Don't shell out to cd, use chdir

single quotes do not interpolate, so print 'cd $fbbin' prints literally cd $fbbin not cd /opt/firebird/bin

This is where you syntax error was, you were missing a closing single quote

Don't do localtime date math yourself, use strftime

use POSIX();
print POSIX::strftime('%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M-%S', localtime);
[download]

Don't shell out to ls, use glob function, so  my @files = glob "*.$type";

Thats it :)

Thanks for your help. One issue fixed. Now I have problem to succesfully execute the most important backup command. Second foreach loop have system command (below pasted latest, fixed a bit version):

 foreach (@files) {
        chdir($fbbin);
        print "Tworze kopie bazy $_ \n";
        system('./gbak -user sysdba -password masterkey -BACKUP_DATABA
+SE localhost:$bazy$_ $kopie$_.gbk') or print "Blad archiwizowania baz
+y $_ \n";
        print "Gotowa kopia bazy $_ \n";

}
[download]

I`ve try it in many ways in single quotes `` or '' also in "" always command output is the same:

gbak: ERROR:requires both input and output filenames
gbak:Exiting before completion due to errors
sh: 2: /mnt/storage/testy/simplemarketing.gdb: not found
sh: 3: .gbk: not found
Gotowa kopia bazy simplemarketing.gdb
[download]

It looks like the ./gbak command from Firebird binaries don`t reads the variables correctly. By hand this command looks:

./gbak -user sysdba -password masterkey -BACKUP_DATABASE localhost:/op
+t/databases/demo.gdb /mnt/storage/testy/demo.gdb.gbk
[download]

and works without problems. In my script: /opt/dabasaes/ comes from $bazy demo.gdb - database filename should be inserted by $_ from table @files destination dir /mnt/storage/testy/ should be inserted by $localdir and extended by .gbk file extension. But from perl script this command don`t work....

Single quotes do not interpolate, but double quotes do, so use "" (this part explained in basic syntax section of perlintro )

Its time like these I yearn for a perlquote :)

I suggest that you begin your script with:

use strict;
use warnings;
[download]

I certainly agree 150% with your assessment of using Perl vs. using Bash.   Mind you, I am not “bashing bash” when I say that Perl has earned its reputation as “the Swiss Army® Knife of pragmatic computer programming.”   (One thing that can unquestionably be said about Mr. Larry Wall, and his many successors since that time, was that:   they knew what very-practical tool they needed, and they built it very well.)   Many folks are initially caught off-guard at first glance by what at first seems to be “loosey goosey” approach of Perl, but, the longer you look at it and consider it, the more wise it reveals itself to be.   (Aye, despite its inevitable warts.)   The time that you spend learning about this language, and delving into the vast CPAN library which supports it, is time that you will one day indeed have been very glad to have spent.

#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use strict;
use warnings;

#Variables
my $fbbin = "/opt/firebird/bin/";
my $data = "/opt/databases/";
my $ext = "gdb";
#my $shared = "/opt/shared/";
my $tempdir = "/opt/backup/";
#my $destdir = "/home/mery/backup/complete/";
#my $usbdev = "/dev/sdc1/";
#my $localdir = "/mnt/storage/testy/";
#my $mailerr = "core-powiadomienia\@core.com.pl";
my $klient = "PanTester";
my $mailtopic = "Raport nocnej kopii zapasowej w firmie $klient";

use POSIX();
print POSIX::strftime('%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M-%S', localtime);

#Create database filenames table @files
        my $type = $ext;
        my $dir = $data;
        $type = "*.$type";
        print "looking for files with extension $type \n";
        chdir ($dir);
        my @files = qx(ls $type 2>&1);

foreach (@files) {
        print "Found database: $_\n";
}

# This loop run external gbak backup command to create $_.gbk files as
+ output in $tempdir

foreach (@files) {
        chdir ($fbbin);
#       print "Tworze kopie bazy $_ \n";
        system("./gbak -user sysdba -password masterkey -BACKUP_DATABA
+SE localhost\:$data$_ $tempdir`$_.gbk`") or die "Blad archiwizowania 
+bazy $_ \n";
#       print "Gotowa kopia bazy $_ \n";

}
[download]

2012-02-28-22-23-33looking for files with extension *.gdb
Found database: demo2.gdb

Found database: demo.gdb

Found database: SimpleMarketing2.gdb

Found database: simplemarketing.gdb

gbak: ERROR:requires both input and output filenames
gbak:Exiting before completion due to errors
sh: 1: demo2.gdb: not found
sh: 2: .gbk: not found
sh: 3: /opt/backup/: Permission denied
gbak: ERROR:requires both input and output filenames
gbak:Exiting before completion due to errors
sh: 1: demo.gdb: not found
sh: 2: .gbk: not found
sh: 3: /opt/backup/: Permission denied
gbak: ERROR:requires both input and output filenames
gbak:Exiting before completion due to errors
sh: 1: SimpleMarketing2.gdb: not found
sh: 2: .gbk: not found
sh: 3: /opt/backup/: Permission denied
gbak: ERROR:requires both input and output filenames
gbak:Exiting before completion due to errors
sh: 1: simplemarketing.gdb: not found
sh: 2: .gbk: not found
sh: 3: /opt/backup/: Permission denied
[download]

@Anonymous Monk As I mentioned earlier I`ve tried both way in '' and "" and both don`t work.

But for different reasons. Using single quotes like that could never have worked, it would have never done what you are trying to do.

Also, as system documents, using system or die is wrong, you need to use system(@args)==0 or die.

or use autodie qw/ system /; and let autodie take care of the dying.

This means the actual command you're trying to execute is wrong -- I see some backticks which looks like an error to me.

What is the command you're trying to execute? What would it look like if you typed it in on the commandline, no variables, just the final text? Dumper it and see what you're trying to actually execute ( see

Tutorials: Basic debugging checklist for Dumper)

You might have better luck narrowing it down by giving system a list, as in

use autodie qw/ system /;
my @args = qw[ ./gbak -user sysdba -password masterkey -BACKUP_DATABAS
+E ];
push @args, "localhost:$data$_" , "$tempdir$_.gbk";
use Data::Dumper;
print "Trying to system(@args) ", Dumper(\@args ), "\n";
system @args;
[download]

See systems for all the caveats, and use autodie, and when something doesn't work right, remember Basic debugging checklist

Hello,
By hand gbak command looks:
./gbak -user sysdba -password masterkey -BACKUP_DATABASE localhost:/opt/databases/demo.gdb /opt/backup/demo.gdb.gbk
and works fine.
Also in simple script:

chdir ($fbbin);
        system("./gbak -user sysdba -password masterkey -BACKUP_DATABA
+SE localhost:/opt/databases/demo.gdb /opt/databases/demo.gbk")==0 or 
+die "Failed to create backup file \n";
[download]


I see where is the issue with loading details from variables to system command but i don`t have any idea how to fix it.
See:

foreach (@files) {
        chdir ($fbbin);
        print "./gbak -user sysdba -password masterkey -BACKUP_DATABAS
+E localhost:$data$_ $tempdir$_.gbk \n";
[download]

Gives me output:

./gbak -user sysdba -password masterkey -BACKUP_DATABASE localhost:/op
+t/databases/simplemarketing.gdb
 /opt/backup/simplemarketing.gdb
.gbk
[download]

This output should be in one row not in three ;). It looks like enter pressed always after $_ variable loaded from @files table which contains databases filenames. Any ideas how to fix it?

#Create database filenames table @files
my @ext = ("fb", "gdb", "ib");
my $data = "/opt/databases";

foreach (@ext) {
        my $load = glob "$data*.$_";
        push (@files, $load);
}

foreach (@files) {
print "Found database: $_ \n";
}
[download]

Found database:
Found database: /opt/databases/DEMO.fb
Found database: /opt/databases/demo2.fb
Found database:
[download]

Remember what you did for LS? You had

@files = qx(ls $type 2>&1);
[download]

But for glob you wrote

my $load = glob "$data*.$_";
[download]

Do you see the difference? $load can only hold one value at a time, a scalar. You want  @load.
• Tutorials
• Getting Started with Perl
• Data Types and Variables
• the basic datatypes, three
• Data Type: Array

Since PerlMonks offers threaded discussions, it is better to reply to the correct node by clicking the [reply] alongside the node of interest, esp when only responding to one person

Thank you. Now I see where I`m wrong. More than one result is output of glob but I insert them to variable but should be inserted to table.
I`ve fixed it to @files


foreach (@ext) {
        my @load = glob "$data*.$_";
        push (@files, @load);
}
[download]

but still first element of @files table is empty.
The output:

 
2012-03-02-09-46-09: Found database:
 2012-03-02-09-46-09: Found database: /opt/databases/DEMO.fb
 2012-03-02-09-46-09: Found database: /opt/databases/demo2.fb
 2012-03-02-09-46-09: Found database: /opt/databases/demo.gdb
 2012-03-02-09-46-09: Found database: /opt/databases/demo2.gdb
 2012-03-02-09-46-09: Found database: /opt/databases/demo3.gdb
 2012-03-02-09-46-09: Found database: /opt/databases/simplemarketing.g
+db
 2012-03-02-09-46-09: Found database: /opt/databases/SimpleMarketing2.
+gdb
[download]

The script dies at first element because gbak can`t perform backup on empty file as source.
For now to cut out the first empty element from @files i`ve just used  shift(@files); but I`m not sure is this a good idea. I don`t know why it push first element empty to @files and if in some conditions e.g. on other server the first element will not be empty the shift will be cutting out one of databases from backup.
Is there a better way to check array for empty elements and if exist shift them? I have two ideas - insert if in foreach loop or do another one foreach loop for @files to remove the empty elements. In both ideas I don`t know how to correctly detect empty elements.