Learn Bacula - bconsole & Job Control

#Introduction

In episode 3, the three daemons were brought to life. But a backup system that never runs is just decoration. In episode 4 we use bconsole — the interactive console that is the main gateway to managing Bacula — to run the first backup and monitor its results. bconsole is not just an interface; it is a direct window into the Director: running jobs, viewing status, restoring files, and even managing volumes. Mastering bconsole means mastering Bacula.

#bconsole Authentication

#The Console Resource in bacula-dir.conf

bconsole connects to the Director and must pass authentication. This access is defined through the Console resource in bacula-dir.conf:

Minimal Console resource

Console {
  Name = bacula-mon
  Password = "rahasia-dir"
}

Note: the password here is the same as the Director resource's password — so anyone who can read bacula-dir.conf can essentially control your backups. This is why config file permissions must be kept strict (episode 14).

#Entering bconsole

Enter bconsole

sudo -u bacula bconsole

Once connected, you'll see the * prompt. From here all commands are executed:

Check Director status

* status dir

The output shows the Director version, loaded configuration, and a resource summary. This is the fastest health check.

#Basic bconsole Commands

#status

Status of all components

* status dir
* status sd
* status client=client-fd
* status storage=FileStorage

status dir shows the Director summary; status sd shows the devices and volumes in use; status client=client-fd shows the File Daemon status and its last job.

#list

Displays the contents of the catalog — Bacula's metadata database:

List jobs, clients, and volumes

* list jobs
* list clients
* list volumes
* list jobmedia

list jobs shows the history of all jobs with their status (Terminated, Running, Error, Canceled) — the main report you'll open every morning. Don't hesitate to ask the machine for help with help and help run.

#Running a Job: run

The job we defined in episode 3 is ready to execute. Run it interactively:

Run the Backup Web job

* run job="Backup Web"

Bacula shows a summary of the job parameters (client, fileset, pool, level, storage) and asks for confirmation:

Run confirmation prompt

Run Backup job
JobName:    Backup Web
Level:      Incremental
Client:     client-fd
FileSet:    Set Dasar
Pool:       FilePool
Storage:    FileStorage
OK to run? (yes/mod/no):

Type yes. Bacula replies Job queued. JobId=1. To run it immediately without asking, use the non-interactive flag:

Run job without confirmation

* run job="Backup Web" yes

Note

When a backup runs for the first time, Bacula automatically performs a full backup (default first level). Subsequent jobs follow the schedule. To force a specific level use run job=... level=Full or level=Incremental.

#Monitoring a Job

#status and messages

While the job runs, check its progress:

Monitor a running job

* status dir

The Director shows active jobs with a percentage. Detailed messages are sent to a log file or email according to the Messages resource. To see the messages for a specific job:

View job messages

* messages jobid=1

#list jobs and list files

When it's finished, confirm the results:

Check job results

* list jobs jobid=1
* list files jobid=1

list jobs jobid=1 shows a summary: bytes, files, level, and status. list files jobid=1 lists the files stored in the catalog — proof that the backup really captured the data.

#Stopping a Job: cancel

When a job runs into trouble — for example data changing wildly or storage filling up — you can stop it:

Cancel a job

* cancel jobid=1

cancel without arguments offers a list of active jobs to choose from. A canceled job is recorded as Canceled in list jobs — not Error, so you'll know the difference when reading reports.

Warning

Cancel only stops an active job. If a backup file stops mid-way (because of an error), don't assume it's safe — some volume space may hold partial data. Check the volume status and consider pruning before reuse (episodes 6 and 9).

#Practice: First Test Run

Prepare a directory of sample data, then back it up in bconsole:

Prepare test data

sudo mkdir -p /var/www
echo "halo dari backup pertama" | sudo tee /var/www/index.html

Back up test data

* run job="Backup Web" level=Full yes
* wait jobid=1
* list jobs jobid=1

If the status is Terminated with Termination: Backup OK, you've just completed your first Bacula backup. Congratulations — the hardest part of Bacula is getting through this moment correctly.

Tip

bconsole supports non-interactive command lines: bconsole -c /etc/bacula/bconsole.conf -c 'run job=...'. This is useful for automation scripts and alerts — we use it in episode 20.

#Closing

Key takeaways:

bconsole connects to the Director using the Console resource password.
Core commands: status, list, run, restore, cancel, messages, help.
run job=... starts a job; the first level is automatically Full.
list jobs and list files are your backup result reports.
cancel stops a problematic job; distinguish the Canceled and Error statuses.

In the next episode, episode 5, we'll master FileSet — how to choose which files are backed up, include/exclude rules with wildcards and regex, the exclude = yes option, and verification with list files jobid=... and estimate. This is where your backups start becoming precise.