Proxmox Backup Server 2.2 available

[martin]

We are excited to announce version 2.2 of our Proxmox Backup Server! It's based on Debian 11.3 (codename "Bullseye"), but using the newer Linux kernel 5.15, and including ZFS 2.1.4.

We have a new namespace feature which allows you to simplify backup management from multiple sources on-premises, remotely, and in the cloud, by organizing backups into "namespaces" within a single datastore.

The new “read-only” and “offline” maintenance modes allow for safer maintenance work on a datastore.

Countless bugfixes and smaller improvements are included as well, see the full release notes for details.

A big THANK YOU to our community! We are really grateful for all the support and feedback, testing, bug reporting and patch submitting.

Release notes
https://pbs.proxmox.com/wiki/index.php/Roadmap#Proxmox_Backup_Server_2.2

Press release
https://www.proxmox.com/en/news/press-releases/

Video tutorial
https://www.proxmox.com/en/training/video-tutorials/item/what-s-new-in-proxmox-backup-server-2-2

Download
https://www.proxmox.com/downloads
Alternative ISO download:
https://enterprise.proxmox.com/iso

HELP & SUPPORT

Documentation
https://pbs.proxmox.com/docs

Community Forum
https://forum.proxmox.com

Bugtracker
https://bugzilla.proxmox.com

Source Code
https://git.proxmox.com

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Can I dist-upgrade Proxmox Backup Server 1.1 to 2.x with apt?
A: Please follow the upgrade instructions on https://pbs.proxmox.com/wiki/index.php/Upgrade_from_1.1_to_2.x

Q: How does this integrate into Proxmox Virtual Environment?
A: Just add a Proxmox Backup Server datastore as a new storage target in your Proxmox VE. Make sure that you run the latest Proxmox VE 7.2.

Q: How do I install the proxmox-backup-client on my Debian or Ubuntu server?
A: We provide a "Proxmox Backup Client-only Repository", see https://pbs.proxmox.com/docs/installation.html#client-installation

Q: What will happen with the existing backup tool (vzdump) in Proxmox Virtual Environment?
A: You can still use vzdump. The new backup is an additional, but very powerful way to backup and restore your VMs and containers.

Q: Is there any recommended server hardware for the Proxmox Backup Server?
A: We recommend enterprise-grade server hardware components, with fast local SSD/NVMe storage. Access and response times from rotating drives will slow down all backup server operations. See https://pbs.proxmox.com/docs/installation.html#recommended-server-system-requirements

Q: Can I install Proxmox Backup Server on Debian, in a VM, as LXC or alongside with Proxmox VE?
A: Yes, but all this is not the recommended setup (expert use only).

Q: Where can I get more information about upcoming features?
A: Follow the announcement forum and pbs-devel mailing list https://lists.proxmox.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/pbs-devel, and subscribe to our newsletter https://www.proxmox.com/news.

__________________
Best regards,

Martin Maurer

 

[Dunuin]

Yay, finally namespaces. Waited for this. Will try tomorrow if I can now merge my two datastores into one for better deduplication.
Is there a guide on how to use the new namespace feature? Refreshed browsercache but can't find any GUI changes concerning namespaces in PBS or PVE s I guess its CLI only for now?

Only info I see is this in the documentation:

Backup Namespaces​

A datastore can host many backups as long as the underlying storage is big enough and provides the performance required for one's use case. But, without any hierarchy or separation its easy to run into naming conflicts, especially when using the same datastore for multiple Proxmox VE instances or multiple users.

The backup namespace hierarchy allows you to clearly separate different users or backup sources in general, avoiding naming conflicts and providing well-organized backup content view.

Each namespace level can host any backup type, CT, VM or Host but also other namespaces, up to a depth of 8 level, where the root namespace is the first level.

Namespace Permissions​

You can make the permission configuration of a datastore more fine-grained by setting permissions only on a specific namespace.
To see a datastore you need permission that has at least one of AUDIT, MODIFY, READ or BACKUP privilege on any namespace it contains.
To create or delete a namespace you require the modify privilege on the parent namespace. So, to initially create namespaces you need to have a permission with a access role that includes the MODIFY privilege on the datastore itself.
For backup groups the existing privilege rules still apply, you either need a powerful permission or be the owner of the backup group, nothing changed here.

Could someone give an example on how to add such a namespace? What I would like to do is using two PVE backup jobs to the same datastore but each using its own namespace with its own backup retention settings.

 

[diaolin]

Just a question: you write "Make sure that you run the latest Proxmox VE 7.2", is this version incompatible with the precedent 6.* and 7.*?

 

[t.lamprecht]

Just a question: you write "Make sure that you run the latest Proxmox VE 7.2", is this version incompatible with the precedent 6.* and 7.*?

It's compatible if namespaces are not used, or to be more specific, old 1.x and << 2.2 PBS client versions (e.g., 1.x is used in Proxmox VE 6.x) will only see backups from the root namespace and ignore others.

 

[t.lamprecht]

Is there a guide on how to use the new namespace feature? Refreshed browsercache but can't find any GUI changes concerning namespaces in PBS or PVE s I guess its CLI only for now?

You can create namespaces in the content tab of your datastore, at the top right is a new selector and Add NS button.

Ps. we know that there's some room for improvements w.r.t. to namespaces, for example some web interface parts could be fine-tuned, and prune jobs with namespace support are on the roadmap

 

[t.lamprecht]

Could someone give an example on how to add such a namespace? What I would like to do is using two PVE backup jobs to the same datastore but each using its own namespace with its own backup retention settings.

FYI, the documentation also includes a screenshot of how a datastore content looks with namespaces:

 

[diaolin]

It's compatible if namespaces are not used, or to be more specific, old 1.x and << 2.2 PBS client versions (e.g., 1.x is used in Proxmox VE 6.x) will only see backups from the root namespace and ignore others.

Perfect: namespaces are automatic?

 

[Dunuin]

Just a question: you write "Make sure that you run the latest Proxmox VE 7.2", is this version incompatible with the precedent 6.* and 7.*?

There was an PVE update today upgrading PBS related packages. So I guess to be able to use namespaces and so on your PVE needs these packages (like libproxmox-backup-qemu0 1.3.1-1, proxmox-backup-file-restore 2.2.1-1, proxmox-backup-client 2.2.1-1).

 

[t.lamprecht]

Perfect: namespaces are automatic?

What do you mean with that? Automatically created? In that case: no, they must be manually created.

 

[t.lamprecht]

There was an PVE update today upgrading PBS related packages. So I guess to be able to use namespaces and so on your PVE needs these packages (like libproxmox-backup-qemu0 1.3.1-1, proxmox-backup-file-restore 2.2.1-1, proxmox-backup-client 2.2.1-1).

Exactly, and for VMs you need to either do a shutdown start cycle (or reboot via PVE web interface) them or migrate them to an updated host, so that they run with a QEMU and libproxmox-backup-qemu that supports namespaces.

 

[Dunuin]

Is there already a GUI option (or CLI command) to change the namespace of existing backups? Or is it possible at all to use namespaces with backup created prior to PBS 2.2?

 

[t.lamprecht]

Is there already a GUI option (or CLI command) to change the namespace of existing backups?

In Proxmox VE? Well, yes but only CLI as you need to adapt the respective's storage entries namespace property:
pvesm set <storage-id> --namespace foo/bar (note that we currently do not yet check if the passed namespace already exists on the PBS).

For the GUI one may do better by adding a separate storage entry per NS, if multiple are required, frequent switching can lead to odd things and fail incremental backup if the previous manifest isn't available, or worse, from another guest. For initial change the pvesm set is fine though.

 

[speatzle_]

Finally, we have Namespaces. (We had to use way too many separate datastores till now...).

Quick Question: Where can I set Permissions on a Specific namespace? it does not seem to be Possible from The Datastores Permission Tab.

 

[fabian]

Finally, we have Namespaces. (We had to use way too many separate datastores till now...).

Quick Question: Where can I set Permissions on a Specific namespace? it does not seem to be Possible from The Datastores Permission Tab.

the ACL path is /datastore/{DATASTORE}/{NS} , e.g. /datastore/mainstore/foo or /datastore/mainstore/foo/bar

edit: the datastore ACL add dialogue doesn't allow modifying the path, the one under Configuration -> Access Control -> Permissions allows to select one

 

[fabian]

No, just seen. But in the proxmoxVE interface where could i set the use of a namespace?
i have a datastore backup and a namespace diaolin inside it

How could i set it in the backup of the PVE?

Tx

you need to add a new storage (or modify the existing one) and set the namespace.

 

[fabian]

Is there already a GUI option (or CLI command) to change the namespace of existing backups? Or is it possible at all to use namespaces with backup created prior to PBS 2.2?

to expand on what Thomas already posted - you obviously need to point your clients (including PVE) at the namespace. to actually "move" (copy) the backup groups and snapshots, you can use a sync job (with the remote pointing to the same PBS instance) or a one-off proxmox-backup-manager pull. when moving from datastore A root namespace to datastore A namespace foo, only the metadata (manifest and indices and so on) will be copied, the chunks will be re-used. when moving from datastore A to datastore B the chunks that are not already contained in B will of course be copied as well, no matter whether namespaces are involved at either side .

 

[speatzle_]

the ACL path is /datastore/{DATASTORE}/{NS} , e.g. /datastore/mainstore/foo or /datastore/mainstore/foo/bar

edit: the datastore ACL add dialogue doesn't allow modifying the path, the one under Configuration -> Access Control -> Permissions allows to select one

Ah, I see. I thought you could only use The Predefined Selections in that Dropdown, not Edit it Manually.
The Namespaces are not in the Dropdown's Suggestions, Is it Planned to add those there?

 

[t.lamprecht]

Ah, I see. I thought you could only use The Predefined Selections in that Dropdown, not Edit it Manually.
The Namespaces are not in the Dropdown's Suggestions, Is it Planned to add those there?

It's not exactly cheap to query all whole datastore for all available namespaces on load of that component, we get the datastores for free through the navigation bar's store, so those are cheap to do.
Maybe for the datastore specific tab we could do it, as for the global one its just to expensive without some elaborate caching.

 

[fabian]

Ah, I see. I thought you could only use The Predefined Selections in that Dropdown, not Edit it Manually.
The Namespaces are not in the Dropdown's Suggestions, Is it Planned to add those there?

https://bugzilla.proxmox.com/show_bug.cgi?id=4066 / https://bugzilla.proxmox.com/show_bug.cgi?id=4067

 

[Dunuin]

Ok, so I was adding new PBS storages to the PVE pointing to my namespaces I created there. I created for example a namespace "MyNodeA/daily" would I need to put "Root/MyNodeA/daily" in the PVEs "namespace" field when creating a new PBS storage, if there is no namespace check yet?