With the MediaCentral or Interplay MAM server or server cluster set up and running, consider this an excellent moment to back up the system settings. In the event you need to re-image the server, or upgrade MCS, having a backup of the settings is invaluable.
The system-backup script provided on the MCS Installation USB Drive backs up important files and directories, including NIC card settings, DNS settings, and so on. In addition, the script calls the avid-db command, which dumps and backs up the contents of the MCS database. The MCS database contains ACS (Avid Common Services, “the bus”), UMS (User Management Services) and MCPS (MediaCentral Playback Services) data. It collects all this information and backs it up to the USB drive itself.
Note: In a cluster, the MCS database is replicated across the master and slave node, but it is only mounted on the master. Thus, the MCS database is only available for dumping and backup on the master node.
If you are backing up multiple nodes in a cluster, rename the backup file for each node before proceeding to the next node. If you do not rename the backup file obtained from the master node, it will be overwritten by the backup from a non-master node and the contents of the MCS database will be lost (including user information).
The following table lists the files and directories backed up and restored by the system-backup script.
Directory/File Description
/etc/sysconfig/* Network settings
/etc/fstab (restored in /root) Filesystem settings
/etc/resolv.conf DNS config file
/etc/ntp.conf Network Time Protocol config file
/etc/cron.d/ntpd Instructions for the Linux cron utility.
/etc/snmp/snmpd.conf Simple Network Management Protocol
(network monitor)
/usr/maxt/maxedit/etc/* Maxedit settings (used by MCPS)
/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules NIC card settings /usr/maxt/maxedit/share/MPEGPresets/MPEG2TS.
mpegpreset Defines encoding for iOS playback
/etc/localtime Time zone info
/etc/sudoers List of users with sudo privileges
/opt/avid/etc/avid/avid-interplay-central/ssl/jetty.keystore
/opt/avid/etc/avid/avid-interplay-central/config/application.properties
Jetty keystore and SSL certificates and usage passwords.
Pacemaker configuration
(restored as /root/pcmk.conf) Pacemaker configuration
/etc/corosync/corosync.conf Corosync config file
/etc/drbd.d/r0.res DRBD config file
MCS database MCS database, including user
information.
RHEL user names and passwords. Not backed up.
Note: RHEL user names and passwords (such as the root user) are not backed up or restored by the system-backup script. After an upgrade, for example, logging in as “root”
requires the default password. For the default root user password, contact your Avid representative.
To back up the system settings and MCS database:
1. Mount the original MCS Installation USB drive that contains the system-backup script.
For detailed instructions, see Copying Software Using a USB Drive on page 177.
2. Change to the mount point. For example:
cd /media/usb
3. Back up the MCS settings and database using the backup script.
./system-backup.sh –b
A backup file is written to the USB drive:
/media/usb/sys-backup/ics_setup_files.tar.gz
Since the system-backup script also calls the avid-db command, a backup of the MCS database is also written to the following directory (on the MCS server):
/var/lib/avid/db/dumps
The backup file on the server has a name has the following form:
ALL-YYYYMMDD_HHMMSSZ.sql.gz.cr
Note: Note the time stamp appended to the file name uses the Universal Time Code (UTC), not the local time.
The following message indicates success:
Backup setup successful!
4. Rename the backup file on the USB drive using the Linux mv command. For example:
mv sys-backup sys-backup-<nodename>
The above command renames the directory containing the backup file just created. The backup file itself (ics_setup_files.tar.gz) remains unchanged inside the directory.
Note: Renaming the backup file is particularly important if you are backing up multiple nodes in a cluster. Only the master node backup contains a complete set of backup
information. If you do not rename the master node backup file, it will be overwritten by the backup from a non-master node.
5. Unmount the USB drive.
For detailed instructions, see Copying Software Using a USB Drive on page 177.
6. If you have a cluster, repeat the process on each node.
To restore the system settings and MCS database:
In the event that you need to restore system settings to the MCS servers, the following process is provided. This step does not need to be completed when testing the system.
1. Mount the original MCS Installation USB drive that contains the system-backup script.
For detailed instructions, see Copying Software Using a USB Drive on page 177.
1. Change to the mount point. For example:
cd /media/usb
2. If you renamed the backup file, restore it to the original name.
mv sys-backup-<nodename> sys-backup
3. Restore the MCS settings and database using the backup script.
./system-backup.sh –r
You are asked to confirm the restoration of the MCS database:
Would you like to restore the database now? (y/n) 4. Type “y” (without the quotes) to confirm the action.
You are asked to confirm the shutting down of the Avid services:
All Avid services will be shut down before performing a database restore operation.
Would you like to continue? [yes/no]
5. Type “yes” (spelled out in full, without the quotes) to confirm the action.
Note: Be careful when typing your response to this question. Typing anything other than “yes” results in the script exiting without restoring the MCS database. Other items are restored, but not the MCS database.
Services are shut down, the MCS database is restored, and services are restarted.
The MCS database service is stopped, and you are prompted to restore the database.
The following message indicates success:
Restoration done!
Your old fstab settings were saved in /root/fstab Please remove the USB key and reboot the server.
Note: The filesystem table (fstab) file contains information to automate mounting volumes at boot time. It is not restored automatically.
6. Once the settings are restored, unmount and remove the USB drive.
For detailed instructions, see Copying Software Using a USB Drive on page 177.
7. If you have a cluster, repeat the process on each node.