Chat now with support
Chat with Support

NetVault Plug-in for PostgreSQL 12.3 - User Guide

Introducing NetVault Backup Plug-in for PostgreSQL Installing and removing the plug-in Configuring the plug-in Backing up data Restoring data Troubleshooting

Renaming a database during restore

Renaming a database can be useful if you do not want to overwrite the existing version and want to create a copy of the database.

1
In the Navigation pane, click Create Restore Job, select Plug‑in for PostgreSQL from the Plugin Type list, select the applicable saveset, and click Next.
For more information, see Selecting data for a restore.
2
On the Create Selection Set page, click the database that you want to rename, and select Rename from the context menu.
3
In the Rename/Relocate dialog box, enter the new name in the Rename to box.
You can enter the name of an existing database to restore the selected tables to this database.
 
* 
IMPORTANT: If the cluster is configured to use UTF-8 encoding at initdb, you cannot use a name that contains non-ASCII characters.
4
Click Ok.
The database item is accompanied by renaming information in parentheses.
5
Continue with the restore procedure as explained in Setting restore options and Finalizing and submitting the job.

Restoring data to a different database cluster

You can restore a database to a different database cluster running on the database server. The following topics outline the procedure for performing this type of a restore.

Before initiating this type of restore, verify that the following prerequisites are met:

•
Same version of PostgreSQL installed: The PostgreSQL version must be same as the version running on the existing database server.
•
Database cluster exists on the PostgreSQL Server: A database cluster must exist on the PostgreSQL Server and this cluster must be added to the plug-in. To add the cluster, see Adding a database cluster.
1
Select the data to restore from the backup saveset by following the instructions outlined in Selecting data for a restore.
2
Set the Restore Options by following the instructions outlined in Setting restore options and completing the following parameter:
Specify the name of the database cluster to which the selected database is to be restored using the Database Cluster Name box in the Restore Target Details section.
3
Complete the procedure by following the instructions outlined in Finalizing and submitting the job.
 
* 
IMPORTANT: You can also rename a database while performing this type of restore. For more information, see Renaming a database during restore.

Restoring to a database cluster on an alternate server

You can restore a database cluster to a different PostgreSQL Server. Before initiating this type of restore, verify that the following prerequisites are met on the new restore target:

•
Same OS: The OS running on the target system must be same as the source system.
•
Same version of PostgreSQL installed: The PostgreSQL version must be same as the version running on the existing database server.
•
NetVault Backup software and Plug‑in for PostgreSQL installed: The same version of NetVault Backup software and the plug-in must be installed and configured on the new restore target.
•
Client added to the NetVault Backup Server: The target machine must be added to the NetVault Backup Server through the NetVault Backup WebUI.
•
Database cluster exists on the new restore target: A database cluster must exist on the new restore target and the cluster must be added to the plug-in. To add the cluster, see Adding a database cluster.
 
* 
IMPORTANT: If you are not restoring from a Full Database Cluster backup, restore the Global Objects first.
1
Select the database to be restored from the backup saveset by following the instructions outlined in Selecting data for a restore.
2
Set the Restore Options by following the instructions outlined in Setting restore options.
In addition, specify the name of the database cluster to which the selected database is to be restored using the Database Cluster Name box in the Restore Target Details section.
3
To save the settings, click Ok, and then click Next.
4
In Job Name, specify a name for the job if you do not want to use the default setting.
Assign a descriptive name that lets you easily identify the job when monitoring its progress. The job name can contain alphanumeric and nonalphanumeric characters, but it cannot contain non-Latin characters. On Linux, the name can have a maximum of 200 characters. On Windows, there is no length restriction. However, a maximum of 40 characters is recommended on all platforms.
 
* 
IMPORTANT: Do not use special characters that are not supported in a filename on the target OS. For example, do not use the characters /,\,*, or @ on Windows. This requirement is because Plug‑in for PostgreSQL tries to create a folder with the same name as the job title for restoring data temporarily.
5
In the Target Client list, select the new restore target.
 
* 
TIP: You can also click Choose, and then locate and select the applicable client in the Choose the Target Client dialog box.
6
Use the Schedule and Advanced Options lists to configure any additional required options.
7
Click Save or Save & Submit, whichever is applicable.
You can monitor progress on the Job Status page and view the logs on the View Logs page. For more information, see the Quest NetVault Backup Administrator’s Guide.

Troubleshooting

This topic describes some common errors and their solutions. If an error occurs that is not described in this table, obtain the PostgreSQL error number from the NetVault Backup Logs, and then see the relevant PostgreSQL documentation for the resolution.

 
Table 2. Troubleshooting
Symptom
Error
Explanation

Login failed

Cannot connect to the database server.

The PostgreSQL Server is not running. Start the services.

Password Authentication Failed for the User <username>.

The superuser password set in the Configure dialog box is invalid. Update the password in the plug-in by following the instructions in Reconfiguring an added database cluster.

Authentication request failed.

The “pg_hba.conf” file is not available for user authentication.

If the “pg_hba.conf” file contains entries for both IPv4 and IPv6, configure the same authentication for each. For example, use TRUST authentication for both IPv4 and IPv6 connections.

Backup failed

Login Failed.
•
Cannot connect to the database server: The PostgreSQL Server is not running. Start the services.
•
Fatal: Password Authentication Failed for the User <username>: The superuser password was changed in the database server after job submission. Update the password in the plug-in by following the instructions in Reconfiguring an added database cluster.
•
Authentication request failed: The “pg_hba.conf” is not available for user authentication.

Backup in TAR Archive File format fails with the following message:

Database found, but failed to backup Database <dbname>.

Check the pg_dump command with the TAR Archive format from a command prompt or terminal session. If the following error is displayed, “pg_dump: [tar archiver] actual file length <xxxx> does not match expected <xxxx>,” you cannot use the TAR Archive File backup format on the current installation. Use the Custom Archive File format instead.

On Windows, the backup fails with the following message:

Database was found, but failed to backup <locale_name> database.

Check the pg_dump command from the command prompt. If the following error is displayed, “pg_dump: Cannot access “??-UTF8-C” [database to be dumped]: FATAL: database “??-UTF8-C” does not exist pg_dump: *** Stopped by error,” the problem is in the character-set encoding configured for the database cluster.

The backing up of databases or tables named with non-ASCII characters is not supported if the encoding is set to UTF-8 at initdb.

Appropriate encoding must be set for the database cluster, for example, EUC_JP for Japanese or EUC_KR for Korean, to back up the databases and tables.

Backup fails with the following message:

Database found, but failed to backup Database XXXXX.

Ensure that the password provided in the Add Database Cluster/Configure Database Cluster dialog box of the plug-in is correct. If the cluster is configured to use TRUST authentication for HOST connection while PASSWORD authentication for LOCAL connection, the backups fail if the password is incorrect or blank.

If the “pg_hba.conf” file contains entries for both IPv4 and IPv6, configure the same authentication for each. For example, use TRUST authentication for both IPv4 and IPv6 connections.

You can browse the tree and submit a job with a blank or incorrect password. However, the actual job fails.

Quest recommends the following in this scenario:

•
In the Configure Database Cluster dialog box, enter the correct password, and run the job again.
•
To avoid this issue, either use TRUST authentication for both HOST and LOCAL connection — in which case no password is required — or use PASSWORD authentication for both in the “pg_hba.conf” file, and provide the correct password in the Configure Database Cluster dialog box.

Backup Completed with warnings

If the backup job shows this status, check the NetVault Backup Log entries for the job to see if they display one or both of the following messages:

•
Failed to add backup record
•
Failed to write index of backup to the database

These messages indicate that the selected data was backed up, but the job’s index information was not properly added by NetVault Backup to its database.

Without this index information, the data cannot be properly restored.

Method 1:

Access the Manage Devices page of the NetVault Backup WebUI, and perform a scan of the media targeted by the job. NetVault Backup stores index information for backup jobs in two locations: in the NetVault Database and on the media targeted by the backup. Performing this scan adds the index information to the NetVault Database. To verify that the information was added, open the Create Restore Job — Choose Saveset page and locate the specific job. If you can browse it and set up a restore job, the scan process has corrected the problem.

Method 2:

If the previous method failed, run the backup job again.

Restore failed

Login Failed.
•
Cannot connect to the database server: The PostgreSQL Server is not running. Start the services.
•
Fatal: Password Authentication Failed for the User <username>: The superuser password was changed in the database server after job submission. Update the password in the plug-in by following the instructions in Reconfiguring an added database cluster.
•
Authentication request failed: The “pg_hba.conf” is not available for user authentication.

Restore job failed and PostgreSQL log lists the following message:

ERROR: cannot drop constraint orders_pkey on table orders because other objects depend on it. HINT: Use DROP … CASCADE to drop the dependent objects too.

Your PostgreSQL database uses foreign keys to maintain the integrity of the data.

To drop the table manually from PostgreSQL, use the DROP TABLE command with the CASCADE parameter. DROP TABLE removes the table from the database, and CASCADE ensures that any objects that depend on the table are also dropped. For more information, see your PostgreSQL documentation.

Related Documents

The document was helpful.

Select Rating

I easily found the information I needed.

Select Rating