How to Install Barman on Arch Linux

Barman is a backup and recovery tool for PostgreSQL that allows you to manage multiple backup servers and databases from a single point of control.

Here we will go through the process to install Barman on Arch Linux.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure that your system is up-to-date with the following commands;

sudo pacman -Syu

Installation

Install Barman package from the official repository in Arch Linux by running:
```
sudo pacman -S barman
```
Once the installation is complete, verify the Barman version:
```
barman version
```
The output should look something like this:
```
2.13.1
```
Next, configure PostgreSQL to enable WAL archiving by modifying the postgresql.conf file. In the file, locate the archive_mode option and set it to on:
```
archive_mode = on
```
Also, set the archive_command to call the barman-wal-archive script:
```
archive_command = '/usr/bin/barman-wal-archive barman_server %(archive_mode)s %p'
```
Save and exit the postgresql.conf file.
Now, restart the PostgreSQL service to apply the changes:
```
sudo systemctl restart postgresql.service
```

Create a new Barman configuration file by copying the example template:

sudo cp /usr/share/doc/barman/examples/barman.conf.gz /etc/barman.conf.gz

Unzip the file using this command:
```
sudo gunzip /etc/barman.conf.gz
```
This will create a readable configuration file under /etc/barman.conf.

Edit the configuration file and replace the sample values with your PostgreSQL server details:

[barman]
; BARMAN CONFIGURATION FILE
;
; For instructions on how to fill this file, see
; /usr/share/doc/barman/README.gz.
;
[barman]
; Archive information for the PostgreSQL instance to back up
[postgresql]
description = PostgreSQL server
conninfo = host=<hostname> user=barman dbname=<database>
backup_method = postgresql
streaming_archiver = on
slot_name = barman
streaming_conninfo = host=<hostname> user=barman dbname=<database>
minimum_redundancy = 1
retention_policy = RECOVERY WINDOW OF 2 WEEKS

Replace the values and with your PostgreSQL server hostname and database name.

Finally, start the Barman server:

sudo systemctl start barman.service

You can check the status of the Barman service with the following command:

sudo systemctl status barman.service

You should see something like this if everything works fine:

barman.service - Barman PostgreSQL Backup Manager
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/barman.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
Active: active (running) since Mon 2021-08-02 03:31:02 PET; 5s ago
Main PID: 7420 (barman)
Tasks: 14 (limit: 9479)
Memory: 7.2M
CGroup: /system.slice/barman.service
|-7420 /usr/bin/python /usr/bin/barman -q main
.
.
Aug 02 03:31:02 my-arch-server barman[7420]: INFO: Barman booted and listening for connections on f…x7f590cdecdd0>
Aug 02 03:31:02 my-arch-server barman[7420]: INFO: Starting job schedule

Congratulations, you have successfully installed and configured Barman on Arch Linux.