Create Bacula Linux client

Create Bacula Linux client#

A Bacula Client is the source from which backups are created and is the destination where data is restored to.

This guide will show you how to create a new Bacula Client and use it with Bacula and Bacularis.

You can install the Bacula Linux Client in various ways. This documentation describes the easiest method: deploying the Bacula Client directly using the Bacularis deployment feature.

If you prefer to install the Bacula Client manually and configure it to work with the Bacula Director and Storage Daemon, feel free to skip this section.

What is required?#

  • Bacularis version 1.2.0 or later

  • Access to the Bacularis package repository

  • A remote Linux host with a supported distribution (see: OS profiles)

  • SSH access to the remote host (only required during API installation)

How to do it?#

Preparation#

If your Bacularis package repository requires authentication, make sure to have your credentials ready before starting the installation.

The installation process has two main steps:

  • Install the Bacularis API using SSH (this is a one-time operation)

  • Install the Bacula Client using HTTP(S) protocol

By default:

  • The Bacularis API is installed from the Bacularis package repository

  • The Bacula Client is installed from the operating system’s package repository

You can customize both the Bacularis and Bacula package repositories. For example, you can use external repositories such as Bacula.org’s. This can be achieved by customizing the OS profiles. You can create new OS profiles, inherit existing ones and adapt them to your operating systems.

Installing Bacularis API#

In the Bacularis web interface, go to the Deployment page from the main menu.

On the Repo auths tab, add your repository credentials if needed. If these are your only credentials, mark them as Default.

Go to the Hosts tab and click Deploy API host.

In the pop-up window enter the address of the remote host where Bacularis API and Bacula Client will be installed.

Select the correct OS profile for your remote system.

Provide the admin username and password for the remote host that are the SSH access credentials.

Click the Connection test button. If it succeeds, in Save as name field give the new host a name (e.g., My Ubuntu Host, Backup Client 321) and start deployment.

Installing Bacula Client#

Once the Bacularis API is deployed successfully, you’ll see the new API host listed in the API hosts table on the same Deployment page.

In the table row for the new API host, click Install button.

In the installation window check the Client option in the component list and click the Install button.

After installation, the Bacula Client is fully configured and automatically added to the Bacula Director configuration.

Important notes#

On some systems — especially DEB-based distributions — the Bacula Client may, by default, only listen on the localhost interface (127.0.0.1). This limits its usability for backup and restore operations over the network.

To fix this:

  • Edit the bacula-fd.conf file on the remote client.

  • Remove this line FdAddress = 127.0.0.1

  • Restart the Bacula Client service to apply the change.

You can also make this change via the Bacularis web interface — see the video guide below.

Video guide#

Watch this video for a step-by-step demonstration of how to deploy the Bacula Client using Bacularis: