Database Table Design

All discussions that follow pertain to the MySQL database. The details for the PostgreSQL databases are quite similar.

Because the Catalog database may contain very large amounts of data for large sites, we have made a modest attempt to normalize the data tables to reduce redundant information. While reducing the size of the database significantly, it does, unfortunately, add some complications to the structures.

In simple terms, the Catalog database must contain a record of all Jobs run by Bacula, and for each Job, it must maintain a list of all files saved, with their File Attributes (permissions, create date, …), and the location and Media on which the file is stored. This is seemingly a simple task, but it represents a huge amount interlinked data. Note: the list of files and their attributes is not maintained when using the internal Bacula database. The data stored in the File records, which allows the user or administrator to obtain a list of all files backed up during a job, is by far the largest volume of information put into the Catalog database.

Although the Catalog database has been designed to handle backup data for multiple clients, some users may want to maintain multiple databases, one for each machine to be backed up. This reduces the risk of confusion of accidental restoring a file to the wrong machine as well as reducing the amount of data in a single database, thus increasing efficiency and reducing the impact of a lost or damaged database.

See also

• Filenames and Maximum Filename Length

• Installing and Configuring MySQL

• Installing and Configuring PostgreSQL

• Internal Bacula Catalog

Possible Next Steps

Go to Sequence of Creation of Records for a Save Job.

Go back to Catalog Services.

Go back to Developer Guide.