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3.2. Backing up an Embedded Database

Red Hat Satellite provides a specialized command-line utility to assist with embedded database management tasks. The db-control command provides features to create, verify, and restore backups, to obtain database status information and to restart the database when necessary. See the db-control manual page (man db-control) for a full listing of the features available.
The following sections are demonstrate how to create, verify, and restore Red Hat Satellite embedded and managed databases.

3.2.1. Performing Online Database Backups

Red Hat Satellite Server 5.6 introduces new functionality that enables online backups of your database, without the need to stop the Satellite Server. Additions to the existing db-control command make this functionality possible.
Three new options have been added to the db-control command:
  • online-backup FILENAME: Performs an online backup of the Satellite database (embedded PostgreSQL only).
  • reset-password: Resets the user password and unlocks the account.
  • restore DIRECTORY | FILENAME: Restores the database from either:
    • An offline backup taken by db-control backup and saved in the DIRECTORY directory. The database must be stopped for both the backup and restore operations in order to run successfully.
    • An online backup taken by db-control online-backup and saved as FILENAME. The database itself must be running for both the online-backup and restore operations in order to run successfully, but all other Satellite services must be stopped.

3.2.1.1. Performing an Online Backup

To create an online backup of an embedded Red Hat Satellite 5.6 server database, change to the root user, and run the following command. Replace the FILENAME option with the full path to the backup file that you want to create. This location needs to be writable by the PostgreSQL user: 
# db-control online-backup FILENAME

Note

There is no need to stop either the database or the Satellite services to perform an online backup.

3.2.1.2. Restoring a Database from an Online Backup

Use the db-control restore FILENAME command to restore an embedded database from a backup created using the db-control online-backup command. Before you restore a database, you need to shut down all Satellite services except the database itself.

Procedure 3.1. To Restore a Database from an Online Backup:

  1. Change to the root user, and run the following command to stop all Satellite services except the database: 
    # rhn-satellite stop --exclude=postgresql
  2. Run the following command to restore the database. Replace the FILENAME option with the full path to the backup file created with the db-control online-backup command: 
    # db-control restore FILENAME
  3. After the restoration is complete, run the following command to restart the database and all related services: 
    # rhn-satellite start