Moritz Both <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I find it hard to believe that most "standard" amanda using unix
> system operators suggest ways to install amanda this way (quote is
> meant as an example for the "common sense" of list members / amanda
> operators):
>
> > 1. REBDA (Read Everything Before Doing Anything)
>
> This hint is so vague that it really does not help much. You should
> read some files from the amanda source distribution, I agree, but
> where is the starting point *which* files to read, given you have a
> certain amount of backup technology knowledge? And what will you
> learn? What will you have to learn?
A different paradigm.
When I did an evaluation of available backup "solutions" some time ago,
it stunned me how vendors clouded up their basic concepts in marketing
"must sound different" hogwash. While there is still not much more than
{full,incremental,differential}�backups, it takes time and effort to
make out who is doing what.
Amanda, too, comes with her own special terminology. Watch the number of
beginners stumbling into amanda-users with "How can I schedule full
backups for the weekends...?".
> In fact, there are only hints for reading. There is no "official"
> guide how to install amanda in a standard environment although of
> course standard environments exist or at least can be described.
There are the UofM papers that started the whole thing, and give the
general idea. Then there is a set of how-to docs and man pages. Print
them all out, duplex, two-up, bind them as you will want them anyway
when your server is down.
> > 2. Be prepared to run the configure/install process a few times until
> > you get it the way you want.
>
> Inacceptable. Why the hell should OS software installs work the "try
> and error" way only? After reading the right documents (1.) I should
> be able to run configure, make and make install the correct way, maybe
> with a few options to configure, but not more.
Inacceptable? It's about getting a feeling for what's going on.
Backup/Restore is essential, and time for trying out and getting
familiar with essential tools is never wasted.
When you need the tool most, you may find yourself with a server
half-down, having to manually reconfigure/fix permissions etc.
> > [...]
> > 8. Build your own. Whoever made the RPM or DEB didn't have your network
> > in mind.
>
> [...]
> If the RPMs do not work the way they should, fix
> them and provide the fix to RedHat, but saying "do not use RPMs" is
> the hard way.
>
> We use both the amanda server and client RPMs from RH 7.1 and are
> happy with them.
Huh.
Amanda as she stands is very much a unix administrators' tool. Five
machines are fine, fifteen even better. That is a setup in which an
"administrator" who cannot work himself out of a paper bag without a set
of shiny rpms will eventually find himself in trouble.
My 0.02 EUR,
hauke
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