Anyone can explain me how to back up H-Sphere system data ?

You can back up H-Sphere system data with the help of H-Sphere backup script. It requires postgresql client version 7.1 or higher installed and the psql program available in the system paths on the CP server.

Thanx alemcherry

How to use H-Sphere backup script ?

Backing Up System Data

The backup script is located in the /hsphere/shared/backup directory of the CP server and includes the following files:

hs_bck – the main script file;
hs_bck.cfg – the script configuration file;
hs_bck.txt – description/readme file.
The script backs up

H-Sphere properties file.
SiteStudio properties files.
The main H-Sphere Postgresql DB.
This script does not automatically back up the content of user directories, mail data and DNS settings. To back up user content by means of the backup script, configure the hs_bck.cfg config file by adding user content directories specified below.

You can edit the hs_bck.cfg file to specify the backup storage directory, the number of latest backups to be stored (7 by default), the log file, etc.

Also, H-Sphere includes the /hsphere/shared/scripts/cron/hs_bck file which launches the backup script. For regular automatic backups, add the execution of this file into the CP server crontab configuration. For example, to run the backup script every day at 6:13 AM, add the following line:

13 6 * * * /hsphere/shared/scripts/cron/hs_bck hs_bck.cfg >/dev/null 2>&1

These are the files and directories that are backed up by the script:

H-Sphere and SiteStudio postgres DBs:
hsphere
counter
poll
guestbook

H-Sphere and SiteStudio configuration files:
/hsphere/local/home/cpanel/shiva/psoft_config/*
/hsphere/shared/SiteStudio/psoft_config/*

Can we also Back Up User Content ?

Yes, u can Back Up User Content.

Below is the list of databases, directories and files that need to be backed up in order to preserve all H-Sphere user data.

You can back them up either manually or by the means of the /hsphere/shared/backup/hs_bck script running locally on H-Sphere servers. To configure the script to back up user content, add the corresponding directories to the /hsphere/shared/backup/hs_bck.cfg config file (see /hsphere/shared/backup/hs_bck.txt for the script options).

Control Panel Server

dump all postgresql DBs and back up the postgres content directory (usually, /var/lib/pgsql on your CP server).
~cpanel/shiva/psoft_config/
~cpanel/shiva/shiva-templates/IMAGES/
~cpanel/shiva/custom/
/hsphere/shared/SiteStudio/psoft_config
/hsphere/shared/SiteStudio/var/websites/
If the database is large, the dump can take several hours to complete. You can speed it up by setting
fsync=off
in postgresql.conf. When you are done, unset this option back for safety reasons.

DNS Server

/etc/named.conf
/hsphere/local/var/named/
Web Server

/hsphere/local/home/ (users’ dirs)
/hsphere/local/config/ (httpd and ftp configs)
/usr/local/frontpage/ (frontpage configs)
Mail Server

~vpopmail/domains/
~vpopmail/etc/
~qmaild/users/
~qmaild/control/
MySQL Server

~mysql/
PostgreSQL Server

Dump all user DBs at once with the pg_dumpall utility:
pg_dumpall > db.out
(pg_dumpall might need to connect several times to the PostgreSQL server, asking for a password each time. It is convenient to have the $HOME/.pgpass file in such cases. See man pg_dumpall for more details.)

Note: dump file is created with 644 permissions by default; you need to set more secure 600 permissions to prevent the data from being read by other users:
chmod 600 db.out
It is also very helpful to back up the postgres content directory (usually, /var/lib/pgsql on your PGSQL box).

How to restore H-Sphere services (logical servers).

To restore H-Sphere services (logical servers) on Linux/Unix boxes. You must have all user content and configuration files backed up.

We suggest the following recovery procedure:

Step 1. Download H-Sphere Installer
Step 2. Generate Configuration Files
Step 3. Resolve Possible Conflicts in the System
Step 4. Run Recovery Tool
Step 5. Restore User Content

Thanx getpfunky

Can u tell me in more detail ?

following recovery procedure:

Step 1. Download H-Sphere Installer
Step 2. Generate Configuration Files
Step 3. Resolve Possible Conflicts in the System
Step 4. Run Recovery Tool
Step 5. Restore User Content

Step 1. Download H-Sphere Installer

Download the latest version of the H-Sphere installation scripts (if you already have the previous version of hsinst.tgz in the current directory, please remove or rename this file before the download):
# wget http://www.psoft.net/shiv/HS/hsinst.tgz
Untar/ungzip the hsinst.tgz archive:
# tar xfz ./hsinst.tgz
and cd into the installation directory:
# cd ./hsinst

Step 2. Generate Configuration Files

On this step, create configuration files from H-Sphere system database.

If your H-Sphere was installed with the installer older than version 2.3, collect your current H-Sphere configuration:
# ./import
Launch the configuration wizard to enter installation data:
# ./configure
In the configuration menu, check the ID of the server you want to restore.
Check if all services on this box are properly configured.
Save the number of the server that you added a service on in the configuration menu.
Save configuration and exit with ‘-‘ or ‘s’+’q’ commands
Execute:
# make add-server-ID
where ID is the number of the server that you added the serivce on. This will regenerate install configuration, upload install scripts to this server and configure SSH keys to access it.
Login to the server where you install the new service and execute:
# cd /hsphere/install
1) If you have to re-install all services, type:
# make install
2) If you need to install a particular service, type:
# make add-service S=<SERVICE>
where <SERVICE> takes one of the following values:
dns
mail
weblite
web
mysql
psql
DNS Server
Mail Server
Webmail server
Web server
MySQL server
PostgreSQL server

Step 3. Resolve Possible Conflicts in the System

If you have a mail server and want to add a web server on the same box:
stop apache on this box by running the following command:
– Linux: /etc/rc.d/init.d/httpd stop
– FreeBSD: /usr/local/etc/rc.d/apache.sh stop
uninstall webmail apache rpm or package:
– Linux: rpm -e hsphere-apache-lite
– FreeBSD: pkg_delete `pkg_info | grep ^hsphere-apache-lite`
If you want to add a mail server and don’t have a web server, after ‘make add-service S=mail’ execute:
# make add-service S=weblite

Step 4. Run PhysicalCreator

To restore your H-Sphere physical resources, log in as the cpanel user and run PhysicalCreator.

Do not confuse the account ID with the server ID you used when generating configuration files. Account IDs could be found in the accounts table of the H-Sphere system database.

Step 5. Restore User Content

Finally, restore user content from the backup.

How to recreate H-Sphere physical and logical servers, users, and resources.

Servers are recreated on empty machines with a newly installed operating system. This is an alternative to the manual recovering services procedure.

Don’t use this instruction to recreate boxes with the CP server, including one server installations.

Servers are recreated by means of a perl script, which is inluded into H-Sphere distributions starting with version 2.4 Patch 3.

You must have all user content and configuration files backed up.

Step 1. Prepare the server
Step 2. Download the installer
Step 3. Run the recreator
Step 4. Restore user content

Step 1. Prepare The Server

To start the recreate, you need to set up a clean server with the IP address of the server you are recreating and prepare it for H-Sphere installation.

Step 2. Download Current Installer

Log into the CP server as root:
su –
Make sure you don’t have installers for older versions. If you do, delete them.
Download H-Sphere 2.4 installer:
Linux:
wget http://www.psoft.net/shiv/HS/hsinst24.tgz
FreeBSD:
fetch http://www.psoft.net/shiv/HS/hsinst24.tgz
untar/ungzip the downloaded archive:
tar xfz ./hsinst24.tgz
and cd into the installation directory:

cd ./hsinst

Step 3. Run The Recreator

Run the recreator:

./phbox_recreate.pl
It will allow you to select the server to recreate, and will take you through the recreation wizard. Once it finishes, the server will be up and running.

Step 4. Restore User Content

If you are recovering servers with user content, such as web, mail, or mysql, postresql, you need to restore user content from backup. This is not necessary for DNS servers.

How to change IPs on H-Sphere Unix/Linux servers ?

For Change the IPs on Systems Without NAT:-

H-Sphere IP migration is performed by means of Java IP Migrator called by the IPMIGR wrapper available for download from the psoft.net website. IP Migrator will:

change H-Sphere physical, logical, and system IPs
update IPs in H-Sphere database
change IPs in the system files except network startup configuration
update IP-dependent resources such as apache, FTP and DNS
IP Migrator doesn’t migrate NIC system files to avoid potential problems with server inaccessibility. These files must be migrated manually by the local administrator.

IP Migrator doesn’t modify reverse DNS configuration because H-Sphere doesn’t manage reverse DNS. For information on reverse DNS configuration, you may refer to http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/DNS-HOWTO-5.html#ss5.3

Before you begin IP migration, do the following changes, and don’t forget to undo them after the migration:

Add the line
exit 0
to the very beginning of the /hsphere/shared/scripts/apache-reconfig script. This will prevent Apache from restarting gracefully after posting each web site configuration.
Add the line
exit 0
to the very beginning of the /hsphere/shared/scripts/ip-shared script. This will protect the main H-Sphere IP.
To perform the IP migration:

Replace the IP on the main network interface to the new IP for all boxes.
Set up the old IP as an alias for the new one;
————-
Example:

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 002:B5:A1:07:12
inet addr:[New_IP] Bcast:[New_Broadcast] Mask[New_NetMask]:
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:269050319 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:11
TX packets:336024701 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:19 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:100
Interrupt:21 Base address:0x4000

eth0:0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 002:B5:A1:07:12
inet addr:[Old_IP] Bcast:[Old_Broadcast] Mask:[Old_NetMask]
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
Interrupt:21 Base address:0x4000
————-

If IP migration is performed within one datacenter, make sure that your servers can be accessed from the Internet at both old and new IPs. If you change to IPs outside your datacenter, it would take a downtime before you make your servers available on new IPs.

– The steps below are performed on the server with the Control Panel installed –
following this template:

————————- ipmigration.xml template ———————-
<?xml version=”1.0″?>
<!DOCTYPE ipmigrate [
<!ELEMENT ips (ip+)>

<!ATTLIST ip name CDATA #REQUIRED>
<!ATTLIST ip new_ip CDATA #REQUIRED>
<!ATTLIST ip new_mask CDATA “[New_NetMask]”>
]>
<ips>
<ip name=”[Old_IP]” new_ip=”[New_IP]” new_mask=”[New_NetMask]”/>
<ip name= ………
</ips>
————————————————————————-

In the prolog (the DTD header of the xml file), specify what attributes will be provided with each IP. If you are going to use the same netmask for all new IPs, set [New_NetMask] to the needed value:

—-
<!ATTLIST ip new_mask CDATA “[New_NetMask]”>
—-
If netmasks are going to be different for different IPs, change “[New_NetMask]” to #REQUIRED. This will tell IP migrator to take net mask values from the XML definitions for individual IPs:

—-
<!ATTLIST ip new_mask CDATA #REQUIRED>
—-
In the <ips> … </ips> block, list all old-new IP pairs, including users’ dedicated IPs. If you have specified the common netmask in the DTD header, you don’t need to set it in the definition line for each individual IP:

—–
<ip name=”[Old_IP]” new_ip=”[New_IP]” />
—–
If you have set new mask in the DTD header to #REQUIRED, you need to specify the netmask parameter for each IP:

—-
<ip name=”[Old_IP]” new_ip=”[New_IP]” new_mask=”[New_NetMask]”/>
—-
Copy the created file to the cpanel’s home directory.

Change the owner and the group of the copied file in the Control Panel using the command
# chown cpanel:cpanel ~cpanel/ipmigration.xml
Log into the control panel server as root:
# su –
Download IP Migrator:
# wget http://www.psoft.net/shiv/IPMIGR.tgz
IP Migrator was updated on 30 Apr 2004. If you have an older version, update it.
Untar the archive:
# tar -zxf IPMIGR.tgz
Enter the IP Migrator directory:
# cd IPMIGR
Install the IP Migrator:
# make install
Stop H-Sphere
Back up H-Sphere system database
Log in as the cpanel user and run IP Migrator:
# ./ipmigrator
Carefully follow the error notifications. You may also find more detailed information on the migration process at /var/log/hsphere/hsphere.log
Start H-Sphere
Remove the line
exit 0
from /hsphere/shared/scripts/apache-reconfig and from /hsphere/shared/scripts/ip-shared.

Thanx brinks

And how to Change IPs on Systems Using NAT ?

To change your external IPs on a system using NAT (see details here). You may need to follow this instruction when you move to a different location and would like to preserve your internal IP settings.

Change IPs in ~cpanel/shiva/psoft_config/ips-map.xml and ~cpanel/shiva/psoft_config/hsphere.properties
Change IPs in SiteStudio configs /hsphere/shared/SiteStudio/psoft_config/*. You can use a simple script:

——————-
#!/bin/sh
if [ $# = 0 ] ; then
echo $”Usage: changeip.sh Oldip Newip”
exit 1
fi

for i in /hsphere/shared/SiteStudio/psoft_config/*.properties
do
echo “Processing $i”;
echo “,s/$1/$2/g
wq” | ed $i
done
——————
Change external IPs in httpd.conf on the web box.
Restart H-Sphere
Log in as the cpanel user and recreate zones with the dns creator:

How do I get H-Sphere working on two sets of IPs?

If you would like to ensure smooth change of IPs and have everything duplicated on the old and new sets of IPs before making the switch, you need to do the following:

On the Web box:

Before the IP migration you need to copy the /hsphere/local/config/httpd/sites directory to /hsphere/local/config/httpd/sites.old to preserve your old client’s apache configs.
Go to /hsphere/local/config/httpd/sites.old and edit index.conf changing sites to sites.old (cd /hsphere/local/config/httpd/sites.old; perl -pi -e ‘s/sites/sites.old/’ index.conf)
Copy namevh.conf to namevh.old.conf
Proceed with the IP migration.
Add the following lines at the bottom of the /hsphere/local/config/httpd/httpd.conf file:
Include /hsphere/local/config/httpd/sites.old/index.conf
Include /hsphere/local/config/httpd/namevh.old.conf
On the DNS servers:

Add your old DNS IPs to the /etc/named.conf config to force your DNS servers to listen to the old IPs.
Bind your old IPs to the NIC on your servers.

Can I park External Domains ?

Yes, You can park External Domains

This feature allows you to use H-Sphere DNS server to map IPs to domain names serviced and hosted on other servers (not those of H-Sphere). In this case, a DNS zone is created with a custom DNS A record for the domain name.