Creating data backups
To configure data backups, assign a backup policy to the logspace.
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TIP:
Data that is still in the memory of SSB is not copied to the remote server, only data that was already written to disk.
To make sure that all data is backed up (for example, before an upgrade), shut down syslog-ng before initiating the backup process. |
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Caution:
Statistics about syslog-ng and logspace sizes are not backed up. As a result, following a data restore, the Basic Settings > Dashboard page will not show any syslog-ng and logspace statistics about the period before the backup. |
Prerequisites
You have to configure a backup policy before starting this procedure. For details, see Data and configuration backups.
To configure data backups
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Navigate to Log > Logpaces.
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Select the logspace you want to back up.
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Select a backup policy in the Backup policy field.
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Click 
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Optional: To start the backup process immediately, click Backup or Backup ALL. The Backup and Backup ALL functionalities work only after a backup policy has been selected and committed.
Encrypting configuration backups with GPG
You can encrypt the configuration file of SSB during system backups using the public-part of a GPG key. The system backups of SSB contain other information as well (for example, databases), but only the configuration file is encrypted. Note that system backups do not contain logspace data.
For details on restoring configuration from a configuration backup, see Restoring SSB configuration and data.
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NOTE:
It is not possible to directly import a GPG-encrypted configuration into SSB, it has to be decrypted locally first. |
Prerequisites
You have to configure a backup policy before starting this procedure. For details, see Data and configuration backups.
You need a GPG key which must be permitted to encrypt data. Keys that can be used only for signing cannot be used to encrypt the configuration file.
To encrypt configuration backups with GPG
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Navigate to Basic > System > Management > System backup.
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Select Encrypt configuration.
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Select 
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To upload a key file, click Browse, select the file containing the public GPG key, and click Upload. SSB accepts both binary and ASCII-armored GPG keys.
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To copy-paste the key from the clipboard, paste it into the Key field and click Set.
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Click .
Archiving and cleanup
Archiving transfers data from SSB to an external storage solution, cleanup removes (deletes) old files. Archived data can be accessed and searched, but cannot be restored (moved back) to the SSB appliance.
To configure archiving and cleanup, you first have to create an archive/cleanup policy. Archive/cleanup policies define the retention time, the address of the remote backup server, which protocol to use to access it, and other parameters. SSB can be configured to use the SMB/CIFS and NFS protocols to access the backup server:
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Caution:
Hazard of data loss Never delete an Archive Policy if data has been archived to it. This will make the already archived data inaccessible.
Do not "remake" an Archive Policy (that is, deleting an Archive Policy and then creating another one with the same name but different parameters). This will make data inaccessible, and identifying the root cause of the issue complicated.
If you want to change the connection parameters (that is when you perform a storage server migration), you must make sure that the share contents and file permissions are kept unmodified and there are no archiving or backup tasks running.
On the other hand, if you want to add a new network share to your archives, proceed with the following steps:
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Create a new empty SMB/NFS network share.
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Create a new Archive Policy that points to this network share.
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Modify your Logspace(s) to archive using the newly defined Archive Policy.
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Make sure to leave the existing Archive Policy unmodified.
It is also safe to extend the size of the network share on the server side. |
The different protocols assign different file ownerships to the files saved on the remote server. The owners of the archives created using the different protocols are the following:
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Caution:
SSB cannot modify the ownership of a file that already exists on the remote server. |
Once you have configured an archive/cleanup policy, assign it to the logspace you want to archive. For details, see Archiving or cleaning up the collected data.
Creating a cleanup policy
Cleanup permanently deletes all log files and data that is older than Retention time in days without creating a backup copy or an archive. Such data is irrecoverably lost. Use this option with care.
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NOTE:
This policy does not delete existing archives from an external CIFS or NFS server. |
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Navigate to Policies > Backup & Archive/Cleanup and click 
in the Archive/Cleanup policies section to create a new cleanup policy.
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Enter a name for the cleanup policy.
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Enter the time when the cleanup process should start into the Start time field in HH:MM format (for example 23:00).
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Fill the Retention time in days field. Data older than this value is deleted from SSB.
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To receive e-mail notifications, select the Send notification on errors only or the Send notification on all events option. Notifications are sent to the administrator e-mail address set on the Management tab, and include the list of the files that were backed up.
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NOTE:
This e-mail notification is different from the one set on the Alerting & Monitoring tab. This notification is sent to the administrator's e-mail address, while the alerts are sent to the alert e-mail address (see Configuring system monitoring on SSB). |
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Click .
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To assign the cleanup policy to the logspace you want to clean up, see Archiving or cleaning up the collected data.
