Challenge
To configure Linux guests and repositories to work with Veeam Backup and Replication and utilize our software’s features.Cause
There are several requirements that must be met, by a Linux OS, in order for us to effectively utilize all of our features and make sure they run consistently. On top of that we require root permissions to launch several modules. If these settings are not in place, then we won’t be able to properly write to and recover the system.Solution
Authentication MethodsLinux servers registered with Veeam Backup & Replication infrastructure must use Password or Certificate-based authentication methods. At this time we do not support any other forms of authentication like biometrics, smart cards, etc.
Bash
We require Bash to be installed as shell on the Linux environment. At the time we do not support any other command shell. This is usually the default shell set in place by most Linux distributions.
"sudo"
Important Note: accounts using "sudo" must be in the "/etc/sudoers" file and have the ‘nopasswd’ setting put into the "/etc/sudoers" file.
In order to launch our script we require the "sudo" command to be able to launch from the credentials we are given at the time of setup. "sudo" is a command that allows us to make administrator level (root) changes and executions in the Linux environment.
One of the primary reasons that we use "sudo" is to make sure that we can access the /tmp folder and launch a script from it. There are many other ways you can launch scripts from the "/tmp" folder but "sudo" is the most consistent way across multiple distribution’s to do it. This also allows us to complete the operation without having change user permissions so the user doesn’t have to modify them afterword’s to get them back to their original configuration, as well as we will be able to relinquish root privileges on the fly.
In order to launch our script we require the "sudo" command to be able to launch from the credentials we are given at the time of setup. "sudo" is a command that allows us to make administrator level (root) changes and executions in the Linux environment.
One of the primary reasons that we use "sudo" is to make sure that we can access the /tmp folder and launch a script from it. There are many other ways you can launch scripts from the "/tmp" folder but "sudo" is the most consistent way across multiple distribution’s to do it. This also allows us to complete the operation without having change user permissions so the user doesn’t have to modify them afterword’s to get them back to their original configuration, as well as we will be able to relinquish root privileges on the fly.
Perl
Many Linux distributions come with Perl pre-installed but this does not mean that it has all the Perl modules that are required for us to utilize the server in a backup and restore function and once all of the correct modules are install we must be able to launch these modules as needed. Some systems are setup with software called SELinux. This software will make it so that only certain modules can be launched from SSH. The Linux distribution must allow us to launch all of these modules from "SSH" at any amount at a time.
Here is a list of the modules that we require for Veeam to work properly with a Linux install:
Here is a list of the modules that we require for Veeam to work properly with a Linux install:
- Constant
- Carp
- Cwd
- Data::Dumper
- Encode
- Encode::Alias
- Encode::Config
- Encode::Encoding
- Encode::MIME::Name
- Exporter
- Exporter::Heavy
- File::Path
- File::Spec
- File::Spec::Unix
- File::Temp
- List::Util
- Scalar::Util
- SOAP::Lite
- Socket
- Storable
- Threads
You can find out which modules are installed by running:
perldoc -q installed
One of the most widely used Linux distribution’s currently is CentOS 6/7 and in this distribution the "Data::Dumper Perl" module is not installed by default.
SSH
SSH is a program for logging into a remote machine and for executing commands on a remote machine. This is software that we use to log in to a Linux environment. Most systems have this software installed by default but if the Veeam server is having issues logging into a Linux environment you should check if SSH is installed.
The configuration of your SSH install must allow using tunneled clear text passwords. Info on how to do this can be found on this KB: http://www.veeam.com/kb1512
The configuration of your SSH install must allow using tunneled clear text passwords. Info on how to do this can be found on this KB: http://www.veeam.com/kb1512
SCP
SCP copies files between hosts on a network. It uses SSH for data transfer, and uses the same authentication and provides the same security as SSH. We use this software as our file mover on Linux. It is common for Centos core to not include this SCP module in the default install.
"mlocate", "gzip" and "tar"
"mlocate" is a new implementation of locate, a tool to find files anywhere in the file system based on their name, using a fixed pattern or a regular expression. We utilize "mlocate" to locate files on a Linux system.
"gzip" and "tar" are archive tools very much like WinZip. We use these to compress and decompress files going to and from the server.
All of these files and their required configurations must be installed on the Linux environment prior to its usage with Veeam Backup and Replication to fully use all of our features.
"gzip" and "tar" are archive tools very much like WinZip. We use these to compress and decompress files going to and from the server.
All of these files and their required configurations must be installed on the Linux environment prior to its usage with Veeam Backup and Replication to fully use all of our features.