to safely remove expired database records
774 from Jobs and Volumes. This command works only on the Catalog database
775 and does not affect data written to Volumes. In all cases, the Prune
776 command applies a retention period to the specified records. You can
777 Prune expired File entries from Job records; you can Prune expired Job
778 records from the database, and you can Prune both expired Job and File
779 records from specified Volumes.
781 prune files|jobs|volume client=\lt{}client-name\gt{}
782 volume=\lt{}volume-name\gt{}
784 For a Volume to be pruned, the {\bf VolStatus} must be Full, Used, or
785 Append, otherwise the pruning will not take place.
788 \index[console]{purge}
789 The Purge command will delete associated Catalog database records from
790 Jobs and Volumes without considering the retention period. {\bf Purge}
791 works only on the Catalog database and does not affect data written to
792 Volumes. This command can be dangerous because you can delete catalog
793 records associated with current backups of files, and we recommend that
794 you do not use it unless you know what you are doing. The permitted
795 forms of {\bf purge} are:
797 purge files jobid=\lt{}jobid\gt{}|job=\lt{}job-name\gt{}|client=\lt{}client-name\gt{}
799 purge jobs client=\lt{}client-name\gt{} (of all jobs)
801 purge volume|volume=\lt{}vol-name\gt{} (of all jobs)
803 For the {\bf purge} command to work on Volume Catalog database records the
804 {\bf VolStatus} must be Append, Full, Used, or Error.
806 The actual data written to the Volume will be unaffected by this command.
809 \index[console]{relabel}
810 \index[general]{relabel}
811 This command is used to label physical volumes. The full form of this
814 relabel storage=\lt{}storage-name\gt{} oldvolume=\lt{}old-volume-name\gt{}
815 volume=\lt{}newvolume-name\gt{}
817 If you leave out any part, you will be prompted for it. In order for
818 the Volume (old-volume-name) to be relabeled, it must be in the catalog,
819 and the volume status must be marked {\bf Purged} or {\bf Recycle}.
820 This happens automatically as a result of applying retention periods, or
821 you may explicitly purge the volume using the {\bf purge} command.
823 Once the volume is physically relabeled, the old data previously written
824 on the Volume is lost and cannot be recovered.
827 \index[console]{release}
828 This command is used to cause the Storage daemon to rewind (release) the
829 current tape in the drive, and to re-read the Volume label the next time
832 release storage=\lt{}storage-name\gt{}
834 After a release command, the device is still kept open by Bacula (unless
835 Always Open is set to No in the Storage Daemon's configuration) so it
836 cannot be used by another program. However, with some tape drives, the
837 operator can remove the current tape and to insert a different one, and
838 when the next Job starts, Bacula will know to re-read the tape label to
839 find out what tape is mounted. If you want to be able to use the drive
840 with another program (e.g. {\bf mt}), you must use the {\bf unmount}
841 command to cause Bacula to completely release (close) the device.
844 \index[console]{reload}
845 The reload command causes the Director to re-read its configuration
846 file and apply the new values. The new values will take effect
847 immediately for all new jobs. However, if you change schedules,
848 be aware that the scheduler pre-schedules jobs up to two hours in
849 advance, so any changes that are to take place during the next two
850 hours may be delayed. Jobs that have already been scheduled to run
851 (i.e. surpassed their requested start time) will continue with the
852 old values. New jobs will use the new values. Each time you issue
853 a reload command while jobs are running, the prior config values
854 will queued until all jobs that were running before issuing
855 the reload terminate, at which time the old config values will
856 be released from memory. The Directory permits keeping up to
857 10 prior set of configurations before it will refuse a reload
858 command. Once at least one old set of config values has been
859 released it will again accept new reload commands.
861 While it is possible to reload the Director's configuration on the fly,
862 even while jobs are executing, this is a complex operation and not
863 without side effects. Accordingly, if you have to reload the Director's
864 configuration while Bacula is running, it is advisable to restart the
865 Director at the next convenient opportunity.
867 \label{restore_command}
869 \index[console]{restore}
870 The restore command allows you to select one or more Jobs (JobIds) to be
871 restored using various methods. Once the JobIds are selected, the File
872 records for those Jobs are placed in an internal Bacula directory tree,
873 and the restore enters a file selection mode that allows you to
874 interactively walk up and down the file tree selecting individual files
875 to be restored. This mode is somewhat similar to the standard Unix {\bf
876 restore} program's interactive file selection mode.
878 restore storage=\lt{}storage-name\gt{} client=\lt{}client-name\gt{}
879 where=\lt{}path\gt{} pool=\lt{}pool-name\gt{} fileset=\lt{}fileset-name\gt{}
880 select current all done
882 Where {\bf current}, if specified, tells the restore command to
883 automatically select a restore to the most current backup. If not
884 specified, you will be prompted. The {\bf all} specification tells the
885 restore command to restore all files. If it is not specified, you will
886 be prompted for the files to restore. For details of the {\bf restore}
887 command, please see the \ilink{Restore Chapter}{_ChapterStart13} of this
892 This command allows you to schedule jobs to be run immediately. The full form
895 run job=\lt{}job-name\gt{} client=\lt{}client-name\gt{}
896 fileset=\lt{}FileSet-name\gt{} level=\lt{}level-keyword\gt{}
897 storage=\lt{}storage-name\gt{} where=\lt{}directory-prefix\gt{}
898 when=\lt{}universal-time-specification\gt{} yes
900 Any information that is needed but not specified will be listed for
901 selection, and before starting the job, you will be prompted to accept,
902 reject, or modify the parameters of the job to be run, unless you have
903 specified {\bf yes}, in which case the job will be immediately sent to
906 On my system, when I enter a run command, I get the following prompt:
910 A job name must be specified.
911 The defined Job resources are:
921 Select Job resource (1-9):
926 If I then select number 5, I am prompted with:
932 FileSet: Minou Full Set
937 When: 2003-04-23 17:08:18
938 OK to run? (yes/mod/no):
943 If I now enter {\bf yes}, the Job will be run. If I enter {\bf mod}, I will
944 be presented with the following prompt.
948 Parameters to modify:
956 Select parameter to modify (1-7):
961 If you wish to start a job at a later time, you can do so by setting the When
962 time. Use the {\bf mod} option and select {\bf When} (no. 6). Then enter the
963 desired start time in YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS format.
966 \index[console]{setdebug}
967 \index[dir]{setdebug}
968 \index[dir]{debugging}
969 \index[dir]{debugging Win32}
970 \index[dir]{Windows!debugging}
971 This command is used to set the debug level in each daemon. The form of this
974 setdebug level=nn [trace=0/1 client=\lt{}client-name\gt{} | dir | director |
975 storage=\lt{}storage-name\gt{} | all]
977 If trace=1 is set, then tracing will be enabled, and the daemon will be
978 placed in trace mode, which means that all debug output as set by the
979 debug level will be directed to the file {\bf bacula.trace} in the
980 current directory of the daemon. Normally, tracing is needed only for
981 Win32 clients where the debug output cannot be written to a terminal or
982 redirected to a file. When tracing, each debug output message is
983 appended to the trace file. You must explicitly delete the file when
987 \index[console]{show}
989 The show command will list the Director's resource records as defined in
990 the Director's configuration file (normally {\bf bacula-dir.conf}).
991 This command is used mainly for debugging purposes by developers.
992 The following keywords are accepted on the
993 show command line: catalogs, clients, counters, devices, directors,
994 filesets, jobs, messages, pools, schedules, storages, all, help.
995 Please don't confuse this command
996 with the {\bf list}, which displays the contents of the catalog.
999 \index[console]{sqlquery}
1000 The sqlquery command puts the Console program into SQL query mode where
1001 each line you enter is concatenated to the previous line until a
1002 semicolon (;) is seen. The semicolon terminates the command, which is
1003 then passed directly to the SQL database engine. When the output from
1004 the SQL engine is displayed, the formation of a new SQL command begins.
1005 To terminate SQL query mode and return to the Console command prompt,
1006 you enter a period (.) in column 1.
1008 Using this command, you can query the SQL catalog database directly.
1009 Note you should really know what you are doing otherwise you could
1010 damage the catalog database. See the {\bf query} command below for
1011 simpler and safer way of entering SQL queries.
1013 Depending on what database engine you are using (MySQL, PostgreSQL or
1014 SQLite), you will have somewhat different SQL commands available. For
1015 more detailed information, please refer to the MySQL, PostgreSQL or
1016 SQLite documentation.
1020 This command will display the status of the next jobs that are scheduled
1021 during the next twenty-four hours as well as the status of currently
1022 running jobs. The full form of this command is:
1024 status [all | dir=\lt{}dir-name\gt{} | director |
1025 client=\lt{}client-name\gt{} | storage=\lt{}storage-name\gt{} |
1028 If you do a {\bf status dir}, the console will list any currently
1029 running jobs, a summary of all jobs scheduled to be run in the next 24
1030 hours, and a listing of the last 10 terminated jobs with their statuses.
1031 The scheduled jobs summary will include the Volume name to be used. You
1032 should be aware of two things: 1. to obtain the volume name, the code
1033 goes through the same code that will be used when the job runs, which
1034 means that it may prune or recycle a Volume; 2. The Volume listed is
1035 only a best guess. The Volume actually used may be different because of
1036 the time difference (more durations may expire when the job runs) and
1037 another job could completely fill the Volume requiring a new one.
1039 In the Running Jobs listing, you may find the following types of
1045 2507 Catalog MatouVerify.2004-03-13_05.05.02 is waiting execution
1046 5349 Full CatalogBackup.2004-03-13_01.10.00 is waiting for higher
1047 priority jobs to finish
1048 5348 Differe Minou.2004-03-13_01.05.09 is waiting on max Storage jobs
1049 5343 Full Rufus.2004-03-13_01.05.04 is running
1053 Looking at the above listing from bottom to top, obviously JobId 5343
1054 (Rufus) is running. JobId 5348 (Minou) is waiting for JobId 5343 to
1055 finish because it is using the Storage resource, hence the "waiting on
1056 max Storage jobs". JobId 5349 has a lower priority than all the other
1057 jobs so it is waiting for higher priority jobs to finish, and finally,
1058 JobId 2508 (MatouVerify) is waiting because only one job can run at a
1059 time, hence it is simply "waiting execution"
1061 If you do a {\bf status dir}, it will by default list the first
1062 occurrence of all jobs that are scheduled today and tomorrow. If you
1063 wish to see the jobs that are scheduled in the next 3 days (e.g. on
1064 Friday you want to see the first occurrence of what tapes are scheduled
1065 to be used on Friday, the weekend, and Monday), you can add the {\bf
1066 days=3} option. Note, a {\bf days=0} shows the first occurrence of jobs
1067 scheduled today only. If you have multiple run statements, the first
1068 occurrence of each run statement for the job will be displayed for the
1071 If your job seems to be blocked, you can get a general idea of the
1072 problem by doing a {\bf status dir}, but you can most often get a
1073 much more specific indication of the problem by doing a
1074 {\bf status storage=xxx}. For example, on an idle test system, when
1075 I do {\bf status storage=File}, I get:
1079 Connecting to Storage daemon File at 192.168.68.112:8103
1081 rufus-sd Version: 1.39.6 (24 March 2006) i686-pc-linux-gnu redhat (Stentz)
1082 Daemon started 26-Mar-06 11:06, 0 Jobs run since started.
1088 Jobs waiting to reserve a drive:
1092 JobId Level Files Bytes Status Finished Name
1093 ======================================================================
1094 59 Full 234 4,417,599 OK 15-Jan-06 11:54 kernsave
1098 utochanger "DDS-4-changer" with devices:
1100 Device "DDS-4" (/dev/nst0) is mounted with Volume="TestVolume002"
1102 Slot 2 is loaded in drive 0.
1103 Total Bytes Read=0 Blocks Read=0 Bytes/block=0
1104 Positioned at File=0 Block=0
1105 Device "Dummy" is not open or does not exist.
1106 No DEVICE structure.
1108 Device "DVD-Writer" (/dev/hdc) is not open.
1109 Device "File" (/tmp) is not open.
1112 In Use Volume status:
1117 Now, what this tells me is that no jobs are running and that none of
1118 the devices are in use. Now, if I {\bf unmount} the autochanger, which
1119 will not be used in this example, and then start a Job that uses the
1120 File device, the job will block. When I re-issue the status storage
1121 command, I get for the Device status:
1128 Autochanger "DDS-4-changer" with devices:
1130 Device "DDS-4" (/dev/nst0) is not open.
1131 Device is BLOCKED. User unmounted.
1132 Drive 0 is not loaded.
1133 Device "Dummy" is not open or does not exist.
1134 No DEVICE structure.
1136 Device "DVD-Writer" (/dev/hdc) is not open.
1137 Device "File" (/tmp) is not open.
1138 Device is BLOCKED waiting for media.
1144 Now, here it should be clear that if a job were running that wanted
1145 to use the Autochanger (with two devices), it would block because
1146 the user unmounted the device. The real problem for the Job I started
1147 using the "File" device is that the device is blocked waiting for
1148 media -- that is Bacula needs you to label a Volume.
1151 \index[console]{unmount}
1152 This command causes the indicated Bacula Storage daemon to unmount the
1153 specified device. The forms of the command are the same as the mount command:
1156 unmount storage=<storage-name> [ drive=\lt{}num\gt{} ]
1158 unmount [ jobid=<id> | job=<job-name> ]
1162 Once you unmount a storage device, Bacula will no longer be able to use
1163 it until you issue a mount command for that device. If Bacula needs to
1164 access that device, it will block and issue mount requests periodically
1167 If the device you are unmounting is an autochanger, it will unload
1168 the drive you have specified on the command line. If no drive is
1169 specified, it will assume drive 1.
1171 \label{UpdateCommand}
1173 \index[console]{update}
1174 This command will update the catalog for either a specific Pool record, a Volume
1175 record, or the Slots in an autochanger with barcode capability. In the case
1176 of updating a Pool record, the new information will be automatically taken
1177 from the corresponding Director's configuration resource record. It can be
1178 used to increase the maximum number of volumes permitted or to set a maximum
1179 number of volumes. The following main keywords may be specified:
1182 media, volume, pool, slots
1186 In the case of updating a Volume, you will be prompted for which value you
1187 wish to change. The following Volume parameters may be changed:
1193 Volume Retention Period
1196 Maximum Volume Files
1197 Maximum Volume Bytes
1204 All Volumes from Pool
1209 For slots {\bf update slots}, Bacula will obtain a list of slots and
1210 their barcodes from the Storage daemon, and for each barcode found, it
1211 will automatically update the slot in the catalog Media record to
1212 correspond to the new value. This is very useful if you have moved
1213 cassettes in the magazine, or if you have removed the magazine and
1214 inserted a different one. As the slot of each Volume is updated, the
1215 InChanger flag for that Volume will also be set, and any other Volumes
1216 in the Pool that were last mounted on the same Storage device
1217 will have their InChanger flag turned off. This permits
1218 Bacula to know what magazine (tape holder) is currently in the
1221 If you do not have barcodes, you can accomplish the same thing in
1222 version 1.33 and later by using the {\bf update slots scan} command.
1223 The {\bf scan} keyword tells Bacula to physically mount each tape and to
1224 read its VolumeName.
1226 For Pool {\bf update pool}, Bacula will move the Volume record from its
1227 existing pool to the pool specified.
1229 For {\bf Volume from Pool} and {\bf All Volumes from Pool}, the
1230 following values are updated from the Pool record: Recycle,
1231 VolRetention, VolUseDuration, MaxVolJobs, MaxVolFiles, and MaxVolBytes.
1233 The full form of the update command with all command line arguments is:
1237 update volume=xxx pool=yyy slots volstatus=xxx VolRetention=ddd
1238 VolUse=ddd MaxVolJobs=nnn MaxVolBytes=nnn Recycle=yes|no
1245 \index[console]{use}
1246 This command allows you to specify which Catalog database to use. Normally,
1247 you will be using only one database so this will be done automatically. In
1248 the case that you are using more than one database, you can use this command
1249 to switch from one to another.
1251 use \lt{}database-name\gt{}
1255 \index[console]{var name}
1256 This command takes a string or quoted string and does variable expansion on
1257 it the same way variable expansion is done on the {\bf LabelFormat} string.
1258 Thus, for the most part, you can test your LabelFormat strings. The
1259 difference between the {\bf var} command and the actual LabelFormat process
1260 is that during the var command, no job is running so "dummy" values are
1261 used in place of Job specific variables. Generally, however, you will get a
1262 good idea of what is going to happen in the real case.
1265 \index[console]{version}
1266 The command prints the Director's version.
1269 \index[console]{quit}
1270 This command terminates the console program. The console program sends the
1271 {\bf quit} request to the Director and waits for acknowledgment. If the
1272 Director is busy doing a previous command for you that has not terminated, it
1273 may take some time. You may quit immediately by issuing the {\bf .quit}
1274 command (i.e. quit preceded by a period).
1277 \index[console]{query}
1278 This command reads a predefined SQL query from the query file (the name and
1279 location of the query file is defined with the QueryFile resource record in
1280 the Director's configuration file). You are prompted to select a query from
1281 the file, and possibly enter one or more parameters, then the command is
1282 submitted to the Catalog database SQL engine.
1284 The following queries are currently available (version 1.24):
1290 2: List where a file is saved:
1291 3: List where the most recent copies of a file are saved:
1292 4: List total files/bytes by Job:
1293 5: List total files/bytes by Volume:
1294 6: List last 20 Full Backups for a Client:
1295 7: List Volumes used by selected JobId:
1296 8: List Volumes to Restore All Files:
1297 9: List where a File is saved:
1298 Choose a query (1-9):
1304 \index[console]{exit}
1305 This command terminates the console program.
1308 \index[console]{wait}
1309 The wait command causes the Director to pause until there are no jobs
1310 running. This command is useful in a batch situation such as regression
1311 testing where you wish to start a job and wait until that job completes
1312 before continuing. This command now has the following options:
1315 wait [jobid=nn] [jobuid=unique id] [job=job name]
1318 If specified with a specific JobId, ... the wait command will wait
1319 for that particular job to terminate before continuing.
1324 \subsection*{Special dot Commands}
1325 \index[general]{Commands!Special dot}
1326 \index[general]{Special dot Commands}
1327 \addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Special dot Commands}
1329 There is a list of commands that are prefixed with a period (.). These
1330 commands are intended to be used either by batch programs or graphical user
1331 interface front-ends. They are not normally used by interactive users. Once
1332 GUI development begins, this list will be considerably expanded. The following
1333 is the list of dot commands:
1337 .backups job=xxx list backups for specified job
1338 .clients list all client names
1339 .defaults client=xxx fileset=yyy list defaults for specified client
1340 .die cause the Director to segment fault (for debugging)
1341 .dir when in tree mode prints the equivalent to the dir command,
1342 but with fields separated by commas rather than spaces.
1344 .filesets list all fileset names
1345 .help help command output
1346 .jobs list all job names
1347 .levels list all levels
1348 .messages get quick messages
1349 .msgs return any queued messages
1350 .pools list all pool names
1352 .status get status output
1353 .storage return storage resource names
1354 .types list job types
1360 \subsection*{Special At (@) Commands}
1361 \index[general]{Commands!Special At @}
1362 \index[general]{Special At (@) Commands}
1363 \addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Special At (@) Commands}
1365 Normally, all commands entered to the Console program are immediately
1366 forwarded to the Director, which may be on another machine, to be executed.
1367 However, there is a small list of {\bf at} commands, all beginning with an at
1368 character (@), that will not be sent to the Director, but rather interpreted
1369 by the Console program directly. Note, these commands are implemented only in
1370 the tty console program and not in the GNOME Console. These commands are:
1374 \item [@input \lt{}filename\gt{}]
1375 \index[console]{@input \lt{}filename\gt{}}
1376 Read and execute the commands contained in the file specified.
1378 \item [@output \lt{}filename\gt{} w/a]
1379 \index[console]{@output \lt{}filename\gt{} w/a}
1380 Send all following output to the filename specified either overwriting the
1381 file (w) or appending to the file (a). To redirect the output to the
1382 terminal, simply enter {\bf @output} without a filename specification.
1383 WARNING: be careful not to overwrite a valid file. A typical example during a
1384 regression test might be:
1395 \item [@tee \lt{}filename\gt{} w/a]
1396 \index[console]{@tee \lt{}filename\gt{} w/a}
1397 Send all subsequent output to both the specified file and the terminal. It is
1398 turned off by specifying {\bf @tee} or {\bf @output} without a filename.
1400 \item [@sleep \lt{}seconds\gt{}]
1401 \index[console]{@sleep \lt{}seconds\gt{}}
1402 Sleep the specified number of seconds.
1405 \index[console]{@time}
1406 Print the current time and date.
1409 \index[console]{@version}
1410 Print the console's version.
1413 \index[console]{@quit}
1417 \index[console]{@exit}
1420 \item [@\# anything]
1421 \index[console]{anything}
1427 \subsection*{Running the Console Program from a Shell Script}
1428 \index[general]{Script!Running the Console Program from a Shell}
1429 \index[general]{Running the Console Program from a Shell Script}
1430 \addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Running the Console Program from a Shell
1433 You can automate many Console tasks by running the console program from a
1434 shell script. For example, if you have created a file containing the following
1439 ./bconsole -c ./bconsole.conf <<END_OF_DATA
1440 unmount storage=DDS-4
1446 when that file is executed, it will unmount the current DDS-4 storage device.
1447 You might want to run this command during a Job by using the {\bf
1448 RunBeforeJob} or {\bf RunAfterJob} records.
1450 It is also possible to run the Console program from file input where the file
1451 contains the commands as follows:
1455 ./bconsole -c ./bconsole.conf <filename
1459 where the file named {\bf filename} contains any set of console commands.
1461 As a real example, the following script is part of the Bacula regression
1462 tests. It labels a volume (a disk volume), runs a backup, then does a restore
1467 bin/bconsole -c bin/bconsole.conf <<END_OF_DATA
1470 @output /tmp/log1.out
1471 label volume=TestVolume001
1478 @output /tmp/log2.out
1489 The output from the backup is directed to /tmp/log1.out and the output from
1490 the restore is directed to /tmp/log2.out. To ensure that the backup and
1491 restore ran correctly, the output files are checked with:
1495 grep "^Termination: *Backup OK" /tmp/log1.out
1497 grep "^Termination: *Restore OK" /tmp/log2.out
1502 \subsection*{Adding Volumes to a Pool}
1503 \index[general]{Adding Volumes to a Pool}
1504 \index[general]{Pool!Adding Volumes to a}
1505 \addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Adding Volumes to a Pool}
1507 If you have used the {\bf label} command to label a Volume, it will be
1508 automatically added to the Pool, and you will not need to add any media to the
1511 Alternatively, you may choose to add a number of Volumes to the pool without
1512 labeling them. At a later time when the Volume is requested by {\bf Bacula}
1513 you will need to label it.
1515 Before adding a volume, you must know the following information:
1518 \item The name of the Pool (normally "Default")
1519 \item The Media Type as specified in the Storage Resource in the Director's
1520 configuration file (e.g. "DLT8000")
1521 \item The number and names of the Volumes you wish to create.
1524 For example, to add media to a Pool, you would issue the following commands to
1525 the console program:
1530 Enter name of Pool to add Volumes to: Default
1531 Enter the Media Type: DLT8000
1532 Enter number of Media volumes to create. Max=1000: 10
1533 Enter base volume name: Save
1534 Enter the starting number: 1
1535 10 Volumes created in pool Default
1540 To see what you have added, enter:
1544 *list media pool=Default
1545 +-------+----------+---------+---------+-------+------------------+
1546 | MedId | VolumeNa | MediaTyp| VolStat | Bytes | LastWritten |
1547 +-------+----------+---------+---------+-------+------------------+
1548 | 11 | Save0001 | DLT8000 | Append | 0 | 0000-00-00 00:00 |
1549 | 12 | Save0002 | DLT8000 | Append | 0 | 0000-00-00 00:00 |
1550 | 13 | Save0003 | DLT8000 | Append | 0 | 0000-00-00 00:00 |
1551 | 14 | Save0004 | DLT8000 | Append | 0 | 0000-00-00 00:00 |
1552 | 15 | Save0005 | DLT8000 | Append | 0 | 0000-00-00 00:00 |
1553 | 16 | Save0006 | DLT8000 | Append | 0 | 0000-00-00 00:00 |
1554 | 17 | Save0007 | DLT8000 | Append | 0 | 0000-00-00 00:00 |
1555 | 18 | Save0008 | DLT8000 | Append | 0 | 0000-00-00 00:00 |
1556 | 19 | Save0009 | DLT8000 | Append | 0 | 0000-00-00 00:00 |
1557 | 20 | Save0010 | DLT8000 | Append | 0 | 0000-00-00 00:00 |
1558 +-------+----------+---------+---------+-------+------------------+
1563 Notice that the console program automatically appended a number to the base
1564 Volume name that you specify (Save in this case). If you don't want it to
1565 append a number, you can simply answer 0 (zero) to the question "Enter number
1566 of Media volumes to create. Max=1000:", and in this case, it will create a
1567 single Volume with the exact name you specify.