Duplicate Users/Groups to a Backup FreeNAS Server

[HeloJunkie]

Two FreeNAS servers running FreeNAS-11.0-U4 (54848d13b)

This may seem like an easy question but I have a primary and a backup FreeNAS server and I have about 40 users and a handful of groups and I want the backup FreeNAS server to be able to operate like the primary in the event the primary fails. I already have all of my replication and shares taken care of but I was wondering how I could easily replicate my users and groups. I assume that I can just copy my /etc/passwd and /etc/group files over, but I do not want to make the wrong assumption and blow up my backup system.

Thanks

 

[nightshade00013]

Backup your config and then import into the new install. Probably best if they are the same version however.

Before you put the new one on the network just make sure to check/adjust the IP settings.

 

[HeloJunkie]

Thanks @nightshade00013 but wouldn't that screw up all of my replication between units since the secondary unit would then 'become' the primary unit (hence I am assuming the need to change the IP address(s)).

 

[nightshade00013]

Well if you already did some configuring it would just have to be setup again. So you would need to do that before putting it online. There may be another way to replicate just the users and groups but I am not well versed in all that. If it's not a huge amount then it may be easier to just put them in manually.

 

[Ericloewe]

No, there's no easy way of doing this, though I think that there's a feature request for this... As of right now, the only real option is to play around with config backups.
The theory is that most cases where this would be useful are using AD anyway.

 

[HeloJunkie]

hahahah....well it's not a huge amount, but a large enough number I was hoping that "it would actually work" to just copy over the /etc/passwd and /etc/group files !!

 

[HeloJunkie]

No, there's no easy way of doing this, though I think that there's a feature request for this... As of right now, the only real option is to play around with config backups.
The theory is that most cases where this would be useful are using AD anyway.

Yeah, I suggested an AD system, I was shot down...

 

[Ericloewe]

Hopefully you were going fast enough to autorotate to safety...

 

[HeloJunkie]

hahahaha! I guess I was....