Topic: Arkeia backup on e-smith

[Darrell]

Has anyone looked at implementing Arkeia's free version (http://www.arkeia.com/downloadfree.html) of client/server backup software on e-smith?

[Michael Doerner]

Darrell,

Installation (rpm's) was straight forward, no problem here. I also installed latest version for the client + their Java Gui on an NT workstation.
Note their requirement: You need to have a SCSI tape drive! I am using an older DAT modell here on our development/test server.
As far as I see so far, you can't use this version of Arkeia to backup onto another hard disk. Or do I misunderstand?

Regards,
Michael Doerner

[Darrell]

Michael Doerner wrote:

> Darrell,
>
> Installation (rpm's) was straight forward, no problem here. I
> also installed latest version for the client + their Java Gui
> on an NT workstation. Note their requirement: You need to have
> a SCSI tape drive! I am using an older DAT modell here on our
> development/test server. As far as I see so far, you can't use
> this version of Arkeia to backup onto another hard disk. Or do
> I misunderstand?
>
> Regards, Michael Doerner

I also installed the rpm's yesterday and agree that the installation is very easy.  I was quite impressed as I have a very limited knowledge of Linux.  I don't have a tape drive currently on my e-smith server but I was able to follow Arkeia's Quick Start Guide to perform a simulated backup of both the e-smith server and my NT4 workstation to the NULL device.  Your right, it appears to work only with SCSI tape drives.  I would prefer a program that can use the less expensive IDE drives.  I've contacted Arkeia for confirmation on this and await their reply.  As for backup onto a hard disk, it looks like Arkeia has this feature disabled in the free version.  It is fully supported and I found a good document REF#000228-0008 titled Backup to Disk/Floppy/Optic Disk when I searched Arkeia's Support database.  I'm going to look into this further as I do find this program to be excellent so far.  I like the client/server type installation where you can administer the backup/restore from your workstation.  I also like the way it can backup and restore Windows 9x/NT clients.  And you just can't beat getting all this funtionality for free.  Let me know how your testing goes.  I'll install a SCSI drive next week and continue with my own testing.

Regards,  Darrell May

[Michael Doerner]

Darrell,

actually there was 1 problem during the Arkeia installation that I forgot to mention:

It was saying "no crontab for root" during the installation and I expect the scheduling for automated Arkeia jobs not to be working. I assume we will have to add an entry manually (/etc/cron.hourly ?).
I will try to find later.

Regards,
Michael

[Charlie Brady]

Michael Doerner wrote:

> It was saying "no crontab for root" during the
> installation and I expect the scheduling for automated Arkeia
> jobs not to be working. I assume we will have to add an entry
> manually (/etc/cron.hourly ?). I will try to find later.

Actually, /etc/cron.d/arkeia would be a better place to put it.

I'm interested to hear about the arkeia configuration system. Is it easily templated text configuration files?

The limitation to SCSI tape drives is a problem - although it is a limitation shared with the current "flexbackup" contributed solution. However the limitation is easily removed from the flexbackup solution - that probably won't be the case with arkeia.

Regards

Charlie

[Darrell]

Charlie Brady wrote:

> I'm interested to hear about the arkeia configuration system.
> Is it easily templated text configuration files?
>
> The limitation to SCSI tape drives is a problem - although it
> is a limitation shared with the current "flexbackup"
> contributed solution. However the limitation is easily removed
> from the flexbackup solution - that probably won't be the case
> with arkeia.
>
> Regards
>
> Charlie

Charlie, it would be great if someone at e-smith took a look at Arkeia.  I have quickly looked at it and once the RPM's are installed you can configure backup/restore jobs either via an Arkeia command line interface (this might be a great way to use Arkeia inside the e-smith manager) or more commonly you configure jobs remotely at your workstation via an available java user interface program.  I've contacted Arkeia to get confirmation on the SCSI only issue as I would prefer an IDE tape option myself.  Also the documentation mentions you can backup to file, or any mountable drive Linux supports but I couldn't get a backup to hard drive to work myself.  I've contacted Arkeia to make sure this feature is truly supported in the free version.

In any case, as a complete file-by-file backup/restore solution for the e-smith server and including the ability to also do a file-by-file backup/restore of client connected workstations, Arkeia seems to be a perfect fit for an e-smith server.

Regards,  Darrell

[Brandon Friedman]

Hi there,

I downloaded & installed the rpms - very easy - no problems at all. Also installed the JAVA gui - also no problems encountered. Luckliy we have a SCSI tape drive so I have done a test backup & it works. I will try setup periodic backups & see how that goes?

Also we are interested about whether you can use IDE drives?? Will wait for Darrell to get feedback from Arkeai?

Regards
Brandon

[Darrell]

Brandon Friedman wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> I downloaded & installed the rpms - very easy - no problems
> at all. Also installed the JAVA gui - also no problems
> encountered. Luckliy we have a SCSI tape drive so I have done a
> test backup & it works. I will try setup periodic backups
> & see how that goes?
>
> Also we are interested about whether you can use IDE drives??
> Will wait for Darrell to get feedback from Arkeai?
>
> Regards Brandon

-----------------------------------------
Here are the replies I got from Arkeia.  (I am very impressed at the speed of responses to my inquiries by the way)

> [Question 1]
> Is backup to file supported in the Arkeia free version?  Following
> REF#000228-0008 everything was going great until I reached 5.1)
> server admin > devices > Library Management.  Libraries Management
> is greyed out in the JUI and not accessible.

Unfortunately the backup to file is not supported in free version, available only in the professional version.

> [Question 2]
> Does Arkeia support any IDE tape drives?  I would perfer to
> implement a lower cost IDE OnStream DI-30 or the IDE Seagate
> TapeStor Travan 20GB instead of SCSI.  Alternately, if IDE is truly
> unsupported, does Arkeia support the SCSI Seagate Tapestor Travan
> 20GB?

The IDE tape-drives are not officially supported by Arkeia neither in free
version nor in professional version.  There is how ever a way to make them work with Arkeia as customers have reported using these drives with Arkeia.  But officially we do not support them.  The SCSI Seagate Tapestor Travan 20GB should work correctly, you have to select the QIC 25GB tape in Arkeia interface.

-----------------------------------------

So on the IDE issue there couldn't be a better challenge then that.  I would be grateful if someone could take the time to figure out how to make an IDE tape drive work with Arkeia (prefer the OnStream DI30) and share their findings with me.

Regards,

Darrell

[Brandon Friedman]

Hi again,

Just thought I would post an update of what I found:

http://www.knox-software.com/archives_indexed/1999/07/msg00120.html
http://knox-software.com/archives_indexed/1999/08/msg00127.html

I had a quick look and seems like you need to enable scsi emulation. I have only tried that with a cd-writer??

Regards
Brandon

[Darrell]

Just a follow up...

I continue to be impressed with Arkeia's 'free' backup program.  It does have a high learning curve to get used to how the program works but in its favor Arkeia's manuals which are available in PDF format for download are excellent.

I have not had the opportunity to test an IDE tape drive as yet.  If anyone out there has an IDE drive and an evening to spare, please download Arkeia (www.arkeia.com) and the Arkeia Quick Start Guide, give it a try and report your findings.

I installed an Adaptec 2903 and a HP DDS3 DAT drive and performed a complete e-smith and Windows NTW backup.  Very easy, very fast, no problems.  I like the ability to administer the Arkeia server from a workstation.  The ability to backup network workstations and multiple e-smith servers all via one Arkeia/e-smith server is a great bonus.

Regards,

Darrell

[jason]

I had the same problem.. I am unfortunately not as linux literate as most people in this forum. Can you post the change you made to that file. the Arkeia site does not address

> It was saying "no crontab for root" during the
> installation and I expect the scheduling for automated Arkeia
> jobs not to be working. I assume we will have to add an entry
> manually (/etc/cron.hourly ?). I will try to find later.

[Richard]

What about restore?

What is involved say to restore 2 other servers from the "Backup server".

That is the backup server with arkeia installed has to rebuild two other e-smith boxes that totally died and had new HD's installed?  Our backup server is a compaq server with raid running RH 6.2.  It would be cool to add the SCSI tape to this machine.  Daily incremental updates to it's raid partition.  And then weekly and daily updates to tape or 2 other e-smith boxes.

This is my biggest concern with backup...  An incremental restore is cool.  But what about a total disaster?

I remember old windows and OS/2 backup programs.  Which gave you a special boot floppy.  Put floppy in, restart machine and boot off floppy. Put tape in drive and voila!

Does Arkeia/linux support this?  Or a simiar no fuss method?

Cheers,
Richard.