Red Hat Satellite backup fails with an error 'Postgres user needs write access to the backup directory'

Environment

• Red Hat Satellite 6.3

Issue

• Is it possible to take the online backup of the Satellite on other directories apart from /tmp and /var/tmp?

• While taking Satellite backup on other directories we get the error 'Postgres user needs write access to the backup directory'.

   # satellite-backup /backup
   Starting backup: 2018-xx-xx xx.xx.xx +xxxx
   Creating backup folder /backup/satellite-backup-xxxxx
   Sorry, user root is not allowed to execute '/usr/bin/test -w 
  /backup/satellite-backup-xxxxx' as postgres on satellite.example.com
  ****cancelled****
  Postgres user needs write access to the backup directory
  Please select a directory, such as /tmp or /var/tmp which allows 
  Postgres write access
  

Resolution

• Create a directory and give full (rwx) Permission to postgres user on /backup directory:

     # mkdir /backup
  
     # setfacl -m u:postgres:rwx /backup
  

• Execute the Satellite backup:

   # satellite-backup /backup
  

For more KB articles/solutions related to Red Hat Satellite 6.x backup issues, please refer to the Consolidated Troubleshooting Article for Red Hat Satellite 6.x backup-related Issues

Root Cause

• The mentioned error occurred because Postgres user cannot write files to other locations apart from /tmp or /var/tmp.

This solution is part of Red Hat’s fast-track publication program, providing a huge library of solutions that Red Hat engineers have created while supporting our customers. To give you the knowledge you need the instant it becomes available, these articles may be presented in a raw and unedited form.