[BackupPC-users] switch on, backup, switch off

[Dr. B. N. <om...@on...>]

Dear community,

I have been using BackupPC successfully for several years. With the
advent of the final BackupPC 4 I will reinstall my BackupPC server and
reconsider the scripting. I would be glad to get some hints and ideas
how to optimize the current setup:

3 GB data stored on a FreeNAS box in basement. Headless BackupPC server
(Linux) physically separated in a cabinet at the attic floor. BackupPC
server power remotely controlled by home automation server. Home
automation server switches BackupPC on every day at 22:00. BackupPC
configured to wake up at start time 22:10 with individual backup
schedules for datasets. A perl control script uses the BackupPC perl
scripts to first wait for the first job (backup, linking, cleaning) to
appear. Next the control script waits until BackupPC has been idle for
ten minutes. Control script then requests home automation server to
switch off the BackupPC server with a 5 minute delay and issues a
shutdown -h now.

The control script is quite complex and evaluates the responses of the
BackupPC perl scripts. I fear they will change with BackupPC 4 asking
for recoding. In the ideal case there would be some "API" functions that
facilitate the control of the server: wake up BackupPC on request not on
time schedule; query whether BackupPC has completed all jobs that were
to run from the latest wake-up. Maybe it's already there and I missed
the docs?

Cheers,
Boris