Pi Backup System

*** Not Tested in ASL3 ***

Overview

This backup system for Raspberry Pi automates backups to a USB thumb drive. It includes scripts for backing up essential files, restoring backups, and setting up the environment for both new installations and recovery from SD card failures.

Created By: WROG208 / N4ASS
Website: www.lonewolfsystem.org

Contents

• backup_to_usb.sh: Performs backup operations and saves files to the USB drive.
• backup_config.conf: Configuration file specifying directories/files to back up, USB mount point, log directory, and backup retention settings.
• restore_from_usb.sh: Restores the latest backup from the USB drive.
• install.sh: Sets up the backup environment initially by installing dependencies, setting permissions, and configuring cron jobs.
• README.md: This guide.

After Download

Unzip file PiBackupToUSB.zip to a folder in your computer. Transfer to the Raspberry Pi using WinSCP. Save in folder /tmp Make install.sh executable. Just right click on install.sh end choose properties. On the boxes where it say permissions click on every box that has an X on the right side of it and click ok. On the bottom you should see Octal:755 Now open Putty and sign in into the Pi that you just saved the files to. Navigate to the folder typing:

cd /tmp

Now type:

./install.sh

Wait for installation and check if there was no error message.

Generated on First Install

• install_from_usb.sh: Saved to the USB drive during setup, allowing for recovery directly from the USB in case of SD card failure.

Requirements

• Raspberry Pi running a compatible Linux distribution (e.g., Raspbian, Hamvoip).
• A USB drive for storing backups.

Initial Setup

1. Insert the USB Drive: Insert a USB drive into the Raspberry Pi that will be used for storing backups. USB drive has to be inserted BEFORE YOU RUN install.sh.

2. Run install.sh:

   • Download and place the package files on the Raspberry Pi.
   • Run install.sh as root:

     sudo ./install.sh

   • This script installs necessary dependencies (dos2unix, zip, unzip, dosfstools), formats the USB drive to VFAT if needed, and sets up the initial configuration and permissions.
   • Warning: If the USB drive requires formatting, all data will be erased. The script prompts for confirmation before formatting.

3. Automatic Backup Setup:

   • The script sets up a cron job to run the backup every Friday at 12:30 AM.

4. Initial Backup:

   • The script performs an initial backup to the USB drive.

Configuration

The configuration file backup_config.conf defines key settings:

• Directories and Files to Back Up: Set in the backup_sources variable, a list of directories/files to back up, separated by spaces.
• USB Mount Point: usb_mount_point defines where the USB drive is mounted.
• Log Directory: log_dir sets the location for storing log files.
• Backup Retention: retain_backups sets the number of recent backups to keep on the USB drive (older backups are deleted automatically).

Restoring Backups

Automated Restore

If a previous backup exists, install.sh will prompt to restore it during setup.

Manual Restore

Run restore_from_usb.sh to manually restore the most recent backup:

sudo /usr/local/bin/restore_from_usb.sh

If you like to add more files or folders to the backup you will have to modify the backup_config.conf.

Find the line that starts with backup_sources=. Add the paths to the new files or directories you want to back up, separated by spaces. For example:

backup_sources="/etc/asterisk /srv/http/supermon /var/spool/cron/root /var/log/asterisk/astdb.txt /path/to/another/directory /path/to/another/file"