Maintenance

Maintenance is essential for keeping the server running reliably. Several tasks should be performed regularly, some of them facilitated by scripts in the jobs directory and automated via cronjobs.

Jobs

Overview

Predefined jobs are available in the jobs directory. Some require ENV variables to be configured in jobs/.env.

Script	Action	ENV
jobs/backup	Create backup	$SOURCE_FOLDER, $BACKUP_FOLDER, $USER
jobs/reboot	Initiate reboot
jobs/check_public_ip	Inform about public IP change	$DNS_PROVIDER
jobs/on_startup	Inform about server start	$DRIVE_PATH
jobs/notify	Send out notification	$TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID, $TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN
jobs/check_container_updates	Check for container updates

Backup

Backs up the /fjellheimen directory to $BACKUP_FOLDER with borg. Notifications are sent before and after backup creation. Recommended frequency: at least weekly.

Reboot

Sends notification and shuts down the server. Recommended to run: after backup.

Check public IP

Verifies if the server's public IP has changed and notifies if so. Recommended frequency: daily.

Startup

After server has successfully booted, notifies all running Docker containers and mounted drives specified by $DRIVE_PATH.

Notify

Telegram Bot

To use this feature, you need to create a Telegram bot and obtain its token. The process is simple, with plenty of online guides available.

This script is a notification dispatcher that is called from other scripts (and is generally callable). Currently, it sends a Telegram message to a designated $TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID but it can be adjusted to use another notification provider.

Cronjobs

To schedule jobs efficiently, use cron (and a syntax helper). It's best to setup jobs using crontab -e and execute them as a user rather than as root (avoiding permission issues). However, you can still use sudo within the scripts if needed. The crontab might contain:

Ansible setup

If the machine is set up with the provided Ansible playbooks, these cronjobs should already be set up.

# On startup
@reboot /fjellheimen/jobs/on_startup
# Every day, 0:00 AM
0 0 * * * /fjellheimen/jobs/check_public_ip
# Fridays, 4:00 AM
0 4 * * FRI /fjellheimen/jobs/backup
# Saturdays, 4:00 AM
0 4 * * SAT /fjellheimen/jobs/check_container_updates
# Sundays, 4:00 AM
0 4 * * SUN /fjellheimen/jobs/reboot

Updates

System updates

Regularly update the OS for stability and security. Manual review and application of updates is recommended to avoid system issues.

Docker image updates

Keeping Docker images updated is important. While manual updates are an option, a semi-automated solution, dockcheck, is included by this setup. Critical or experimental images should be updated manually to avoid potential issues. Read more about Updating Docker containers for deeper insights in the topic.