BACKUP_INTERACTIVE(8)

📦
version 1.8.16.1 · 10 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

👑 BACKUP_INTERACTIVE — Enters Interactive Mode 💅

okay bestie, welcome to backup_interactive, straight outta section 8 of the AFS Command Reference. this is the page that teaches you how to walk into the backup command interpreter and just... stay there. like a VIP lounge for backup commands. no cap. 🎀

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

backup [interactive] [-localauth] [-cell <cell name>]
    [-help]

backup [i] [-l] [-c <cell name>] [-h]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so like. backup interactive kicks off an interactive session for issuing backup commands. and yes, as the syntax up there shows, the operation code (interactive) is literally optional. it's giving "choose your own adventure" but the adventure is backups.

now here's the tea — interactive mode hits different in a bunch of ways, and we're gonna walk through all of them:

  • in interactive mode, the "backup"> prompt replaces your system (shell) prompt 💫. you only type a command's operation code — no need to retype the command suite name, backup. she's streamlining.
  • if the -localauth flag or the -cell argument shows up on the backup interactive command, those settings apply to all commands you issue during that interactive session. so you don't have to type them on every single command like a chump. bonus consequence: that flag and argument won't appear in the syntax statement generated by the help subcommand or the -help flag on any individual command you run at the "backup"> prompt. sneaky but iconic.
  • the backup jobs and backup kill commands are available only in interactive mode. periodt. it is not possible to track and terminate backup operations as cleanly in non-interactive mode. so if you need to stalk your jobs and then end them? interactive mode or nothing.
  • it is not necessary to enclose strings that include metacharacters in double quotes or other delimiters. just say it. she'll understand. 🙈
  • the backup command interpreter establishes a connection to the Backup Server, Volume Server and Volume Location (VL) Server processes as it enters interactive mode, and then uses that same connection for all commands during the session. translation: execution time can therefore be faster than in non-interactive mode, where the command interpreter must establish a new connection for each command. one connection, many commands, main character energy ⚡
to exit an interactive session, issue the backup quit command. that's your exit, bestie, don't leave without saying bye 🫶

🌸 OPTIONS 🌸

  • -localauth — constructs a server ticket using a key from the local /etc/openafs/server/KeyFile file 💜. the backup command interpreter presents it to the Backup Server, Volume Server and VL Server during mutual authentication. do not combine this flag with the -cell argument. for more details, see backup(8).
  • -cell <cell name> — names the cell in which to run the command. do not combine this argument with the -localauth flag. for more details, see backup(8).
  • -help — prints the online help for this command. all other valid options are ignored. she said what she said.

🍓 EXAMPLES 🍓

this next example is showing off how the -localauth flag and -cell argument do not appear when the help dump subcommand is issued in interactive mode. watch:

   % backup
   backup> help dump
   dump: start dump
   Usage: dump [-volumeset <volume set name>] [-dump <dump level name>]
   [-portoffset <TC port offset>] [-at <Date/time to start dump>+]
   [-append ] [-n ] [-file <load file>] [-help ]

see how clean that Usage: line is?? no -localauth, no -cell. it's giving minimalism. slay. ✨

🔥 PRIVILEGE REQUIRED 🔥

None. however — and this is the important part — backup commands that require privilege in regular mode still require it in interactive mode. the mode changed, the privilege requirement did not. no loopholes here, babes.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

backup(8), backup_jobs(8), backup_kill(8), backup_quit(8), butc(8)

IBM Corporation 2000. <http://www.ibm.com/> All Rights Reserved.

This documentation is covered by the IBM Public License Version 1.0. It was converted from HTML to POD by software written by Chas Williams and Russ Allbery, based on work by Alf Wachsmann and Elizabeth Cassell. shoutout to the conversion girlies 💖

and that's the whole page, bestie!! this was the OpenAFS BACKUP_INTERACTIVE(8) page, dated 2026-07-27, and it came to you courtesy of OpenAFS. now go forth and quit responsibly 👑✨🦋💅

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