Restore Configuration backup - omv-firstaid - How do you make the backup???? - openmediavault (2024)

So while trying to recover one of my OMV NAS which had suffered an issue, I noticed in the omv-firstaid tool that there was an option to "Restore Configuration Backup"

Obviously, I tried clicking on it during my efforts to recover the problem I was having, only to be told there was no configuration backup....

On the one hand, this made me feel a bit sheepish at the time, because I thought to myself "Yes, my fault, I should have backed up the configuration"

But having now reinstalled OMV on that machine and managed to get all my shares and files back online, I have spent a little while looking for an option in the GUI to "Backup Configuration" but I can't find it anywhere.

I have of course found various plugins that cover backups, but I had kind of assumed that these are for general backups, and because restoration is in the firstaid tool, I suspect there is a process built into OMV as a button to click as standard in the GUI? Or am I wrong and one of the plugins are needed?

I have tried the search function and spent a while looking through search results, but all I can find is people mentioning to "Use the restore configuration option in omv-firstaid" not anything saying how to save the configuration.

I am probably just being a bit thick.

It's a good question - and I don't have an answer for you...

But you may be better off simply backing up the entire OMV system partition on a schedule. I suspect that even if you had configuration backups to restore, they might not fix every problem you run into.

I do know that OMV stores its current configuration in /etc/openmediavault/config.xml - maybe by making copies of this file, you can restore them via omv-firstaid. But I'm only guessing here and wouldn't try it unless I was ready to reinstall OMV.

This thread might be what you're after:

HOW to reinstall OMV?

Sit around the fire youngins, and I'll tell you a story.

Way back in the early days of omv (like pre 1.0).. there was a configuration backup/restore utility. However, it did not implement very well with the omv framework, so it was nixed (I'm pretty sure before 1.0)... I suspect that entry was just never removed from omv-firstaid. Obviously with no way to back up your configuration, it would be quite a feat to restore one.

The only way to really back up the os drive, as mentioned, is to image it

Zitat von cubemin

It's a good question - and I don't have an answer for you...

But you may be better off simply backing up the entire OMV system partition on a schedule. I suspect that even if you had configuration backups to restore, they might not fix every problem you run into.

I do know that OMV stores its current configuration in /etc/openmediavault/config.xml - maybe by making copies of this file, you can restore them via omv-firstaid. But I'm only guessing here and wouldn't try it unless I was ready to reinstall OMV.

I think people have tried that in the past .. but without success (or at least minimal success). That might be something to try in Virtualbox .. cough, cough Agricola

In German:

RE: omv-firstaid: was tut "Restore configuration backup"?

Zitat

The item 'Restore configuration backup' resets changes made in the WebUI as long as they have not yet been applied via 'Apply config'.

Zitat von macom

In German:

RE: omv-firstaid: was tut "Restore configuration backup"?

I was not aware of that.

+1 for the cloning of the OS drive.

As Agricola said, cloning is the only safe way of restoring the system in case of any issue.

Even if a "live backup" was/is possible, when doing a restore, there are a lot of open files that will give issues.

And in the event you can't even boot the system, how will you restore it?

I use a different approach on my SBCs other than "dd cloning" (the way as crashtest keeps telling to people, even when they don't listen

Everytime I return home (every 4 weeks), I shutdown my PIs and plug the OS drive (I use SSDs on both) on my Windows PC and just do a full img with "Win32DiskImager".

Flash it to a USB stick (256Gb) and test it to see if all is OK. If it is, iI name the img with "date" and is kept safe and I just put back the SSD and done with it.

If it's not, well that is yet to happen and when it does, I'll just redo it,

But backup isn't just the OS drive, so a NAS backup is done at the same time and named with the date to know that it belongs to that OS img backup.

And all is well in the World.

Of course this works well on SBCs, for x86_x64, you have different/better ways than this with "Clonezilla"; "Live System", etc

Zitat von Soma

(the way as crashtest keeps telling to people, even when they don't listen

Zitat von KM0201

That might be something to try in Virtualbox .. cough, cough Agricola

Okay! It’s on the list, already!

Now regarding cloning: look at my link above. There is a step by step How-To for each of the three platforms. No, it’s not automated, so waah-waah. Put a calendar reminder on your phone to do it every month or so.

Zitat von Agricola

Okay! It’s on the list, already!

Now regarding cloning: look at my link above. There is a step by step How-To for each of the three platforms. No, it’s not automated, so waah-waah. Put a calendar reminder on your phone to do it every month or so.

Personally, I think backing up the OS drive is overrated, so it's just not something I concern myself with.. especially since I've migrated almost completely to Docker. I can reinstall to a blank disk and have all my containers back up in about 20min (since all my container data, /config's, etc.. are on my data drives)...

Then it's just a matter of going through and adding my shares back to OMV and setting up NFS/SMB, etc.

1. Reinstall and mount my data drive

2. Install OMV extras and the symlinks plugin

3. Set my symlinks for docker (only need 2)

4. Map my "Home" share on my data drive and create my main user

5. Install docker and set my container path to my containers folder that is on my storage drive

6. Restart docker.

Done. All of my docker services are back up, now I just go through and add my shares back to NFS and set up my network shares again, then set up rsync for my internal back up.

I can have my server from blank to completely up and running like nothing happened in under an hour. It probably would take me almost that long to image the drive, then making sure my images are current, etc. Obviously YMMV (and probably will), but it's Just not worth the hassle to me for something that is a relatively easy process..

Zitat von KM0201

Personally, I think backing up the OS drive is overrated, so it's just not something I concern myself with..

Then, when they have a problem, they have to recreate their build, reconfigure, and (this is completely new to them) reconnect to their existing data. They, and the forum, can avoid headaches for the cost of a second USB drive and an occasional backup.

Zitat von crashtest

Yeah, but you're not the typical newby user. Given that I started out with an older model R-PI, using cheap SD-cards, I got plenty of rebuilding experience early on.

I'm of the opinion that most (not all) OMV users build their server, then ignore it. They use it just long enough (a year, two or more) to forget 80% of what they did to build and configure it. (And a special mention should be inserted here for those who build RAID or use some other drive aggregating technique to create a huge array.) Then, when they have a problem, they have to recreate their build, reconfigure, and (this is completely new to them) reconnect to their existing data. They, and the forum, can avoid headaches for the cost of a second USB drive and an occasional backup.

Oh I completely agree with you but I'd put that number likely over 80%.

I had a guy PM me about a month ago on a gun forum that I'm on... there's a nerd/tech subforum there that I also post in.. and I helped him install OMV.. years ago... He was having some sort of problem and I'm giving him some things to check, etc.. assuming he was using OMV 5 or at least OMV 4. So when things weren't going well I asked him what version he was on... He was still on 2.0, didn't look like he'd ran a single update since I helped him years ago.

I just told him I was busy...

Zitat von KM0201

He was still on 2.0, didn't look like he'd ran a single update since I helped him years ago.

I'm not at all surprised. ryecoaaron told me that he's still getting hits on the OMV 2.0 and 3.0 plugin's repo. That means someone is either rebuilding or adding plugin functionality, years after EOL. I laughed at the thought of that, it seems kind of risky, but if they're not exposing server ports to the net, they might be alright.

Also, while I'm not a typical new user... I've followed the same path since I used OMV pre-beta. Pre-Docker, it was a PITA, going through and setting up all the plugins again, etc.. but I managed

I think one difference is, I'm a user who has lost all his crap at one point (thankfully it was easy to get again, it was just a huge, time consuming PITA)... After that, I said that is NEVER happening again.. :). Not saying it is totally impossible, but with my current setup I'm reasonably insulated from significant data loss.

Number of unique IP addresses hitting omv-extras today. erasmus is low because most of those were on bintray.

omvextras:/var/log/nginx# grep sardaukar access.log | cut -d" " -f1 | sort | uniq -c | wc -l

79

omvextras:/var/log/nginx# grep kralizec access.log | cut -d" " -f1 | sort | uniq -c | wc -l

261

omvextras:/var/log/nginx# grep stoneburner access.log | cut -d" " -f1 | sort | uniq -c | wc -l

871

omvextras:/var/log/nginx# grep erasmus access.log | cut -d" " -f1 | sort | uniq -c | wc -l

18

number yesterday

omvextras:/var/log/nginx# zgrep sardaukar access.log.1.gz | cut -d" " -f1 | sort | uniq -c | wc -l

124

omvextras:/var/log/nginx# zgrep kralizec access.log.1.gz | cut -d" " -f1 | sort | uniq -c | wc -l

487

omvextras:/var/log/nginx# zgrep stoneburner access.log.1.gz | cut -d" " -f1 | sort | uniq -c | wc -l

1603

omvextras:/var/log/nginx# zgrep erasmus access.log.1.gz | cut -d" " -f1 | sort | uniq -c | wc -l

34

So over 2k users still on pre-4.x.

Zitat von ryecoaaron

So over 2k users still on pre-4.x.

And that's the verified users who are changing things. (Not necessarily all of them.) But,, if it still works... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Zitat von KM0201

Not saying it is totally impossible, but with my current setup I'm reasonably insulated from significant data loss.

I've never lost everything and I've got stuff that goes way back (decades), thanks to back up. I have a few levels of backup now, that includes snapshots, so it's highly unlikely that I'm going to lose anything. The possibility of data corruption has been greatly reduced as well. My only weakness is having something off site. I'll be moving one rig into another building (a shed with power), in the future.

Zitat von crashtest

And that's the verified users who are changing things. (Not necessarily all of them.) But,, if it still works... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've never lost everything and I've got stuff that goes way back (decades), thanks to back up. I have a few levels of backup now, that includes snapshots, so it's highly unlikely that I'm going to lose anything. The possibility of data corruption has been greatly reduced as well. My only weakness is having something off site. I'll be moving one rig into another building (a shed with power), in the future.

We're talking probably close to 17yrs ago. It was a lesson I learned young thankfully.