3.3. Automated Backups

Backup tasks can be automated so that they occur in non-peak times, such as the late evening or early morning. This also ensures they are performed regularly, and are not forgotten. The most effective way to automate backups is using cron.

Procedure 3.3. Automating Backups

Create a new file called backup-db.sh containing the following script. This script will stop the satellite, perform a database backup, and restart the satellite: 
#!/bin/bash
{
/usr/sbin/rhn-satellite stop
su - oracle -c'
d=db-backup-$(date "+%F");
mkdir -p /tmp/$d;
db-control backup /tmp/$d
';
/usr/sbin/rhn-satellite start
} &> /dev/null
  1. Create a new file called move-files.sh containing the following script. This script will use rsync to move the backup files to a directory to be stored: 
    #!/bin/bash
rsync -avz /tmp/db-backup-$(date "+%F") [destination] &> /dev/null
    Replace [destination] with the path to the backup directory.
    Alternatively, the following script uses scp to achieve the same goal: 
    #!/bin/bash
scp -r /tmp/db-backup-$(date "+%F") [destination] &> /dev/null
  2. Switch to the root user, and open the crontab in a text editor: 
    crontab -e

    Note

    The crontab will open in vi by default. To change this behavior, change the EDITOR variable to the name of the text editor you prefer.
  3. In the crontab, use the first five fields (minute, hour, day, month, and weekday) to schedule the backup scripts to run: 
    0 3 * * * backup-db.sh
0 6 * * * move-files.sh
    This crontab entry will run the backup at 03:00, and transfer the backup files at 06:00. Other options can be included as needed. You can also include a clean up script to remove older backup directories and prevent the backup storage from filling up.
  4. To save the crontab, simply exit from the text editor. The new cron rules will be put in to place immediately.