run "check --read-data-subset=x%" after every backup

[rdiaz02]

I'd like to run a "check --read-data-subset=2.5%" after every successful backup, but I don't know how to do it.

I am doing this from a laptop, and have a systemd file that takes care of launching npbackup every 15 minutes. So what I'd like to do is run the check --read-data-subset 2.5% after the backup (and housekeeping) finish.

The standard housekeeping does not seem to accept the "read-data-subset" argument.

Of course, I can run

npbackup-gui --run-as-cli --raw "check --read-data-subset 2.5%"

but that executes the check unconditionally, and that is not what I want.

Concatenating --backup and --raw, like

npbackup-gui --run-as-cli --backup --raw "check --read-data-subset 2.5%"

runs the backup and exits (with success) without running the check.

Using the post-execution commands with

restic --check --read-data-subset 2.5%

fails with the error

WARNING :: Post-execution of command restic check --read-data-subset=2.5% failed with:
using temporary cache in /tmp/restic-check-cache-2628526043
create exclusive lock for repository
Fatal: repository does not exist: unable to open config file: stat xxxxx:_[o_O]_hidden_by_npbackup/config: no such file or directory
Is there a repository at the following location?
xxxxxx:_[o_O]_hidden_by_npbackup

I guess I could build more complex logic into the systemd file, like only run the check --read-data-subset 2.5% if the output from the --backup run does not include the string "No backup necessary". But I think this might be overcomplicating things, and I maybe missing something much simpler in the config. (I've seen #123 where the read-data-subset is used, but I don't see how to apply it here).

[GuitarBilly]

@rdiaz02,
as you already found out, npbackup as well as restic cannot backup and check in one step; you'd have to separate that in two steps.

You have read my discussion with @deajan at #123 then you will see that calling native restic directly in pre- and post execution does not work since npbackup does not pass sensitive information to the environment, so basically your restic above would not be aware of the repository location.

Since npbackup does not yet support subset natively you can resort to the --raw as per examples in #123. This could go into your post execution step:
npbackup-cli -c /path/to/npbackup.conf --raw "check --read-data-subset 2.5%"

hope this helps.

[rdiaz02]

Ah, OK, thanks. I see I was using the wrong incantations (npbackup-gui --run-as-cli --raw "check --read-data-subset 2.5%" and npbackup-gui --run-as-cli --backup --raw "check --read-data-subset 2.5%" ). I see that the trick is calling npback-cli from the post-execution step. Neat!
That said, since this should soon be available (#183) I'll wait for that.

[deajan]

Well since v3.1 backup can launch housekeeping operation post backup, which van be configured to run with --read-data-subset, see #183