Configurations Snapshot

Configuration snapshots provide fast backup and restore of UFM configurations.

The backup includes:

• UFM configuration files (/opt/ufm/files/confall the files that are saved when calling the UFM backup.sh script)

• Plugin configurations

• UFM Install arguments

• UFM version and plugin versions 

Creating Configuration Snapshot

Basic Snapshot

Create a configuration snapshot. Run: 

ufm_versions_mgr backup --config

Snapshot with Label

Create a snapshot with a descriptive label. Run:

ufm_versions_mgr backup --config --label "My own label"

List Snapshots

List available snapshots. Run:

ufm_versions_mgr backup --config --list

Command Options

Restore Configuration Snapshot

Check Version Compatibility

Check if snapshot can be restored. Run:

ufm_versions_mgr restore --config --check-version --snapshot-number 1

Restore Snapshot

1. Restore latest snapshot (snapshot #1). Run:

   ufm_versions_mgr restore --config

2. Restore specific snapshot. Run:

   ufm_versions_mgr restore --config --snapshot-number 2

Preview Restore (Dry-Run)

Preview restore operation. Run:

ufm_versions_mgr restore --config --snapshot-number 1 --dry-run

Configuration Validation

Upon every backup operation, the tool validates the schema of some configurations.

If the files are not aligned, the operation will be blocked since the current is invalid.

Snapshot Rotation

• Maximum snapshots: 10

• Automatic rotation when creating 11th snapshot

• Oldest snapshot (snapshot-10) deleted after confirmation

• Snapshots renumbered: 9→10, 8→9, ..., 1→2, new→1

Setting Up Periodic Configuration Snapshots

Option 1: Simple Periodic Snapshot (Recommended for Most Users)

This approach uses a cron job to create a new configuration snapshot at a regular interval.
Keep in mind that UFM supports a maximum of 10 configuration snapshots.
Once this limit is reached, the oldest snapshot is automatically deleted when a new one is created.

Suggested Interval

Since the snapshot limit is 10:

• Every 12 hours → keeps ~5 days of history

• Every 24 hours (daily) → keeps ~10 days of history

For most environments, daily backups are sufficient and provide a good balance between retention and frequency.

1. Open the root user’s crontab:

   sudo crontab -e
   

2. Add one of the following lines depending on your desired frequency:

   Every 12 hours:
   

   0 */12 * * * /usr/bin/ufm_versions_mgr backup --config --label "Periodic config backup"
   

   Every day at midnight:
   

   0 0 * * * /usr/bin/ufm_versions_mgr backup --config --label "Daily config backup"
   

    

3. Save and exit. Cron will automatically schedule and run the snapshots.

Option 2: Advanced Snapshot — Only When Configuration Changes

This approach is more efficient and avoids unnecessary snapshots when UFM configuration files haven’t changed.

It uses a custom shell script that:

• Computes a checksum of key UFM configuration files and plugin configurations.

• Compares it with the previous checksum.

• Creates a new snapshot only if changes are detected.

1. Create custom script in /usr/local/bin/

   /usr/local/bin/ufm_backup_if_changed.sh Expand source

   #!/bin/bash
   
   # List of files to track (can be modified based on your needs and what is important)
   UFM_CONF_FILES=(
       "/opt/ufm/files/conf/opensm/opensm.conf"
       "/opt/ufm/files/conf/gv.cfg"
       "/opt/ufm/files/conf/opensm/partitions.conf"
       "/opt/ufm/files/conf/opensm/opensm-health-policy.conf"
   )
   
   PLUGINS_DIR="/opt/ufm/files/conf/plugins"
   
   CHECKSUM_FILE="/opt/ufm/ufm_conf_checksum"
   
   # Compute combined checksum
   echo "$(date '+%F %T') - Getting checksum of tracked files..."
   
   CURRENT=""
   for f in "${UFM_CONF_FILES[@]}"; do
       [ -f "$f" ] && CURRENT="$CURRENT$(md5sum "$f" | awk '{print $1}')"
   done
   
   if [ -d "$PLUGINS_DIR" ]; then
       PLUGINS_SUM=$(find "$PLUGINS_DIR" -type f \( -name "*.conf" -o -name "*.cfg" -o -name "*.json" -o -name "*.plugin_version" \) \
           ! -path "*/run/*" ! -path "*/lock/*" \
           -exec md5sum {} + 2>/dev/null | sort | md5sum | awk '{print $1}')
       CURRENT="$CURRENT$PLUGINS_SUM"
   fi
   
   CURRENT_SUM=$(echo "$CURRENT" | md5sum | awk '{print $1}')
   LAST_SUM=$(cat "$CHECKSUM_FILE" 2>/dev/null)
   
   echo "$(date '+%F %T') - Current checksum: $CURRENT_SUM, Last checksum: $LAST_SUM"
   
   if [ "$CURRENT_SUM" != "$LAST_SUM" ]; then
       echo "$(date '+%F %T') - Configuration changed, creating snapshot..."
       /usr/bin/ufm_versions_mgr backup --config --label "Periodic backup"
       echo "$CURRENT_SUM" > "$CHECKSUM_FILE"
   else
       echo "$(date '+%F %T') - No configuration change detected, skipping snapshot."
   fi
   
   echo "<=============================>"

2. Make the Script Executable

   chmod +x /usr/local/bin/ufm_backup_if_changed.sh

3. Open a crontab to edit

   sudo crontab -e

4. Add:

   0 */6 * * * /usr/local/bin/ufm_backup_if_changed.sh >> /var/log/ufm_periodic_config_backup.log 

Summary:

HA Considerations

In HA environments:

• Tool automatically detects HA mode

• Must run from master node

• Backs up master configuration

• Stores in shared location

Troubleshooting

Last updated: November 07, 2025