# Backing up data
<a name="migrate-topic-lifeboat"></a>

You back up data using the special lifeboat script.

**Topics**
+ [About the backup process](#migrate-topic-lifeboat-backup-about)
+ [Step A: Verify hostnames](#migrate-topic-verify-hostnames)
+ [Step B: Download the lifeboat script](#migrate-topic-lifeboat-download)
+ [Step C: Create the backup](#migrate-topic-lifeboat-backup)

**Important**  
The lifeboat script creates a backup of multiple files that are relevant to the AWS Elemental software. These files might include credentials and other sensitive system information. Handle the backup according to your organization's best practices for handling sensitive data. 

## About the backup process
<a name="migrate-topic-lifeboat-backup-about"></a>

The script backs up the following data:
+ Licenses.
+ Network settings for the node, including Ethernet configurations, DNS information, and host addresses.
+ Timecode configuration such as NTP, PTP, and chronyd.
+ Firewall settings.
+ SSL certificates that are in the following directories:
  + `/etc/httpd/conf`
  + `/home/elemental/cert`
+ Optionally, the user credentials used in various components on the cluster. It is convenient to include these credentials, if your organization's policies allow them to be handled in this way. 
+ Configuration files for features of the AWS Elemental software.
+ Remote storage mounts. The data is included only in the database for the primary and secondary Conductor nodes.
+ Cluster data. Data relating to the cluster, including data about the channels, MPTSes, channel and MPTS node assignments, users setup, redundancy groups, cluster members. The data is included only in the database for the primary Conductor. The primary Conductor pushes data down to the secondary Conductor and to the appropriate worker nodes.

## Step A: Verify hostnames
<a name="migrate-topic-verify-hostnames"></a>

RHEL 9 (specifically `systemd`) doesn't support underscores in hostnames. If any of the nodes in the cluster contain underscores, there are two ways to proceed:
+ Continue with this procedure. When you run the lifeboat script, a prompt will appear that will force you to change any hostname that includes an underscore.
+ Change the hostnames before you run the lifeboat script. To change a hostname, see the Red Hat documentation. 

  If your migration process means that you don't run the lifeboat script for any reason, make sure that you change the hostnames before you boot the node after installing RHEL 9.

## Step B: Download the lifeboat script
<a name="migrate-topic-lifeboat-download"></a>

Perform this procedure on every node in the cluster, to copy the lifeboat script onto every node.

1. Download the latest version of the lifeboat script from [https://a.co/ElementalRHEL9Lifeboat](https://a.co/ElementalRHEL9Lifeboat) to your laptop. The lifeboat file is called `elemental_lifeboat_el.tar`.
**Important**  
Download the script just before you are ready to create the backup. AWS Elemental is continually making improvements to the script, therefore you want to make sure that you always have the latest version. 

1. Copy the lifeboat file to the `/home/elemental` directory on every node in the cluster.

1. From the Linux prompt, use the *elemental* user to start a remote terminal session with the node. Don’t log in as sudo.

1. Untar the lifeboat file:

   ```
   [elemental@hostname ~]$ cd /home/elemental && tar xvf elemental_lifeboat_el9.tar
   ```

1. Change to the `elemental_lifeboat_el9` directory:

   ```
   [elemental@hostname ~]$ cd elemental_lifeboat_el9
   ```

## Step C: Create the backup
<a name="migrate-topic-lifeboat-backup"></a>

**Important**  
Make sure that you have stopped the node. We recommend that you don't run the script on an active node. The script temporarily stops elemental\$1se and httpd services. 

### Step C1: Run the backup command
<a name="migrate-topic-lifeboat-backup-create"></a>

Enter the backup command as follows.

On the primary Conductor:

```
[elemental@hostname ~]$ ./lifeboat.sh --backup --include-creds
```

Where `--include-creds` (optional) includes the following credentials in the backup: SSH, AWS, SMB/CIFs. 

On the secondary Conductor and on any worker node:

```
[elemental@hostname ~]$ ./lifeboat.sh --backup
```

**Results of the backup**

The script creates the following assets:
+ Asset 1. One version of the data that is compatible with 2.26.1 or later. When you restore the backup after you’ve installed RHEL 9, the lifeboat script will automatically select and copy over this version.
+ Asset 2. One version of the data that is compatible with 2.25.x and earlier. You might later decide to downgrade a node back to a version below 2.26.0. When you restore the backup after you’ve installed RHEL 7 or CentOS 7, the lifeboat script will automatically select and copy over this version.
+ Asset 3. An MD5 checksum of the contents of asset 3.
+ Asset 4. A SHA1 checksum of the content of asset 3.

The script also creates the following files:
+ File 1. A file that contains assets 1 and 2. The file has this name, where `hostname` is the name of the current node:

  `<hostname>_lifeboat-archive.zip`
+ File 2. A file that contains assets 3 and 4. The file has this name, where `hostname` is the name of the current node:

  `<hostname>_lifeboat-archive_export-checksum.txt`
+ File 3. A file that contains assets 1, 2, 3 and 4. The file is stored on the current node at this location:

  `/opt/upgrade-backups/system-backup.tar.gz`

### Step C2: Store the backup archive
<a name="migrate-topic-lifeboat-backup-store.title"></a>

Copy two files to storage off the node, so that you can copy them back to the node when you want to perform the restore operation. The files to store off the node are the following:
+ `<hostname>_lifeboat-archive.zip` (File 1)
+ `<hostname>_lifeboat-archive_export-checksum.txt` (File 2) 

**Important**  
The lifeboat script creates a backup of multiple files that are relevant to the AWS Elemental software. These files might include credentials and other sensitive system information. Handle the backup according to your organization's best practices for handling sensitive data. 

### Step C3: Verify the backup
<a name="migrate-topic-lifeboat-backup-verify"></a>

Verify the integrity of the backup archive. This step is optional but we strongly recommend that you follow it because the [restore operation](migrate-topic-restore-database.md) that you later perform might fail if the backup file is corrupted. 

You verify the integrity by comparing the checksum that the backup script creates to the checksum that you perform on the `<hostname>_lifeboat-archive_export-checksum.txt` file. You can compare an MD5 or a SHA1 checksum.

1. Enter the `cat` command to view the checksums currently listed in the checksum file.:

   ```
   ~]$ cat <hostname>_lifeboat-archive_export-checksum.txt
   ```

   The `cat` command simply displays the file contents on your screen. 

1. Now run a checksum command on the `lifeboat-archive.zip` file. 

   On a Linux system, enter this command:

   ```
   ~]$ md5sum /home/elemental/<hostname>_lifeboat-archive.zip
   ```

   On a macOS system, enter this command:

   ```
   ~]$ sha1sum /home/elemental/<hostname>_lifeboat-archive.zip
   ```

   On a Windows system, enter this command:

   ```
   ~]$ certutil -hashfile <hostname>_lifeboat-archive.zip MD5
   ```

1. Compare the results from step 1 to the results from step 2. If the checksums don’t match, copy the archive file again.