Projects:
- Bacula Projects Roadmap
- 18 February 2004
-
-Completed items from last year's list:
-Item 1: Multiple simultaneous Jobs. (done)
-Item 3: Write the bscan program -- also write a bcopy program (done).
-Item 5: Implement Label templates (done).
-Item 6: Write a regression script (done)
-Item 9: Add SSL to daemon communications (For now, implement with stunnel)
-Item 10: Define definitive tape format (done)
+ Bacula Projects Roadmap
+ 22 February 2004
Item 1: Implement Base jobs.
will want the FileSet to contain only files that are unlikely
to change in the future (i.e. a snapshot of most of your
system after installing it). After the base job has been run,
- when you are doing a Full save, you can specify to exclude
- all files saved by the base job that have not been modified.
-
- Why: This is something none of the competition does, as far as we know
+ when you are doing a Full save, you specify one or more
+ Base jobs to be used. All files that have been backed up in
+ the Base job/jobs but not modified will then be excluded from
+ the backup. During a restore, the Base jobs will be
+ automatically pulled in where necessary.
+
+ Why: This is something none of the competition does, as far as we
+know
(except BackupPC, which is a Perl program that saves to disk
only). It is big win for the user, it makes Bacula stand out
as offering a unique optimization that immediately saves time
- and money.
+ and money. Basically, imagine that you have 100 nearly
+identical
+ Windows or Linux machine containing the OS and user files.
+ Now for the OS part, a Base job will be backed up once, and
+ rather than making 100 copies of the OS, there will be only
+ one. If one or more of the systems have some files updated,
+ no problem, they will be automatically restored.
- Notes: Big savings in tape usage. Will require more resources because
- the DIR must send FD a list of files/attribs, and the FD must
- search the list and compare it for each file to be saved.
+ Notes: Huge savings in tape usage even for a single machine. Will
+ require more resources because the DIR must send FD a list of
+ files/attribs, and the FD must search the list and compare it
+ for each file to be saved.
-Item 2: Make the Storage daemon use intermediate file storage to buffer data
- or Data Spooling.
- What: If data is coming into the SD too fast, buffer it to
- disk if the user has configured this option, so that tape
- shuttling or shoe-shine can be reduced.
+Item 2: Job Data Spooling.
- Why: This would be a nice project and is the most requested feature.
- Even though you may finish a client job quicker by spilling to
+ What: Make the Storage daemon use intermediate file storage to
+buffer
+ the data to disk before writing it to the tape.
+
+ Why: This would be a nice project and is the most requested
+feature.
+ Even though you may finish a client job quicker by spooling to
disk, you still have to eventually get it onto tape. If
intermediate disk buffering allows us to improve write
bandwidth to tape, it may make sense. In addition, you can
data can be written one job at a time to the tape at full
tape speed. This keeps the tape running smoothly and prevents
blocks from different simultaneous jobs from being intermixed
- on the tape, which is very ineffficient for restores.
+ on the tape, which is very inefficient for restores.
+
+ Notes: Need multiple spool directories. Should possibly be able
+ to spool by Job type, ... Possibly need high and low spool
+ data levels.
- Notes:
Item 3: GUI for interactive restore
Item 4: GUI for interactive backup
Why: Ease of use -- especially for the end user.
- Notes: Rather than implementing in Gtk, we probably should go directly
+ Notes: Rather than implementing in Gtk, we probably should go
+directly
for a Browser implementation, even if doing so meant the
capability wouldn't be available until much later. Not only
is there the question of Windows sites, most
own files will in most cases be on a Windows machine running
Exploder.
-Item 5: Implement data encryption (as opposed to communications
- encryption)
-
- What: Currently the data that is stored on the Volume is not
- encrypted. For confidentiality, encryption of data at
- the File daemon level is essential. Note, communications
- encryption encrypts the data when leaving the File daemon,
- then decrypts the data on entry to the Storage daemon.
- Data encryption encrypts the data in the File daemon and
- decrypts the data in the File daemon during a restore.
- Why: Large sites require this.
-
- Notes: The only algorithm that is needed is AES.
- http://csrc.nist.gov/CryptoToolkit/aes/
-
-Item 6: Implement a Migration job type that will move the job
+Item 5: Implement a Migration job type that will move the job
data from one device to another.
What: The ability to copy, move, or archive data that is on a
Why: An ISP might want to backup to disk, but after 30 days
migrate the data to tape backup and delete it from disk.
- Bacula should be able to handle this automatically. It needs to
+ Bacula should be able to handle this automatically. It needs
+to
know what was put where, and when, and what to migrate -- it
is a bit like retention periods. Doing so would allow space to
- be freed up for current backups while maintaining older data on
+ be freed up for current backups while maintaining older data
+on
tape drives.
Notes: Migration could be triggered by:
Lowwater mark
-Item 7: New daemon communication protocol.
+Item 6: Embedded Perl Scripting (precursor to 7).
+
+ What: On a configuration parameter, embed the Perl language in
+ Bacula.
+
+ Why: The embedded Perl scripting can be called to implement
+ Events such as "Volume Name needed", "End of Tape",
+ "Tape at x% of rated capacity", "Job started",
+ "Job Ended", "Job error", ...
+
+ Notes: This needs Events.
+
+
+Item 7: Implement Events (requires 6).
+
+ What: When a particular user defined Event occurs, call the
+ embedded Perl interpreter.
+
+ Why: This will provide the ultimate in user customization for
+ Bacula. Almost anything imaginable can be done if Events
+ are called at the appropriate place.
+
+ Notes: There is a certain amount of work to be done on how
+ the user defines or "registers" events.
+
+
+Item 8: Multiple Storage Devices for a Single Job
+
+ What: Allow any Job to use more than one Storage device.
+
+ Why: With two devices, for example, the second device could
+ have the next backup tape pre-mounted reducing operator
+ intervention in the middle of the night.
+
+
+Item 9: Backup a Single Job Simultaneously to Multiple Storage
+ Devices
+
+ What: Make two copies of the backup data at the same time.
+
+ Why: Large shops typically do this and then take one set of
+ backups off-site. Some design work it needed in how to
+ specify the type of backup (backup, archive, ...) for each
+ Device.
+
+
+Item 10: Break the one-to-one Relationship between a Job and a
+ Specific Storage Device (or Devices if #10 is implemented).
+
+ What: Allow a Job to simply specify one or more MediaType, and the
+ Storage daemon will select a device for it. In fact, the user
+ should be able to specify one or more MediaType, Storage
+ daemon, and/or device to be used.
+
+ Why: To allow more flexibility in large shops that have multiple
+ drives and/or multiple drives of different types.
+
+
+Item 11: Add Regular Expression Matching and Plug-ins to the
+ FileSet Include statements.
+
+ What: Allow users to specify wild-card and/or regular expressions
+ to be matched in both the Include and Exclude directives
+ in a FileSet. At the same time, allow users to define plug-ins
+ to be called (based on regular expression/wild-card matching).
+
+ Why: This would give the users the ultimate ability to control how
+ files are backed up/restored. A user could write a plug-in
+ knows how to backup his Oracle database without
+ stopping/starting it, for example.
+
+
+Item 12: Implement data encryption (as opposed to communications
+ encryption)
+
+ What: Currently the data that is stored on the Volume is not
+ encrypted. For confidentiality, encryption of data at
+ the File daemon level is essential. Note, communications
+ encryption encrypts the data when leaving the File daemon,
+ then decrypts the data on entry to the Storage daemon.
+ Data encryption encrypts the data in the File daemon and
+ decrypts the data in the File daemon during a restore.
+
+ Why: Large sites require this.
+
+ Notes: The only algorithm that is needed is AES.
+ http://csrc.nist.gov/CryptoToolkit/aes/
+
+
+Item 13: New daemon communication protocol.
What: The current daemon to daemon protocol is basically an ASCII
printf() and sending the buffer. On the receiving end, the
Notes: These are internal improvements in the interest of the
long-term stability and evolution of the program. On the one
hand, the sooner they're done, the less code we have to rip
- up when the time comes to install them. On the other hand, they
- don't bring an immediately perceptible benefit to potential
- users.
-
-To be documented:
-Embedded Perl Scripting
-Implement events
-Multiple Storage devices for a single job
-Write to more than one device simultaneously
-Break the one-to-one relation between Storage and device
+ up when the time comes to install them. On the other hand,
+ they don't bring an immediately perceptible benefit to
+ potential users.
+
+
+Completed items from last year's list:
+Item 1: Multiple simultaneous Jobs. (done)
+Item 3: Write the bscan program -- also write a bcopy program (done).
+Item 5: Implement Label templates (done).
+Item 6: Write a regression script (done)
+Item 9: Add SSL to daemon communications (For now, implement with
+stunnel)
+Item 10: Define definitive tape format (done)
projects / bacula / bacula / blobdiff