I'm trying to install the crontab functionality, but in my set up I don't have a datastore1. If I want the crontab to be installed to /vmfs/volumes/ESATA02/xsibackup-cron
I tried:
./xsibackup --install-cron /vmfs/volumes/ESATA02/
and the system echoed back
./xsibackup: eval: line 1: /vmfs/volumes/ESATA02/=: not found
Please advise.
P.S. assuming I get the CRON working, how is the target space managed.
For example, I'm running the first backup now, and it says:
Needed room: 325 Gb.
Available room: 930 Gb
What happens after the first backup is complete? how are subsequent runnings of the cron handled?
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Well datastore1 is somewhat close to a system folder for XSIBackup and it is needed for things such as the cron system. I would simply re-create it and store xsibackup and its cron there (that can't harm).
After the first backup is complete XSIBackup adds new backup folders until it fills up the target backup device, from then on it will delete the eldest backup folders until it has room enough to store the current VM being backed up.
Last edit: 33HOPS 2014-05-11
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I just went to install the crontab and came across this very same problem. I have several ESXi boxes, and I have renamed all of the datastore1 volumes to be based on the ESXi hostname. In order to get this to work for me I'll have to edit each vSphere's script to have that host's specific datastore name in it.
I would like to recommend a future feature of XSIBackup to have a more flexible cron configuration option so that a different datastore name can be specified. You would just have to put a warning in the documentation that says "Don't rename the datastore after installing the crontab, it will confuse ESXi. Remove the crontab option first, rename the datastore, and then reinstall the crontab."
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Just open the xsibackup file and search for /vmfs/volumes/datastore1 and replace that with our url like /vmfs/volumes/ESATA02/ there shoud be 10 replacements...
after that it works withouth datastore1 directory :)
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Excuse me Robert, I don't pretend to be too sarcastic, but adding a notice that says "Don't rename the datastore after installing the crontab" is like saying "don't rename the folder where Microsoft Office is installed after the setup has finished".
XSIBackup is a script programmed in a very limited Bourne Shell in the context of a cut down environment, it does work well if you adhere to its specifications but it may simply not work if you have removed the /vmfs/volumes/datastore1, or created a nested directory structure under the datastore folder, or renamed things after its setup.
Of course you always have the choice to modify it for your convenience, or wait until we improve some specific part of it.
Next release will make the crontab installation datastore independant. This means you will be able to install the crontab to any datastore root, in fact the one you will be executing XSIBackup from.
Last edit: 33HOPS 2014-11-14
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hehe because its a scripting programm it's possibel to do that :) ore not? just do the rename and then install the cron job... ive done this on 3 Server's and havn't any probs... dunno why it shouldn't work... but iam not a programmer :( :)
perhaps the problem comes when u do it with delta algorithm? but for any "easy" backup to an harddisk this will work...
Last edit: mbosshard 2014-11-17
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I think you didn't get me in full detail. Of course you can change whatever you want but you do it at your own risk. If you want to be conservative and make sure that it will work, adhere to what I tell you. If you change a part of the code not understanding it and you get it to work the way you want, then you just were lucky. Many people don't like to leave certain things in hands of the Fortune godess, she is the flightiest of all gods ;-). Regards.
Last edit: 33HOPS 2014-11-17
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From current version 4.1.4 XSIBackup is independant of the path where it is installed, so all of you with renamed default datastores can use XSIBackup without modifying your environments.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
I'm trying to install the crontab functionality, but in my set up I don't have a datastore1. If I want the crontab to be installed to /vmfs/volumes/ESATA02/xsibackup-cron
I tried:
./xsibackup --install-cron /vmfs/volumes/ESATA02/
and the system echoed back
./xsibackup: eval: line 1: /vmfs/volumes/ESATA02/=: not found
Please advise.
P.S. assuming I get the CRON working, how is the target space managed.
For example, I'm running the first backup now, and it says:
Needed room: 325 Gb.
Available room: 930 Gb
What happens after the first backup is complete? how are subsequent runnings of the cron handled?
Well datastore1 is somewhat close to a system folder for XSIBackup and it is needed for things such as the cron system. I would simply re-create it and store xsibackup and its cron there (that can't harm).
After the first backup is complete XSIBackup adds new backup folders until it fills up the target backup device, from then on it will delete the eldest backup folders until it has room enough to store the current VM being backed up.
Last edit: 33HOPS 2014-05-11
I just went to install the crontab and came across this very same problem. I have several ESXi boxes, and I have renamed all of the datastore1 volumes to be based on the ESXi hostname. In order to get this to work for me I'll have to edit each vSphere's script to have that host's specific datastore name in it.
I would like to recommend a future feature of XSIBackup to have a more flexible cron configuration option so that a different datastore name can be specified. You would just have to put a warning in the documentation that says "Don't rename the datastore after installing the crontab, it will confuse ESXi. Remove the crontab option first, rename the datastore, and then reinstall the crontab."
Just open the xsibackup file and search for /vmfs/volumes/datastore1 and replace that with our url like /vmfs/volumes/ESATA02/ there shoud be 10 replacements...
after that it works withouth datastore1 directory :)
Excuse me Robert, I don't pretend to be too sarcastic, but adding a notice that says "Don't rename the datastore after installing the crontab" is like saying "don't rename the folder where Microsoft Office is installed after the setup has finished".
XSIBackup is a script programmed in a very limited Bourne Shell in the context of a cut down environment, it does work well if you adhere to its specifications but it may simply not work if you have removed the /vmfs/volumes/datastore1, or created a nested directory structure under the datastore folder, or renamed things after its setup.
Of course you always have the choice to modify it for your convenience, or wait until we improve some specific part of it.
Next release will make the crontab installation datastore independant. This means you will be able to install the crontab to any datastore root, in fact the one you will be executing XSIBackup from.
Last edit: 33HOPS 2014-11-14
hehe because its a scripting programm it's possibel to do that :) ore not? just do the rename and then install the cron job... ive done this on 3 Server's and havn't any probs... dunno why it shouldn't work... but iam not a programmer :( :)
perhaps the problem comes when u do it with delta algorithm? but for any "easy" backup to an harddisk this will work...
Last edit: mbosshard 2014-11-17
I think you didn't get me in full detail. Of course you can change whatever you want but you do it at your own risk. If you want to be conservative and make sure that it will work, adhere to what I tell you. If you change a part of the code not understanding it and you get it to work the way you want, then you just were lucky. Many people don't like to leave certain things in hands of the Fortune godess, she is the flightiest of all gods ;-). Regards.
Last edit: 33HOPS 2014-11-17
From current version 4.1.4 XSIBackup is independant of the path where it is installed, so all of you with renamed default datastores can use XSIBackup without modifying your environments.