Hello, On Saturday 09 June 2007 12:08, db wrote: > Hi all > > In my opinion Bacula is the best open-source backup system and one of > the best open-source projects overall. Specifically I like the > cross-platform support and easy management. However I feel that it > needs an important feature: to backup systems where just copying the > files the system use isn't enough. Systems like MySQL, MSSQL, Postgresql > and Exchange (like Symantec Backup Exec can). Backing up MySQL and > Postgresq is easy but I don't know anything about MSSQL. With > OpenChange's libmapi backing up an exchange server shouldn't be that hard. > So my question is: Are there any work going on to implement database and > exchange backup or is there at least a will to add it? > I know there are a lot of systems that need to have separate backup > modules, but isn't those 3 databases and exchange a good place to start?
The first point is that IMO, Bacula can back up all the databases that you mention. The "problem" is that Bacula as a project has provided scripts to backup databases that it uses. This is because we use those databases, program them, and have looked at the documentation. Concerning the other databases that you mention. I suspect that they all can be backed up by techniques similar to what we have done for backing up the Bacula catalog. It is just that we (at least to this point) have left it to you the users, and the experts with those other databases, create your own scripts. There exist a number of scripts to do what you want. Some are included in the examples directory of the source code, if they were contributed by users, others have been posted to the email lists, and even more have been posted on the Bacula wiki (see the web page). Bottom line: I don't see any problem doing what you want, the tools already exist, but as of today, the Bacula project does not explicitly maintain and distribute those scripts/tools. One of the projects I am personally working on is to create a wide variety of professional services for Bacula through independent service providers. In this context one of the things we are targetting is to collect, document, and understand all those scripts and make them available to customers -- since this takes a lot of effort and it is professional services, one should expect to pay some modest fees for this. At the same time, I imagine that the Bacula project will have access to all those scripts, or users can simply continue to contribute them, so they will be availble one way or another depending on whether or not you want professional support or not. Certain commercial backup vendors have integrated solutions more directly into their products that can sometimes be more efficient and easier for the administrator to use. I don't foresee the Bacula project undertaking these kinds of projects because the Bacula project is about Bacula not about MySQL, PostgreSQL, Exchange, Oracle, DB2, ... However, it is possible that in the context of the professional services some company or companies may want such integrated solutions (i.e. a solution that allows admins to use rman directly to do the backup), and they may be willing to pay for such developement. If that happens, we will certainly encourage them to contribute any such solution to Open Source, if possible. Despite what a sponsoring corporation may want, many APIs are proprietary and as such probably cannot be distributed with Open Source because of the STRICT licensing requirments of the GPL (see my recent email on the catch-22 of GPL). Even things such as the API for NDMP, which pretends to be an Open Standard, seem to be far from open, and even farther from being compatible enough to be freely distributed with Open Source. Regards, Kern ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This SF.net email is sponsored by DB2 Express Download DB2 Express C - the FREE version of DB2 express and take control of your XML. No limits. Just data. Click to get it now. http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/ _______________________________________________ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
