Backup and Restore for Zimbra Open Source

[emcampos]

I am running Zimbra on Ubuntu.

zimbra@mail2:/var/backups/zimbra$ zmcontrol -v

Release 5.0.12_GA_2789.UBUNTU8 UBUNTU8

As per the document;

http://wiki.zimbra.com/index.php?title=Backing_up_and_restoring_Zimbra_%2 8Open_Source_Version%29
I have to copy the /opt folder. But this is too big.

Can i just simply copy the mailboxes and the account names and simply overwrite the files in th enewly created server?

I built the test server on a workstation. I am now setting up Zimbra on our blade server for the final test.

There are active users in the test server.

The whole /opt folder is too big.

Can i simply copy the mailboxes and account names into the new machine (blade server)?

[uxbod]

No, you will need to copy the whole lot! Do you not have some external storage you could connect ?

[snake_eyes]

Hello,

Referencing to my experience with backup and restore, and after an hard work to finish this, I collected the required information in short document, please follow those steps:

# Backing Up
$ As zimbra: zmcontrol stop
$ sudo ps aux | grep zimbra (make sure everything’s stopped)
$ sudo rsync -avr /opt/zimbra /mnt/migration (this may take a while)

# Create a "dummy" Install Then Remove It
$ sudo Run the installer with the -s option: ./install.sh -s
$ sudo Remove the dummy install: rm -rf /opt/zimbra

# Mount Your Backup HD, rsync, and Install
$ sudo rsync -avr /mnt/migration/zimbra /opt/
$ sudo chown -R zimbra:zimbra /opt/zimbra
$ sudo run zmfixperms located in /opt/zimbra/libexec or /opt/zimbra/libexec/zmfixperms -verbose
$ sudo rerun the installer without the -s option (It will detect ZCS already installed, and ask if you want to upgrade. Select Yes)

# If the mailbox mysql.server is not running Try initializing mysql by hand:
$ As zimbra: /opt/zimbra/libexec/zmmyinit

$ sudo mkdir -p /opt/backup/tmp
$ sudo rm -rf /opt/backup/tmp/zimbra
$ sudo /etc/init.d/zimbra stop
$ sudo ps aux | grep zimbra (make sure everything’s stopped)
$ sudo ps auxww | awk '{print $1" "$2}' | grep zimbra | kill -9 `awk '{print $2}'` (Only enable the following command if you need all Zimbra user owned processes to be killed before syncing)
$ sudo kill -9 `ps -u zimbra -o "pid="`
$ sudo rsync -avr /opt/zimbra/ /opt/backup/tmp/zimbra
$ sudo /etc/init.d/zimbra start
$ sudo tar -zcvf /opt/backup/ZimbraBackupFull_`date +%Y-%m-%d.%I-%M-%S-%p`.tar.gz -C /opt/backup/tmp zimbra

Waiting your feedback...

Cheers,

[jackietomson]

you're d best. I've been trying so many methods for a while. Your steps where just perfect without errors.

[snake_eyes]

you're d best. I've been trying so many methods for a while. Your steps where just perfect without errors.

Thank you for your feedback, good to see you happy

Sincerely,

[spectra]

# Backing Up
$ As zimbra: zmcontrol stop
$ sudo ps aux | grep zimbra (make sure everything’s stopped)
$ sudo rsync -avr /opt/zimbra /mnt/migration (this may take a while)

the above actually does the backing up of the original server, right ?



# Create a "dummy" Install Then Remove It
$ sudo Run the installer with the -s option: ./install.sh -s
$ sudo Remove the dummy install: rm -rf /opt/zimbra

# Mount Your Backup HD, rsync, and Install
$ sudo rsync -avr /mnt/migration/zimbra /opt/
$ sudo chown -R zimbra:zimbra /opt/zimbra
$ sudo run zmfixperms located in /opt/zimbra/libexec or /opt/zimbra/libexec/zmfixperms -verbose
$ sudo rerun the installer without the -s option (It will detect ZCS already installed, and ask if you want to upgrade. Select Yes)


The above does the restore to the new server, correct ?


# If the mailbox mysql.server is not running Try initializing mysql by hand:
$ As zimbra: /opt/zimbra/libexec/zmmyinit

$ sudo mkdir -p /opt/backup/tmp
$ sudo rm -rf /opt/backup/tmp/zimbra
$ sudo /etc/init.d/zimbra stop
$ sudo ps aux | grep zimbra (make sure everything’s stopped)
$ sudo ps auxww | awk '{print $1" "$2}' | grep zimbra | kill -9 `awk '{print $2}'` (Only enable the following command if you need all Zimbra user owned processes to be killed before syncing)
$ sudo kill -9 `ps -u zimbra -o "pid="`
$ sudo rsync -avr /opt/zimbra/ /opt/backup/tmp/zimbra
$ sudo /etc/init.d/zimbra start
$ sudo tar -zcvf /opt/backup/ZimbraBackupFull_`date +%Y-%m-%d.%I-%M-%S-%p`.tar.gz -C /opt/backup/tmp zimbra

What's the purpose of doing the above, are we backing up again ? Why ?

[snake_eyes]

The above procedure if you which to change the server, step by step to backup the server then move the zimbra to another server. Although there is another procedure for backup.

[spectra]

# If the mailbox mysql.server is not running Try initializing mysql by hand:
$ As zimbra: /opt/zimbra/libexec/zmmyinit

$ sudo mkdir -p /opt/backup/tmp
$ sudo rm -rf /opt/backup/tmp/zimbra
$ sudo /etc/init.d/zimbra stop
$ sudo ps aux | grep zimbra (make sure everything’s stopped)
$ sudo ps auxww | awk '{print $1" "$2}' | grep zimbra | kill -9 `awk '{print $2}'` (Only enable the following command if you need all Zimbra user owned processes to be killed before syncing)
$ sudo kill -9 `ps -u zimbra -o "pid="`
$ sudo rsync -avr /opt/zimbra/ /opt/backup/tmp/zimbra
$ sudo /etc/init.d/zimbra start
$ sudo tar -zcvf /opt/backup/ZimbraBackupFull_`date +%Y-%m-%d.%I-%M-%S-%p`.tar.gz -C /opt/backup/tmp zimbra

What's the purpose of doing the above, are we backing up again ? Why ?

You don't need this part, right ? You already backedup and restored with these instructions:
# Backing Up
$ As zimbra: zmcontrol stop
$ sudo ps aux | grep zimbra (make sure everything’s stopped)
$ sudo rsync -avr /opt/zimbra /mnt/migration (this may take a while)

the above actually does the backing up of the original server, right ?



# Create a "dummy" Install Then Remove It
$ sudo Run the installer with the -s option: ./install.sh -s
$ sudo Remove the dummy install: rm -rf /opt/zimbra

# Mount Your Backup HD, rsync, and Install
$ sudo rsync -avr /mnt/migration/zimbra /opt/
$ sudo chown -R zimbra:zimbra /opt/zimbra
$ sudo run zmfixperms located in /opt/zimbra/libexec or /opt/zimbra/libexec/zmfixperms -verbose
$ sudo rerun the installer without the -s option (It will detect ZCS already installed, and ask if you want to upgrade. Select Yes)