[1472] in linux-announce channel archive
SHAK - a network backup program encapsulator.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lars Wirzenius)
Sat Jan 13 17:31:50 1996
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 1996 13:35:51 +0200
From: Lars Wirzenius <wirzeniu@cc.helsinki.fi>
To: linux-announce@vger.rutgers.edu
From: "James Lowe Jr." <jhl@infi.net>
Subject: SHAK - a network backup program encapsulator.
Approved: linux-announce@news.ornl.gov (Lars Wirzenius)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce
Followup-to: comp.os.linux.development.apps
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SOFTWARE RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT : January 8. 1996
Title: shak
Version: 1.00
Shak is an entry in the distributed, network transparent
Backup category.
Shak is a program, for creating tape backups, that
encapsulates an arbitrary user backup program
with the restriction that the user backup produces
and one (1) tape file.
Shak alternates the user backup files with shak header
tape files and maintains the headers in a disk file for
quick access. The header information identifies the
backup and supports implementation of full, differential,
and incremental backup types by entering information in
the user backup programs environment as defined variables.
Shak is a command line (interface) shell (sh) program.
Title: shak
Version: 1.00
Origin: original work by the author of this announcement.
Release state: first non-beta release
Author: James Lowe, Jr. <jhl@richmond.infi.net>
Copying Policy: GNU GPL.
Distribution file: shak-1.00.tar.gz (74 Kbytes)
Where to get shak: ftp at sunsite.unc.edu and mirror sites.
/pub/Linux/Incoming or
/pub/Linux/system/Backup
Features of interest:
* Shak manages tape cartridges (by tape ID number) and
manages tape files on a cartridge by maintaining a tape
index file, for each tape, in the file system.
* Shak is network transparent in all of its operations.
* Supports "shakless" clients. i.e will execute a program
in a defined environment on a remote host with
environment variables exported by shak.
* All tape headers are plain ascii text.
* Shak is programmed in shell (sh) and standard
Unix programs; and employs standard tape files
that mt(1) knows how to read.
* No special kernel or networking features or
drivers are required.
* Includes a file list filtering program that parses
a date string. ( based on GNU RCS partime.c function)
* Does NOT impose the form of the backup tape file or the
backup program, although it does presume the existence of
a RCS Id string in the backup program.
Shak comes complete with some example backup scripts
that provide some decent features.
Here is the first and last pages of the section 8 man page.
SHAK(8) SHAK(8)
NAME
shak - Manage tape files and make network transparent
backups.
SYNOPSIS
shak [ -adgiklmqtuvxy ] subcommand [args ...]
DESCRIPTION
Shak is a Bourne shell program system that positions a
tape at "end-of-recorded-media" and runs a user-supplied
backup program, among other functions described below.
Shak defines and manages a tape file metaformat specifica-
tion (One or more tape files of prescribed content on a
single tape). A tape file, according to shak may either
be an ascii text header or the output of the user-supplied
backup program. Shak creates, tests, and enforces this
tape file metaformat.
The tape format is as follows. A header begins every tape
and precedes every user-backup tape file on the tape,
hence headers are file numbers zero (first) and all odd
numbered tape files. User backup files are all even num-
bered tape files. Shak does not impose a form on nor
alter the contents of even numbered tape files. Shak does
impose the constraint that the user backup program writes
exactly one (1) tape file. The tape headers contain
information to identify the origin and date of the tape
(tape file zero) and each succeeding user-backup tape
file. (tape files 1,3,5,...) This information supports
the implementation of full, differential, and incremental
backup types.
The scope of shak is only that of a tape file manager,
many features must be implemented by the user-supplied
backup program. The shak distribution provides shell
scripts using shell variables exported by shak to achieve
a full-featured, structured backup system. Shak stores
the tape headers (zeroth and subsequent odd numbered tape
files) in a tape index file thus reducing tape read opera-
tions normally required to retrieve information stored in
the odd numbered tape files. A date-string parsing file
list filter program is provided in the source distribu-
tion. A means for logging backed up files to a file on
any host is supported through the methods of the
user-supplied backup program. Shak uses the 'fsf', 'eom',
'rewind' and 'bsf' options of the mt(1) command and uses
the remote shell program, rsh(1), to achieve network
transparency.
SHAK(8) SHAK(8)
FILES
/usr/etc/shak/shak.conf
The site-wide shak configuration file.
/etc/shak/shak.conf
The machine local shak configuration file.
${SHAK_INDEXPATH}/INDEX_${SHAK_DOMAIN}_${SHAK_TAPENUMBER}
The tape index file.
${SHAK_INDEXPATH}/INDEX_${SHAK_DOMAIN}_${SHAK_TAPENUMBER}.bak
The old previous tape index file.
SEE ALSO
shak(5), mtimefilter(1), mt(1), sh(1), ksh(1), ident(1),
shak/script/backupshak.sh
BUGS
Shak does not respond to signals elegantly; and, only
knows of tape errors through mt(1) or other program's
stderr file. Shak is unaware of some error conditions.
Tape headers are not ANSI standard compliant, if one is
applicable. Shak is a shell program, and it is slow.
Shak offers no help toward restoration of a shak backup.
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