%%
%%
-\section*{What is Bacula?}
+\chapter{What is Bacula?}
\label{_ChapterStart41}
\index[general]{Bacula!What is }
\index[general]{What is Bacula? }
-\addcontentsline{toc}{section}{What is Bacula?}
{\bf Bacula} is a set of computer programs that permits you (or the system
administrator) to manage backup, recovery, and verification of computer data
-across a network of computers of different kinds. In technical terms, it is a
+across a network of computers of different kinds. Bacula can also run entirely
+upon a single computer, and can backup to various types of media, including tape
+and disk.
+
+In technical terms, it is a
network Client/Server based backup program. Bacula is relatively easy to use
and efficient, while offering many advanced storage management features that
make it easy to find and recover lost or damaged files. Due to its modular
design, Bacula is scalable from small single computer systems to systems
consisting of hundreds of computers located over a large network.
-\subsection*{Who Needs Bacula?}
+\section{Who Needs Bacula?}
\index[general]{Who Needs Bacula? }
\index[general]{Bacula!Who Needs }
-\addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Who Needs Bacula?}
If you are currently using a program such as {\bf tar}, {\bf dump}, or {\bf
bru} to backup your computer data, and you would like a network solution, more
programs and write over any tape that you put in the drive, then you will find
working with Bacula difficult. Bacula is designed to protect your data
following the rules you specify, and this means reusing a tape only
-as the last resort. It is possible to ``force'' Bacula to write
+as the last resort. It is possible to "force" Bacula to write
over any tape in the drive, but it is easier and more efficient to use a
simpler program for that kind of operation.
Bacula, which provides many of the same features, and is free software
available under the GNU Version 2 software license.
-\subsection*{Bacula Components or Services}
+\section{Bacula Components or Services}
\index[general]{Bacula Components or Services }
\index[general]{Services!Bacula Components or }
-\addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Bacula Components or Services}
Bacula is made up of the following five major components or services:
\begin{itemize}
\item
\label{DirDef}
- {\bf Bacula Director} service consists of the program that supervises all the
-backup, restore, verify and archive operations. The system administrator uses
-the Bacula Director to schedule backups and to recover files. For more
-details see the Director Services Daemon Design Document in the Bacula
-Developer's Guild. The Director runs as a daemon or a service (i.e. in the
-background).
+ {\bf Bacula Director} service consists of the program that supervises
+ all the backup, restore, verify and archive operations. The system
+ administrator uses the Bacula Director to schedule backups and to
+ recover files. For more details see the Director Services Daemon Design
+ Document in the Bacula Developer's Guide. The Director runs as a daemon
+ or a service (i.e. in the background).
\item
\label{UADef}
- {\bf Bacula Console} services is the program that allows the administrator or
-user to communicate with the {\bf Bacula Director} (see above). Currently,
-the Bacula Console is available in three versions. The first and simplest is
-to run the Console program in a shell window (i.e. TTY interface). Most
-system administrators will find this completely adequate. The second version
-is a GNOME GUI interface that for the moment (23 November 2003) is far from
-complete, but quite functional as it has most the capabilities of the shell
-Console. The third version is a wxWidgets GUI with an interactive file
-restore. It also has most of the capabilities of the shell console, allows
-command completion with tabulation, and gives you instant help about the
-command you are typing. For more details see the
-\ilink{Bacula Console Design Document}{_ChapterStart23}.
+ {\bf Bacula Console} services is the program that allows the
+ administrator or user to communicate with the {\bf Bacula Director} (see
+ above). Currently, the Bacula Console is available in three versions.
+ The first and simplest is to run the Console program in a shell window
+ (i.e. TTY interface). Most system administrators will find this
+ completely adequate. The second version is a GNOME GUI interface that
+ is far from complete, but quite functional as it has most the
+ capabilities of the shell Console. The third version is a wxWidgets GUI
+ with an interactive file restore. It also has most of the capabilities
+ of the shell console, allows command completion with tabulation, and
+ gives you instant help about the command you are typing. For more
+ details see the \ilink{Bacula Console Design Document}{_ConsoleChapter}.
\item
\label{FDDef}
- {\bf Bacula File} services (or Client program) is the software program that
-is installed on the machine to be backed up. It is specific to the operating
-system on which it runs and is responsible for providing the file attributes
-and data when requested by the Director. The File services are also
-responsible for the file system dependent part of restoring the file
-attributes and data during a recovery operation. For more details see the
-File Services Daemon Design Document in the Bacula Developer's Guide. This
-program runs as a daemon on the machine to be backed up, and in some of the
-documentation, the File daemon is referred to as the Client (for example in
-Bacula's configuration file). In addition to Unix/Linux File daemons, there
-is a Windows File daemon (normally distributed in binary format). The Windows
-File daemon runs on all currently known Windows versions (95, 98, Me, NT,
-2000, XP).
+ {\bf Bacula File} services (or Client program) is the software program
+ that is installed on the machine to be backed up. It is specific to the
+ operating system on which it runs and is responsible for providing the
+ file attributes and data when requested by the Director. The File
+ services are also responsible for the file system dependent part of
+ restoring the file attributes and data during a recovery operation. For
+ more details see the File Services Daemon Design Document in the Bacula
+ Developer's Guide. This program runs as a daemon on the machine to be
+ backed up, and in some of the documentation, the File daemon is referred
+ to as the Client (for example in Bacula's configuration file). In
+ addition to Unix/Linux File daemons, there is a Windows File daemon
+ (normally distributed in binary format). The Windows File daemon runs
+ on current Windows versions (NT, 2000, XP, 2003, and possibly Me and
+ 98).
\item
\label{SDDef}
- {\bf Bacula Storage} services consist of the software programs that perform
-the storage and recovery of the file attributes and data to the physical
-backup media or volumes. In other words, the Storage daemon is responsible
-for reading and writing your tapes (or other storage media, e.g. files). For
-more details see the Storage Services Daemon Design Document in the Bacula
-Developer's Guild. The Storage services runs as a daemon on the machine that
-has the backup device (usually a tape drive).
+ {\bf Bacula Storage} services consist of the software programs that
+ perform the storage and recovery of the file attributes and data to the
+ physical backup media or volumes. In other words, the Storage daemon is
+ responsible for reading and writing your tapes (or other storage media,
+ e.g. files). For more details see the Storage Services Daemon Design
+ Document in the Bacula Developer's Guide. The Storage services runs as
+ a daemon on the machine that has the backup device (usually a tape
+ drive).
\item
\label{DBDefinition}
- {\bf Catalog} services are comprised of the software programs responsible for
-maintaining the file indexes and volume databases for all files backed up.
-The Catalog services permit the System Administrator or user to quickly
-locate and restore any desired file. The Catalog services sets Bacula apart
-from simple backup programs like tar and bru, because the catalog maintains a
-record of all Volumes used, all Jobs run, and all Files saved, permitting
-efficicient restoration and Volume management. Bacula currently supports
-three different databases, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite, one of which must
-be chosen when building {\bf Bacula}. There also exists an Internal database,
-but it is no longer supported.
-
-The three SQL databases currently supported (MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite)
-provide quite a number of features, including rapid indexing, arbitrary
-queries, and security. Although we plan to support other major SQL databases,
-the current Bacula implementation interfaces only to MySQL, PostgreSQL and
-SQLite. For more details see the
-\ilink{Catalog Services Design Document}{_ChapterStart30}.
-
-The RPMs for MySQL and PostgreSQL ship as part of the Linux RedHat
-and several other releases, or building the rpms from the source is
-quite easy, see the
-\ilink{ Installing and Configuring MySQL}{_ChapterStart} chapter of
-this document for the details. For more information on MySQL, please see:
-\elink{www.mysql.com}{http://www.mysql.com}. Or see the
-\ilink{ Installing and Configuring PostgreSQL}{_ChapterStart10}
-chapter of this document for the details. For more information on PostgreSQL,
-please see:
-\elink{www.postgresql.org}{http://www.postgresql.org}.
-
-Configuring and building SQLite is even easier. For the details of
-configuring SQLite, please see the
-\ilink{ Installing and Configuring SQLite}{_ChapterStart33} chapter
-of this document.
+ {\bf Catalog} services are comprised of the software programs
+ responsible for maintaining the file indexes and volume databases for
+ all files backed up. The Catalog services permit the System
+ Administrator or user to quickly locate and restore any desired file.
+ The Catalog services sets Bacula apart from simple backup programs like
+ tar and bru, because the catalog maintains a record of all Volumes used,
+ all Jobs run, and all Files saved, permitting efficient restoration and
+ Volume management. Bacula currently supports three different databases,
+ MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite, one of which must be chosen when building
+ {\bf Bacula}.
+
+ The three SQL databases currently supported (MySQL, PostgreSQL or
+ SQLite) provide quite a number of features, including rapid indexing,
+ arbitrary queries, and security. Although we plan to support other
+ major SQL databases, the current Bacula implementation interfaces only
+ to MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQLite. For the technical and porting details
+ see the Catalog Services Design Document in the developer's documented.
+
+ The RPMs for MySQL and PostgreSQL ship as part of Red Hat Linux and
+ several other releases. Alternatively, building the rpms from the
+ source is quite easy, see the \ilink{ Installing and Configuring
+ MySQL}{_ChapterStart} chapter of this document for the details. For
+ more information on MySQL, please see:
+ \elink{www.mysql.com}{http://www.mysql.com}. Or see the \ilink{
+ Installing and Configuring PostgreSQL}{_ChapterStart10} chapter of this
+ document for the details. For more information on PostgreSQL, please
+ see: \elink{www.postgresql.org}{http://www.postgresql.org}.
+
+ Configuring and building SQLite is even easier. For the details of
+ configuring SQLite, please see the \ilink{ Installing and Configuring
+ SQLite}{_ChapterStart33} chapter of this document.
\item
\label{MonDef}
- {\bf Bacula Monitor} services is the program that allows the administrator or
-user to watch current status of {\bf Bacula Directors}, {\bf Bacula File
-Daemons} and {\bf Bacula Storage Daemons} (see above). Currently, only a GTK+
-version is available, which works with Gnome and KDE (or any window manager
-that supports the FreeDesktop.org system tray standard).
-\end{itemize}
-
-To perform a successful save or restore, the following four daemons must be
-configured and running: the Director daemon, the File daemon, the Storage
-daemon, and MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite.
-
-\subsection*{Bacula Configuration}
+ {\bf Bacula Monitor} services is the program that allows the
+ administrator or user to watch current status of {\bf Bacula Directors},
+ {\bf Bacula File Daemons} and {\bf Bacula Storage Daemons} (see above).
+ Currently, only a GTK+ version is available, which works with Gnome and
+ KDE (or any window manager that supports the FreeDesktop.org system tray
+ standard). \end{itemize}
+
+ To perform a successful save or restore, the following four daemons must be
+ configured and running: the Director daemon, the File daemon, the Storage
+ daemon, and MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite.
+
+\section{Bacula Configuration}
\index[general]{Configuration!Bacula }
\index[general]{Bacula Configuration }
-\addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Bacula Configuration}
In order for Bacula to understand your system, what clients you want backed
up, and how, you must create a number of configuration files containing
\addcontentsline{lof}{figure}{Bacula Objects}
\includegraphics{./bacula-objects.eps}
-\subsection*{Conventions Used in this Document}
+\section{Conventions Used in this Document}
\index[general]{Conventions Used in this Document }
\index[general]{Document!Conventions Used in this }
-\addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Conventions Used in this Document}
{\bf Bacula} is in a state of evolution, and as a consequence, this manual
will not always agree with the code. If an item in this manual is preceded by
CVS) that may contain features not in the released version. Just the same, it
generally lags behind the code a bit.
-\subsection*{Quick Start}
+\section{Quick Start}
\index[general]{Quick Start }
\index[general]{Start!Quick }
-\addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Quick Start}
To get Bacula up and running quickly, we recommend that you first scan the
Terminology section below, then quickly review the next chapter entitled
chapter on
\ilink{ Running Bacula}{_ChapterStart1}.
-\subsection*{Terminology}
+\section{Terminology}
\index[general]{Terminology }
-\addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Terminology}
To facilitate communication about this project, we provide here the
definitions of the terminology that we use.
\item [Bootstrap File]
\index[fd]{Bootstrap File }
- The bootstrap file is an ASCII file containing a compact form of commands
-that allow Bacula or the stand-alone file extraction utility ({\bf bextract})
-to restore the contents of one or more Volumes, for example, the current
-state of a system just backed up. With a bootstrap file, Bacula can restore
-your system without a Catalog. You can create a bootstrap file from a Catalog
-to extract any file or files you wish.
+ The bootstrap file is an ASCII file containing a compact form of
+ commands that allow Bacula or the stand-alone file extraction utility
+ ({\bf bextract}) to restore the contents of one or more Volumes, for
+ example, the current state of a system just backed up. With a bootstrap
+ file, Bacula can restore your system without a Catalog. You can create
+ a bootstrap file from a Catalog to extract any file or files you wish.
\item [Catalog]
\index[fd]{Catalog }
- The Catalog is used to store summary information about the Jobs, Clients, and
-Files that were backed up and on what Volume or Volumes. The information
-saved in the Catalog permits the administrator or user to determine what jobs
-were run, their status as well as the important characteristics of each file
-that was backed up. The Catalog is an online resource, but does not contain
-the data for the files backed up. Most of the information stored in the
-catalog is also stored on the backup volumes (i.e. tapes). Of course, the
-tapes will also have a copy of the file data in addition to the File Attributes
-(see below).
-
-The catalog feature is one part of Bacula that distinguishes it from simple
-backup and archive programs such as {\bf dump} and {\bf tar}.
+ The Catalog is used to store summary information about the Jobs,
+ Clients, and Files that were backed up and on what Volume or Volumes.
+ The information saved in the Catalog permits the administrator or user
+ to determine what jobs were run, their status as well as the important
+ characteristics of each file that was backed up, and most importantly,
+ it permits you to choose what files to restore.
+ The Catalog is an
+ online resource, but does not contain the data for the files backed up.
+ Most of the information stored in the catalog is also stored on the
+ backup volumes (i.e. tapes). Of course, the tapes will also have a
+ copy of the file data in addition to the File Attributes (see below).
+
+ The catalog feature is one part of Bacula that distinguishes it from
+ simple backup and archive programs such as {\bf dump} and {\bf tar}.
\item [Client]
\index[fd]{Client }
- In Bacula's terminology, the word Client refers to the machine being backed
-up, and it is synonymous with the File services or File daemon, and quite
-often, we refer to it as the FD. A Client is defined in a configuration file
-resource.
+ In Bacula's terminology, the word Client refers to the machine being
+ backed up, and it is synonymous with the File services or File daemon,
+ and quite often, we refer to it as the FD. A Client is defined in a
+ configuration file resource.
\item [Console]
\index[fd]{Console }
The program that interfaces to the Director allowing the user or system
-administrator to control Bacula.
+ administrator to control Bacula.
\item [Daemon]
\index[fd]{Daemon }
\item [Directive]
\index[fd]{Directive }
The term directive is used to refer to a statement or a record within a
-Resource in a configuration file that defines one specific thing. For
-example, the {\bf Name} directive defines the name of the Resource.
+ Resource in a configuration file that defines one specific thing. For
+ example, the {\bf Name} directive defines the name of the Resource.
\item [Director]
\index[fd]{Director }
The main Bacula server daemon that schedules and directs all Bacula
-operations. Occasionally, we refer to the Director as DIR.
+ operations. Occasionally, we refer to the Director as DIR.
\item [Differential]
\index[fd]{Differential }
A backup that includes all files changed since the last Full save started.
-Note, other backup programs may define this differently.
+ Note, other backup programs may define this differently.
\item [File Attributes]
\index[fd]{File Attributes }
The File Attributes are all the information necessary about a file to
-identify it and all its properties such as size, creation date, modification
-date, permissions, etc. Normally, the attributes are handled entirely by
-Bacula so that the user never needs to be concerned about them. The
-attributes do not include the file's data.
+ identify it and all its properties such as size, creation date, modification
+ date, permissions, etc. Normally, the attributes are handled entirely by
+ Bacula so that the user never needs to be concerned about them. The
+ attributes do not include the file's data.
\item [File Daemon]
\index[fd]{File Daemon }
The daemon running on the client computer to be backed up. This is also
-referred to as the File services, and sometimes as the Client services or the
-FD.
+ referred to as the File services, and sometimes as the Client services or the
+ FD.
-\item [
- \label{FileSetDef}
- FileSet]
+\label{FileSetDef}
+\item [FileSet]
\index[fd]{a name }
-A FileSet is a Resource contained in a configuration file that defines the
-files to be backed up. It consists of a list of included files or
-directories, a list of excluded files, and how the file is to be stored
-(compression, encryption, signatures). For more details, see the
-\ilink{FileSet Resource definition}{FileSetResource} in the
-Director chapter of this document.
+ A FileSet is a Resource contained in a configuration file that defines
+ the files to be backed up. It consists of a list of included files or
+ directories, a list of excluded files, and how the file is to be stored
+ (compression, encryption, signatures). For more details, see the
+ \ilink{FileSet Resource definition}{FileSetResource} in the Director
+ chapter of this document.
\item [Incremental]
\index[fd]{Incremental }
A backup that includes all files changed since the last Full, Differential,
-or Incremental backup started. It is normally specified on the {\bf Level}
-directive within the Job resource definition, or in a Schedule resource.
+ or Incremental backup started. It is normally specified on the {\bf Level}
+ directive within the Job resource definition, or in a Schedule resource.
-\item [
- \label{JobDef}
- Job]
+\label{JobDef}
+\item [Job]
\index[fd]{a name }
-A Bacula Job is a configuration resource that defines the work that Bacula
-must perform to backup or restore a particular Client. It consists of the
-{\bf Type} (backup, restore, verify, etc), the {\bf Level} (full,
-incremental,...), the {\bf FileSet}, and {\bf Storage} the files are to be
-backed up (Storage device, Media Pool). For more details, see the
-\ilink{Job Resource definition}{JobResource} in the Director
-chapter of this document.
+ A Bacula Job is a configuration resource that defines the work that
+ Bacula must perform to backup or restore a particular Client. It
+ consists of the {\bf Type} (backup, restore, verify, etc), the {\bf
+ Level} (full, incremental,...), the {\bf FileSet}, and {\bf Storage} the
+ files are to be backed up (Storage device, Media Pool). For more
+ details, see the \ilink{Job Resource definition}{JobResource} in the
+ Director chapter of this document.
\item [Monitor]
\index[fd]{Monitor }
- The program that interfaces to the all the daemons allowing the user or
-system administrator to monitor Bacula status.
+ The program that interfaces to all the daemons allowing the user or
+ system administrator to monitor Bacula status.
\item [Resource]
\index[fd]{Resource }
- A resource is a part of a configuration file that defines a specific unit of
-information that is available to Bacula. It consists of several directives
-(individual configuation statements). For example, the {\bf Job} resource
-defines all the properties of a specific Job: name, schedule, Volume pool,
-backup type, backup level, ...
+ A resource is a part of a configuration file that defines a specific
+ unit of information that is available to Bacula. It consists of several
+ directives (individual configuration statements). For example, the {\bf
+ Job} resource defines all the properties of a specific Job: name,
+ schedule, Volume pool, backup type, backup level, ...
\item [Restore]
\index[fd]{Restore }
- A restore is a configuration resource that describes the operation of
-recovering a file (lost or damaged) from backup media. It is the inverse of a
-save, except that in most cases, a restore will normally have a small set of
-files to restore, while normally a Save backs up all the files on the system.
-Of course, after a disk crash, Bacula can be called upon to do a full
-Restore of all files that were on the system.
+ A restore is a configuration resource that describes the operation of
+ recovering a file from backup media. It is the inverse of a save,
+ except that in most cases, a restore will normally have a small set of
+ files to restore, while normally a Save backs up all the files on the
+ system. Of course, after a disk crash, Bacula can be called upon to do
+ a full Restore of all files that were on the system.
\item [Schedule]
\index[fd]{Schedule }
- A Schedule is a configuration resource that defines when the Bacula Job will
-be scheduled for execution. To use the Schedule, the Job resource will refer
-to the name of the Schedule. For more details, see the
-\ilink{Schedule Resource definition}{ScheduleResource} in the
-Director chapter of this document.
+ A Schedule is a configuration resource that defines when the Bacula Job
+ will be scheduled for execution. To use the Schedule, the Job resource
+ will refer to the name of the Schedule. For more details, see the
+ \ilink{Schedule Resource definition}{ScheduleResource} in the Director
+ chapter of this document.
\item [Service]
\index[fd]{Service }
This is Windows terminology for a {\bf daemon} -- see above. It is now
-frequently used in Unix environments as well.
+ frequently used in Unix environments as well.
\item [Storage Coordinates]
\index[fd]{Storage Coordinates }
- The information returned from the Storage Services that uniquely locates a
-file on a backup medium. It consists of two parts: one part pertains to each
-file saved, and the other part pertains to the whole Job. Normally, this
-information is saved in the Catalog so that the user doesn't need specific
-knowledge of the Storage Coordinates. The Storage Coordinates include the
-File Attributes (see above) plus the unique location of the information on
-the backup Volume.
+ The information returned from the Storage Services that uniquely locates
+ a file on a backup medium. It consists of two parts: one part pertains
+ to each file saved, and the other part pertains to the whole Job.
+ Normally, this information is saved in the Catalog so that the user
+ doesn't need specific knowledge of the Storage Coordinates. The Storage
+ Coordinates include the File Attributes (see above) plus the unique
+ location of the information on the backup Volume.
\item [Storage Daemon]
\index[fd]{Storage Daemon }
- The Storage daemon, sometimes referred to as the SD, is the code that writes
-the attributes and data to a storage Volume (usually a tape or disk).
+ The Storage daemon, sometimes referred to as the SD, is the code that
+ writes the attributes and data to a storage Volume (usually a tape or
+ disk).
\item [Session]
\index[sd]{Session }
- Normally refers to the internal conversation between the File daemon and the
-Storage daemon. The File daemon opens a {\bf session} with the Storage daemon
-to save a FileSet, or to restore it. A session has a one to one
-correspondence to a Bacula Job (see above).
+ Normally refers to the internal conversation between the File daemon and
+ the Storage daemon. The File daemon opens a {\bf session} with the
+ Storage daemon to save a FileSet, or to restore it. A session has a one
+ to one correspondence to a Bacula Job (see above).
\item [Verify]
\index[sd]{Verify }
- A verify is a job that compares the current file attributes to the attributes
-that have previously been stored in the Bacula Catalog. This feature can be
-used for detecting changes to critical system files similar to what {\bf
-Tripwire} does. One of the major advantages of using Bacula to do this is
-that on the machine you want protected such as a server, you can run just
-the File daemon, and the Director, Storage daemon, and Catalog reside on a
-different machine. As a consequence, if your server is ever compromised, it
-is unlikely that your verification database will be tampered with.
-
-Verify can also be used to check that the most recent Job data written to a
-Volume agrees with what is stored in the Catalog (i.e. it compares the file
-attributes), *or it can check the Volume contents against the original files
-on disk.
+ A verify is a job that compares the current file attributes to the
+ attributes that have previously been stored in the Bacula Catalog. This
+ feature can be used for detecting changes to critical system files
+ similar to what {\bf Tripwire} does. One of the major advantages of
+ using Bacula to do this is that on the machine you want protected such
+ as a server, you can run just the File daemon, and the Director, Storage
+ daemon, and Catalog reside on a different machine. As a consequence, if
+ your server is ever compromised, it is unlikely that your verification
+ database will be tampered with.
+
+ Verify can also be used to check that the most recent Job data written
+ to a Volume agrees with what is stored in the Catalog (i.e. it compares
+ the file attributes), *or it can check the Volume contents against the
+ original files on disk.
\item [*Archive]
\index[fd]{*Archive }
\item [Retention Period]
\index[fd]{Retention Period }
- There are various kinds of retention periods that Bacula recognizes. The most
-important are the {\bf File} Retention Period, {\bf Job} Retention Period,
-and the {\bf Volume} Retention Period. Each of these retention periods
-applies to the time that specific records will be kept in the Catalog
-database. This should not be confused with the time that the data saved to a
-Volume is valid.
-
-The File Retention Period determines the time that File records are kept in
-the catalog database. This period is important because the volume of the
-database File records by far use the most storage space in the database. As a
-consequence, you must ensure that regular ``pruning'' of the database file
-records is done. (See the Console {\bf retention} command for more details on
-this subject).
-
-The Job Retention Period is the length of time that Job records will be kept
-in the database. Note, all the File records are tied to the Job that saved
-those files. The File records can be purged leaving the Job records. In this
-case, information will be available about the jobs that ran, but not the
-details of the files that were backed up. Normally, when a Job record is
-purged, all its File records will also be purged.
-
-The Volume Retention Period is the minimum of time that a Volume will be
-kept before it is reused. Bacula will normally never overwrite a Volume that
-contains the only backup copy of a file. Under ideal conditions, the Catalog
-would retain entries for all files backed up for all current Volumes. Once a
-Volume is overwritten, the files that were backed up on that Volume are
-automatically removed from the Catalog. However, if there is a very large
-pool of Volumes or a Volume is never overwritten, the Catalog database may
-become enormous. To keep the Catalog to a manageable size, the backup
-information should be removed from the Catalog after the defined File Retention
-Period. Bacula provides the mechanisms for the catalog to be automatically
-pruned according to the retention periods defined.
+ There are various kinds of retention periods that Bacula recognizes.
+ The most important are the {\bf File} Retention Period, {\bf Job}
+ Retention Period, and the {\bf Volume} Retention Period. Each of these
+ retention periods applies to the time that specific records will be kept
+ in the Catalog database. This should not be confused with the time that
+ the data saved to a Volume is valid.
+
+ The File Retention Period determines the time that File records are kept
+ in the catalog database. This period is important because the volume of
+ the database File records by far use the most storage space in the
+ database. As a consequence, you must ensure that regular "pruning" of
+ the database file records is done. (See the Console {\bf retention}
+ command for more details on this subject).
+
+ The Job Retention Period is the length of time that Job records will be
+ kept in the database. Note, all the File records are tied to the Job
+ that saved those files. The File records can be purged leaving the Job
+ records. In this case, information will be available about the jobs
+ that ran, but not the details of the files that were backed up.
+ Normally, when a Job record is purged, all its File records will also be
+ purged.
+
+ The Volume Retention Period is the minimum of time that a Volume will be
+ kept before it is reused. Bacula will normally never overwrite a Volume
+ that contains the only backup copy of a file. Under ideal conditions,
+ the Catalog would retain entries for all files backed up for all current
+ Volumes. Once a Volume is overwritten, the files that were backed up on
+ that Volume are automatically removed from the Catalog. However, if
+ there is a very large pool of Volumes or a Volume is never overwritten,
+ the Catalog database may become enormous. To keep the Catalog to a
+ manageable size, the backup information should be removed from the
+ Catalog after the defined File Retention Period. Bacula provides the
+ mechanisms for the catalog to be automatically pruned according to the
+ retention periods defined.
\item [Scan]
\index[sd]{Scan }
- A Scan operation causes the contents of a Volume or a series of Volumes to be
-scanned. These Volumes with the information on which files they contain are
-restored to the Bacula Catalog. Once the information is restored to the
-Catalog, the files contained on those Volumes may be easily restored. This
-function is particularly useful if certain Volumes or Jobs have exceeded
-their retention period and have been pruned or purged from the Catalog.
-Scanning data from Volumes into the Catalog is done by using the {\bf bscan}
-program. See the
-\ilink{ bscan section}{bscan} of the Bacula Utilities Chapter of
-this manual for more details.
+ A Scan operation causes the contents of a Volume or a series of Volumes
+ to be scanned. These Volumes with the information on which files they
+ contain are restored to the Bacula Catalog. Once the information is
+ restored to the Catalog, the files contained on those Volumes may be
+ easily restored. This function is particularly useful if certain
+ Volumes or Jobs have exceeded their retention period and have been
+ pruned or purged from the Catalog. Scanning data from Volumes into the
+ Catalog is done by using the {\bf bscan} program. See the \ilink{ bscan
+ section}{bscan} of the Bacula Utilities Chapter of this manual for more
+ details.
\item [Volume]
\index[sd]{Volume }
- A Volume is an archive unit, normally a tape or a named disk file where
-Bacula stores the data from one or more backup jobs. All Bacula Volumes have
-a software label written to the Volume by Bacula so that it identifies what
-Volume it is really reading. (Normally there should be no confusion with disk
-files, but with tapes, it is easy to mount the wrong one).
+ A Volume is an archive unit, normally a tape or a named disk file where
+ Bacula stores the data from one or more backup jobs. All Bacula Volumes
+ have a software label written to the Volume by Bacula so that it
+ identifies what Volume it is really reading. (Normally there should be
+ no confusion with disk files, but with tapes, it is easy to mount the
+ wrong one).
\end{description}
-\subsection*{What Bacula is Not}
-\index[general]{Not!What Bacula is }
-\index[general]{What Bacula is Not }
-\addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{What Bacula is Not}
+\section{What Bacula is Not}
+\index[general]{What Bacula is Not}
{\bf Bacula} is a backup, restore and verification program and is not a
complete disaster recovery system in itself, but it can be a key part of one
if you plan carefully and follow the instructions included in the
-\ilink{ Disaster Recovery}{_ChapterStart38} Chapter of this manual.
+\ilink{ Disaster Recovery}{_ChapterRescue} Chapter of this manual.
With proper planning, as mentioned in the Disaster Recovery chapter {\bf
Bacula} can be a central component of your disaster recovery system. For
example, if you have created an emergency boot disk, a Bacula Rescue disk to
save the current partitioning information of your hard disk, and maintain a
complete Bacula backup, it is possible to completely recover your system from
-``bare metal'' that is starting from an empty disk.
+"bare metal" that is starting from an empty disk.
If you have used the {\bf WriteBootstrap} record in your job or some other
means to save a valid bootstrap file, you will be able to use it to extract
the necessary files (without using the catalog or manually searching for the
files to restore).
-\subsection*{Interactions Between the Bacula Services}
-\index[general]{Interactions Between the Bacula Services }
-\index[general]{Services!Interactions Between the Bacula }
-\addcontentsline{toc}{subsection}{Interactions Between the Bacula Services}
+\section{Interactions Between the Bacula Services}
+\index[general]{Interactions Between the Bacula Services}
+\index[general]{Services!Interactions Between the Bacula}
The following block diagram shows the typical interactions between the Bacula
Services for a backup job. Each block represents in general a separate process
projects / bacula / docs / blobdiff