How to Install Barman on Arch Linux

Barman is a backup and recovery tool for PostgreSQL that allows you to manage multiple backup servers and databases from a single point of control.

Here we will go through the process to install Barman on Arch Linux.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure that your system is up-to-date with the following commands;

sudo pacman -Syu

Installation

1. Install Barman package from the official repository in Arch Linux by running:

   sudo pacman -S barman
   

2. Once the installation is complete, verify the Barman version:

   barman version
   

   The output should look something like this:

   2.13.1
   

3. Next, configure PostgreSQL to enable WAL archiving by modifying the postgresql.conf file. In the file, locate the archive_mode option and set it to on:

   archive_mode = on
   

4. Also, set the archive_command to call the barman-wal-archive script:

   archive_command = '/usr/bin/barman-wal-archive barman_server %(archive_mode)s %p'
   

   Save and exit the postgresql.conf file.

5. Now, restart the PostgreSQL service to apply the changes:

   sudo systemctl restart postgresql.service
   

6. Create a new Barman configuration file by copying the example template:

   sudo cp /usr/share/doc/barman/examples/barman.conf.gz /etc/barman.conf.gz
   

7. Unzip the file using this command:

   sudo gunzip /etc/barman.conf.gz
   

   This will create a readable configuration file under /etc/barman.conf.

8. Edit the configuration file and replace the sample values with your PostgreSQL server details:

   [barman]
   ; BARMAN CONFIGURATION FILE
   ;
   ; For instructions on how to fill this file, see
   ; /usr/share/doc/barman/README.gz.
   ;
   [barman]
   ; Archive information for the PostgreSQL instance to back up
   [postgresql]
   description = PostgreSQL server
   conninfo = host=<hostname> user=barman dbname=<database>
   backup_method = postgresql
   streaming_archiver = on
   slot_name = barman
   streaming_conninfo = host=<hostname> user=barman dbname=<database>
   minimum_redundancy = 1
   retention_policy = RECOVERY WINDOW OF 2 WEEKS
   

   Replace the values and with your PostgreSQL server hostname and database name.

9. Finally, start the Barman server:

   sudo systemctl start barman.service
   

   You can check the status of the Barman service with the following command:

   sudo systemctl status barman.service
   

   You should see something like this if everything works fine:

   barman.service - Barman PostgreSQL Backup Manager
   Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/barman.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: active (running) since Mon 2021-08-02 03:31:02 PET; 5s ago
   Main PID: 7420 (barman)
   Tasks: 14 (limit: 9479)
   Memory: 7.2M
   CGroup: /system.slice/barman.service
   |-7420 /usr/bin/python /usr/bin/barman -q main
   .
   .
   Aug 02 03:31:02 my-arch-server barman[7420]: INFO: Barman booted and listening for connections on f…x7f590cdecdd0>
   Aug 02 03:31:02 my-arch-server barman[7420]: INFO: Starting job schedule
   

Congratulations, you have successfully installed and configured Barman on Arch Linux.

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