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    Automatically backup Pfsense configuration files

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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    • E Offline
      eleanor
      last edited by

      Hello everybody,

      I've written an article about automatically backing up Pfsense configuration files. In the http://www.proteansec.com/linux/pfsense-automatically-backup-configuration-files/, I've explained how to do it automatically and most importantly securely.

      If you’re using Pfsense as your firewall solution, then you’ve surely wondered about keeping your configuration files backed up. Normally, you have to go to Diagnostics – Backup/Restore to backup the configuration files manually as presented on the picture below.
      …

      Share the article if you think it's worth it.

      Thank you

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      • T Offline
        Thrae
        last edited by

        This seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through when pfSense makes its own automatic configuration backups –- https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Configuration_History --- for any change I've encountered.

        These are kept in /cf/conf/backup, which I just periodically make a full backup of.

        Of course, your way would be good if you only want to backup a specific section.

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        • E Offline
          Elludium_Q-36
          last edited by

          Yeah:@https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Configuration_History:

          pfSense automatically keeps a backup when a change is made to the configuration. This makes it easy to revert after an undesirable settings change, BUT should NOT be relied upon as a sole means of backup. There are numerous reasons why having an off-system backup is a good practice, especially the case of storage media failure.

          @http://www.proteansec.com/linux/pfsense-automatically-backup-configuration-files/:

          …manual backups are not really viable solution for enterprise networks, since administrators often forget or don’t have time to manually backup the configuration files.

          It's more so the case in, less than, enterprise networks, and SOHO (Small Office Home Office) environs; where the "Admin" might wear many hats.

          @Elludium_Q-36:

          Wait!  Let me stop doing all my OTHER drudgery, and defer all that is fun, don my "Admin" hat, pull out command cheat sheets, copy and paste, just to do what a self initiating script/cron job could do…

          …
          Yeah...

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          • M Offline
            MindfulCoyote
            last edited by

            Don't forget the integrated alternative "AutoConfigBackup": https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/AutoConfigBackup

            PS. Comes with a copy of the pfSense Book.  ;)

            Err

            –
            Erreu Gedmon

            Firewalls are hard...
            but the book makes it easier: https://portal.pfsense.org/book/

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            • M Offline
              MindfulCoyote
              last edited by

              @eleanor:

              I've written an article about automatically backing up Pfsense configuration files.

              Just finished reading it, excellent article. Eleanor, pardon my ignorance, but is there a difference between the config file created using your method and the existing files in /cf/conf/backup? Is it the RRD data? If I didn't care about the RRD data couldn't I simply scp the files in /cf/conf/backup?

              Err

              –
              Erreu Gedmon

              Firewalls are hard...
              but the book makes it easier: https://portal.pfsense.org/book/

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              • E Offline
                eleanor
                last edited by

                Hello,

                Thank you for wonderful comments, it's always a good idea to learn more about the solution you're currently using. I've updated the article accordingly with the new information. I haven't deleted the old information, because it can still be interested by other people.

                Thank you

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                • E Offline
                  Elludium_Q-36
                  last edited by

                  Yes, MindfulCoyote is right, a "gold" or whatnot, subscription to ESF includes the paid support, online "cloud" backups, and a book.

                  Seems I'm not the only one curious about the release of the bundle of paper for v 2.0.

                  Alas, not everyone has the budget to "go commercial".  Some think that "commercial", is really the future direction of pfSense & ESF.

                  Some prefer to run their own "cloud", say, for example, using FreeNAS or NAS4Free.

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