3.5. Automating Satellite Database Backups

Procedure 3.6. To Automate Satellite Server Database Backups:

#!/bin/bash
{
/usr/sbin/rhn-satellite stop
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, use the following script 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 file in a text editor:

   # crontab -e

   Note

   The crontab file opens in vi by default. To change this behavior, change the EDITOR variable to the name of the text editor you prefer.
3. Create a suitable job definition 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. Exit the editor to save the crontab file. The new rules take effect immediately.