Backing up the NICI files using the utility DSBK using the -e option is back. The following instructions will explain how to use the -e option to backup NICI along with the other features of full backup, incremental backup and the use of roll forward logs.

Target Audience: eDirectory Administrators

Tool Used: DSBK, available as part of all 8.8x eDirectory installs.

Version Needed: eDirectory 8.8 SP5 or more (for NICI backup)

Assuming that you have an eDirectory instance and this is the first time your tree is being backed up, follow the instructions below:

Run the following commands in your terminal:

1. dsbk getconfig
   
   Get the error "The required /etc/dsbk.conf file is missing". For more information, run 'man dsbk'.

• vi /etc/dsbk.conf
  
  Open this file and add the line "/tmp/dsbk.tmp" to be used as the temporary file

• touch /tmp/dsbk.tmp

• dsbk getconfig
  
  Get the output that will ask you to view the ndsd.log (that will be available at /var/opt/novell/eDirectory/log in case of default eDirectory installations)

• tail -f /var/opt/novell/eDirectory/log/ndsd.log
  
  Run this in another parallel terminal and monitor the backup/restore activity. See that 'Roll Forward Log' is off and the back up directory points to your default eDirectory install directory.
  
  

  The ndsd.log's output, at this point of time will be something like:

  
  
  

  Command line getconfig 
  Processing command line 
  Roll forward log status OFF 
  Stream file loggin status OFF 
  Current roll forward log directory /var/opt/novell/eDirectory/data/dib/nds.rfl 
  Minimum roll forward log size 104857600 bytes 
  Maximum roll forward log size 4294705152 bytes 
  Last roll forward log not used 00000000.log 
  Current roll forward log 00000001.log 
  
  

  
  
  

• mkdir /backup
  Create a folder to hold all the backup files and logs. To be safe, create this directory in a separate machine or in a different partition of your machine.
  
  

• dsbk setconfig -L -T -r /backup/
  

  -L - To keep roll forward logs, to help you not to lose any data till the moment your server crash. Enabling this option will log all the successful transactions (since the time you last backed up the tree) to the rfl files.
  
  -T - To start logging of stream files
  
  -r - To specify the rollforward directory
  
  

  
  
  

• dsbk getconfig
  

  Run this and see the ndsd.log. The log will confirm that will show that the RollForwarding and the stream file logging are enabled.

  
  
  

  Verify the ndsd.log:

  
  
  

  Command line getconfig 
  Processing command line 
  Roll forward log status ON 
  Stream file logging status ON 
  Current roll forward log directory /backup/nds.rfl 
  Minimum roll forward log size 104857600 bytes 
  Maximum roll forward log size 4294705152 bytes 
  Last roll forward log not used 00000001.log 
  Current roll forward log 00000002.log 
  
  

  
  
  
  

• dsbk backup -f /backup/fb.bak -l /backup/fb.log -e novell -t -b
  

  The command to take the full NICI backup:

  
  

  -e - Specifies its a NICI back up(with the backup password novell – that needs to be used while restoring)
  
  -t - To backup stream files
  
  -b - To perform a full back up
  
  -f, -l - To specify the full backup file name and log

  
  
  

  See the ndsd.log output:

  
  
  

  Command line backup -f /backup/fb.bak -l /backup/fb.log -e XXXXXX -t -b 
  Processing command line 
  Backup type: Full 
  Log file name: /backup/fb.log 
  Backup started: 2010-4-12'T16:29:54 
  Backup file name: /backup/fb.bak 
  Server name: \T=PAL-TEST\O=novell\CN=blr-paldev 
  Current Roll Forward Log: 00000002.log 
  DS Version: 2060103 
  Backup ID: 4BC2FD2A 
  NICI BACKUP: "NICI Files has been backed up Successfully" 
  Starting database backup... 
  
  Database backup finished 
  Completion time 00:00:31 
  Backup completed successfully 
  
  

  
  
  

• Now add a user named user1 to the tree under the container o=novell (of course, assuming that the container exists)
  
  

• ldapsearch -h <host-ip> -D <admindn> -w <password> cn=user1
  

  Do a ldapsearch to view the new user that got added.

  
  
  

• dsbk backup -f /backup/ib.bak -l /backup/ib.log -e novell -t -i
  
  

  Do an incremental backup for the new user (user1).

  
  
  

  View the output of ndsd.log to confirm the backup:

  
  
  

  Command line backup -f /backup/ib.bak -l /backup/ib.log -e XXXXXX -t -i 
  Processing command line 
  Backup type: Incremental 
  Log file name: /backup/ib.log 
  Backup started: 2010-4-12'T16:40:51 
  Backup file name: /backup/ib.bak 
  Server name: \T=PAL-TEST\O=novell\CN=blr-paldev 
  Current Roll Forward Log: 00000002.log 
  DS Version: 2060103 
  Backup ID: 4BC2FFBB 
  NICI BACKUP: "NICI Files has been backed up Successfully" 
  Starting database backup... 
  Database backup finished 
  Completion time 00:00:01 
  Backup completed successfully 
  
  

  
  
  
  

• Create one more user named "user2" and DO NOT BACKUP this user.
  
  

• killall -9 ndsd ; rm -rf /var/opt/novell/eDirectory/data/dib/ ; rm -rf

  /etc/opt/novell/eDirectory/conf/.edir/instances.0

  
  

  Simulate a crash and make your tree dead completely (even the default data directories are deleted)

  
  
  

• ndsstat
  

  Run ndsstat to confirm that no eDirectory instances are there.

  
  
  

• ndsconfig new -t DSBK-TEST -n novell -a admin.novell
  

  Configure a new instance (tree) of eDirectory.

  
  
  

• ldapsearch -h <host-ip> -D <admindn> -w <password> cn=user*
  

  Do the ldapsearch for user1 and user2 and it wont return anything as the server is new and the users are obviously not present

  
  
  

• dsbk restore -r -f /backup/fb.bak -l /backup/fb.log -d /backup/nds.rfl/ -e novell -a -o -i /backup/ib.bak
  

  - To restore the full backup (-r -f), and use the roll forward log directory (-d)
  
  - NICI restore (-e)
  
  - activate the dib (-a) and open the dib (-o)
  
  - do the incremental backup (-i)
  
  - mind that we use the same password "novell" that we gave during the backup.

  
  
  

  View the ndsd.log:

  
  
  

  Command line restore -r -f /backup/fb.bak -l /backup/fb.log -d /backup/nds.rfl/ -e XXXXXX -a -o -i /backup/ib.bak 
  Processing command line 
  Log file name: /backup/fb.log 
  Restore started: 2010-4-12'T16:49:7 
  Restore file name: /backup/fb.bak 
  Restoring file /var/opt/novell/eDirectory/data/dsnici.bak 
  NICI RESTORE: "NICI Files has been Restored Successfully" 
  Starting database restore... 
  
  
  Restoring file /backup/fb.bak 
  Restoring file /backup/ib.bak 
  Restoring file /var/opt/novell/eDirectory/data/dsnici.bak 
  NICI RESTORE: "NICI Files has been Restored Successfully" 

  
  
  

• rcndsd restart
  

  Restart the eDirectory server.

  
  
  

• ldapsearch -h <host-ip> -p 636 -e <SSL Certificate Path> -D <admindn> -w <password> cn=user*
  

  Do the ldapsearch for user1 & user2 and see that both the objects are backed up successfully. Also as we do the search over SSL (port 636), we can confirm that NICI is also backed up successfully.