Re: Automating backup

[Richard Sydney-Smith <richard@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Doug.

Many users are haphazard in their approach until the machine fails and then they expect to be pulled from the poo.

Done it too many times. I now will get the application to enforce an additional integrity check. It must be backed up or else! Seems futile to put all the effort into a database design that checks and ensures everything except that a backup copy exists!

Essentially I need access to a database record that gives the timestamp for the last backup.
Of course pgdump/vacuum could maintain such timestamps themselves. Is that possible? If not then a proc in the database that calls pgdump/vacuum and records the event is needed to give me peace of mind.

regards

Richard

Doug McNaught wrote:

Richard Sydney-Smith <richard@xxxxxxxxxx> writes:

  

      pch := pchar('pg_dump -C -h '+host+' -U '+usr+' -p '+pswd+ ' -f
'+bckup_path+' '+dbase);

to postgres.

as the operator is obviously logged in how do I
(1) trap their user id
(2) Send the call to pg_dump without knowing their password?

I expect this is a well worn route and am hoping not to have to
reinvent a wheel.
    

I don't think it's "well-worn" at all--everyone I've ever heard of
runs pg_dump from a cron script.

Why not have a shell script run by the operator that runs pg_dump and
then calls psql to insert the log record (assuming the dump succeeds)?
Putting the logic inside of the database doesn't seem to buy you
anything AFAICS.

-Doug

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