etckeeper
etckeeper is a collection of tools to store /etc in a VCS (version control) repository, to keep a backup of changes to system configuration files. This allows to review or revert changes to /etc, or to push the repository elsewhere for backups, or cherry-picking configuration changes.
On installation, etckeeper places a hook in /etc/portage/conf-update.d/ so that it will called to commit changes when dispatch-conf is executed.
etckeeper can hook into Portage, to automatically commit changes made to /etc during package upgrades - see Portage integration section.
etckeeper is modular and configurable, but simple to use for those who know the underlying VCS. It tracks file metadata that git does not normally support, but that is important for /etc, such as the permissions of /etc/shadow.
Installation
USE flags
USE flags for sys-apps/etckeeper A collection of tools to let /etc be stored in a repository
Emerge
Install sys-apps/etckeeper:
root #emerge --ask sys-apps/etckeeperAdditional software
etckeeper supports the following version control systems:
- git
- dev-vcs/mercurial
- dev-vcs/darcs
- bzr (Removed from Gentoo repo)
Configuration
Portage integration
/etc/portage/bashrc# From /usr/share/doc/etckeeper*/bashrc.example
case "${EBUILD_PHASE}" in
setup|prerm) etckeeper pre-install ;;
postinst|postrm) etckeeper post-install ;;
esac
Files
The main configuration file is /etc/etckeeper/etckeeper.conf. Following configuration options in the main configuration file need specific settings:
/etc/etckeeper/etckeeper.conf# The VCS to use.
VCS="git"
...
# Options passed to git commit when run by etckeeper.
GIT_COMMIT_OPTIONS=""
...
# Etckeeper includes both a cron job and a systemd timer, which each
# can commit exiting changes to /etc automatically once per day.
# To enable the systemd timer, run: systemctl enable etckeeper.timer
# The cron job is enabled by default; to disable it set:
# 0 to not avoid daily autocommits, commit daily automatically
# 1 is avoid daily autocommits
# AVOID_DAILY_AUTOCOMMITS=1
...
# Uncomment to avoid etckeeper committing existing changes to
# /etc before installation. It will cancel the installation,
# so you can commit the changes by hand.
AVOID_COMMIT_BEFORE_INSTALL=1
...
# Gentoo specific:
# For portage this is emerge
HIGHLEVEL_PACKAGE_MANAGER=emerge
# Gentoo specific:
# For portage this is qlist
LOWLEVEL_PACKAGE_MANAGER=qlist
...
# To push each commit to a remote, put the name of the remote here.
# (eg, "origin" for git). Space-separated lists of multiple remotes
# also work (eg, "origin gitlab github" for git).
PUSH_REMOTE=""
Service
Cron
When installed with USE=cron, a script will be installed in /etc/cron.daily/etckeeper to auto commit changes to /etc once a day.
The cron job is enabled by default in the configuration. To disable the daily auto commits using cron, configure like in the following example:
/etc/etckeeper/etckeeper.conf...
AVOID_DAILY_AUTOCOMMITS=1
..
systemd
To enable the systemd timer, run:
root #systemctl enable etckeeper.timerUsage
Before configuring etckeeper further, inspect first the README file and read the "Security warnings" section.
First, it must be considered if sensitive files (such as private keys) shall be included in the repository. If there are concerns, it is suggested to create a .gitignore file before running the etckeeper initialization.
Initialization of the repository is done by running:
root #cd /etcroot #etckeeper initWhen initialization is done through the sudo or the doas command, the author of the commit will be set to the corresponding user:
user $sudo etckeeper initThe command creates a .gitignore file in the /etc directory. If it already exist, then a "managed by etckeeper" comment block is added. It also sets up pre-commit hooks. This command does not yet commit files, but runs git add to ensure all interesting files are included in the initial commit later.
In .gitignore, do not manually edit inside the "managed by etckeeper" comment blocks. Place any additions outside these blocks.
When specific files shall be excluded, effectiveness of the .gitignore file can be verified by running git status. In the following example it is tested whether shadow files will be checked in. If any files that shall be excluded show up as a new file, then the .gitignore is not applied properly and needs fixing.
root #cd /etc root #git status | grep shadow
new file: gshadow
new file: gshadow-
new file: pam.d/shadow
new file: shadow
new file: shadow-
If not interesting files show up, it is suggested to undo the etckeeper initialization (as described later in the Removal section), fix the .gitignore and start again.
Finally commit all changes in /etc to the repository. A commit message can be specified. It is possible to use the underlying VCS to commit manually. Note that etckeeper commit will notice if a user has used sudo or su to become root, and record the original username in the commit. At this time it is recommended to use the git commit command.
root #cd /etcroot #git commit -a -m 'initial /etc commit'If the initial version has been committed, from this time forward it is safe to use following command below to commit diffs:
user $sudo etckeeper commit new-changesor:
root #etckeeper commit new-changesOptionally, pack the git repository to save disk space using following command:
user $git gcRemoval
The following command deletes the /etc/.git directory:
root #etckeeper uninit
** Warning: This will DESTROY all recorded history for /etc, ** including the git repository. Are you sure you want to do this? [yN]
Uninstall etckeeper:
root #emerge --ask --depclean --verbose sys-apps/etckeeperSee also
- Dispatch-conf — a utility included with Portage, used to safely and conveniently manage configuration files after package updates.