AMFLUSH(8)

📦
version 3.5.4 · 8 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

✨ AMFLUSH(8) ✨

System Administration Commands · section 8, bestie 🫶

💅 NAME 💅

ok so. amflush — she flushes Amanda backup files from the holding disk to tape. that's the whole gig. iconic behavior honestly.

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

amflush [-b] [-f] [--exact-match] [-s] [-D datestamp]
        [-o configoption...] config [host [disk...]...]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Amflush writes your Amanda backups from the holding disks to tape, and updates the Amanda info database and tapelist(5) accordingly. like, she handles the paperwork too, we love a queen who follows through.

She's similar to amdump, but she does not perform any backup operations on Amanda clients. no cap. backups may just vibe in a holding disk when something is wrong with the tape at the time amdump is run. when that happens, you gotta fix the problem and run amflush by hand. yes, manually. i know. 😭

The command optionally takes a set of DLE specifications (peep amanda-match(7)) to narrow down the DLEs for which dumps will be flushed. if you give no expressions at all? all dumps in holding get flushed. no notes.

🔥 OPTIONS 🔥

  • -b — run amflush in batch mode. all datestamps are selected unless specified. and the flush is started without confirmation — she's not gonna ask you twice, she just goes. 🏃‍♀️
  • -f — run amflush in foreground. normally she detaches herself from the tty and runs as a background process, main character energy, gone. with -f, she stays in the foreground. super useful if amflush is run as part of another script that, for example, advances the tape after the flush is completed. teamwork!
  • -s — write log to stdout/stderr instead of the amflush log file. requires the -f option, so don't skip it, bestie, she needs the company.
  • -D datestamp — specify a datestamp expression you want to flush; see amanda-match(7) for details on the format of this expression. for example, -D 20001225-7 will flush all dumps from 25 december 2000 to 27 december 2000. time travel but make it tape. ⭐
  • --exact-match — the host and disk are parsed as exact values. no fuzzy matching, we're being precise today.
  • host [disk]* — specify the host and disk on which the command will work — see the description of DLE specifications in amanda-match(7).
  • -o configoption — see the "CONFIGURATION OVERRIDE" section in amanda(8).

You can specify many host/disk expressions, and only disks that match an expression will be flushed. all disks are flushed if no expressions are given. see the "HOST & DISK EXPRESSION" section of amanda(8) for a description. iykyk 🌈

Amflush will look in the holding disks specified by the amanda.conf file in /usr/local/etc/amanda/config for any non-empty Amanda work directories. then she prompts you to select a directory or to process all of the directories. the work directories in the holding disks are named by the date at the time amdump was run, e.g. 19910215. so organized of her 💖

See the amanda(8) man page for more details about Amanda.

🎀 EXAMPLE 🎀

Amflush will search for holding areas associated with the daily configuration. after you select which holding area to flush, amflush writes the data to tape, updates the databases and sends a mail report similar to amdump(8). she does it all 💅

% amflush MyConfig
Scanning /amanda-hold...
  20001113: found Amanda directory.
  20001114: found Amanda directory.

Multiple Amanda directories, please pick one by letter:
  A. 20001113
  B. 20001114
Select directories to flush [A..B]: [ALL] all

Flushing dumps in 20001113, 20001114,
today: 20001117
to tape drive /dev/rmt/0mn.
Expecting tape DMP014 or a new tape.  (The last dumps were to tape DMP013)
Are you sure you want to do this? yes
Running in background, you can log off now.
You'll get mail when amflush is finished.

The following example causes amflush to flush everything to tape, then ejects tape, using at to run the task in the background. multitasking queen 👑

% echo 'amflush -b -f MyConfig && mt offline' | at now

💀 EXIT CODE 💀

The exit code of amflush is the ORed value of:

  • 0 = success
  • 1 = error
  • 4 = a dle failed
  • 8 = Don't know the status of a dle (RESULT_MISSING in the report)
  • 16 = tape error or no more tape

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

amanda(8), amdump(8), amanda-match(7)

The Amanda Wiki: http://wiki.zmanda.com/

🧚 AUTHORS 🧚

James da Silva <jds@amanda.org>

Stefan G. Weichinger <sgw@amanda.org>

and that's the whole page, bestie — Amanda 3.5.4, dated 08/26/2026, presented to you by AMFLUSH(8). go flush something, slay, you got this. 🫶✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from