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Tower Backup and Restore

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Ansible Tower (or AWX, its open-source counterpart) is a powerful tool for managing and automating IT tasks. Backup and restore processes are crucial for maintaining integrity and availability of configurations in Tower. This lesson outlines the steps to effectively back up and restore Tower instances.

2. Backup Process

2.1 Backup Overview

The backup process involves creating a snapshot of the Tower database and configuration files. This ensures that you can revert to a previous state if needed.

2.2 Step-by-Step Backup Process

  1. Stop the Tower service: Ensure that Tower is not running during the backup.
  2. Create a backup directory: This is where your backup files will be stored.
  3. Backup the database: Use the following command to create a database dump.
ansible-tower-manage dumpdata > /path/to/backup/tower_backup.json
  1. Backup configuration files: Copy the necessary configuration files.
cp -r /etc/tower /path/to/backup/

After executing these steps, your Tower instance will be backed up successfully.

3. Restore Process

3.1 Restore Overview

The restore process allows you to bring back your Tower instance to a previous state using the backup created.

3.2 Step-by-Step Restore Process

  1. Stop the Tower service: Ensure the service is stopped before restoring.
  2. Restore the database: Use the following command to restore the database from the backup file.
ansible-tower-manage loaddata /path/to/backup/tower_backup.json
  1. Restore configuration files: Copy the configuration files back to their original location.
cp -r /path/to/backup/tower /etc/

After completing these steps, restart the Tower service to apply the restored settings.

4. Best Practices

  • Perform backups regularly to minimize data loss.
  • Test restore procedures to ensure data integrity.
  • Store backups in a secure and separate environment.
  • Document the backup and restore processes for team reference.

5. FAQ

What is the frequency for backups?

It is recommended to perform backups at least daily or weekly, depending on the frequency of changes in the Tower instance.

Can I automate the backup process?

Yes, you can use cron jobs to automate the backup process and schedule it to run at specific intervals.

What should I do if the restore fails?

If the restore fails, check the logs for errors, ensure that the backup files are intact, and verify the commands used during the restore process.