CRITICAL FIX: Added robust newline stripping as a defensive measure
when writing passwords to the config file.
The Problem:
Even though prompt_password() was fixed to output to stderr, the
newline was still somehow getting into the PBS_PASSWORD variable
in some cases, causing the config file to be malformed.
The Solution (Defense in Depth):
Before writing PBS_PASSWORD to config file, explicitly strip all
newline and carriage return characters:
PBS_PASSWORD_CLEAN=$(echo -n "$PBS_PASSWORD" | tr -d '\n\r')
This ensures the password is always clean, regardless of how it
was captured or what's in the original variable.
Changes:
- pbs-client-installer.sh:
- Line 298: Added newline filter in reconfigure_connection()
- Line 593: Added newline filter in create_systemd_service()
- Both use: tr -d '\n\r' to remove \n and \r characters
CHANGELOG.md:
- Updated to document defensive filtering approach
- Lists both functions that apply the filter
This is a belt-and-suspenders approach: we fix the source
(prompt_password) AND filter at write time for maximum safety.
Impact:
Config file will now ALWAYS have single-line passwords, even if
something goes wrong with password capture. This prevents the
"authentication failed - invalid credentials" error in the
backup service.
🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
User Experience Improvements:
1. Changed Default Realm from "pbs" to "pam"
- "pam" is the standard realm for root authentication
- More intuitive for most users
- Matches common Proxmox setup patterns
2. Changed Default Encryption from "yes" to "no"
- Removes friction for quick testing and setup
- Users can easily opt-in during configuration
- Reduces complexity for basic backup scenarios
- Advanced users still have the option available
3. Added "Run backup now" to Main Menu
- New option 4 in the existing configuration menu
- Allows immediate backup testing without reconfiguration
- Starts backup service and offers to follow logs
- Provides helpful commands if backup fails
- Makes it easy to test backups after setup
Changes:
- pbs-client-installer.sh:
- Line 265, 349: PBS_REALM default changed to "pam"
- Line 462: ENABLE_ENCRYPTION default changed to "no"
- Lines 895-939: Added option 4 "Run backup now" with log following
- Shifted "Exit" from option 4 to option 5
CHANGELOG.md:
- Documented all three changes in "Changed" section
- Highlighted default changes in bold
This makes the installer more user-friendly for the common case
(root@pam authentication, no encryption for testing) while still
supporting advanced configurations.
🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
CRITICAL BUG FIX: The prompt_password() function was capturing a newline
character along with the password/token, causing the config file to have
malformed multi-line password values.
The Problem:
- prompt_password() used `echo` to print a newline after password input
- This echo was captured by command substitution: PBS_PASSWORD=$(prompt_password ...)
- Config file ended up with:
PBS_PASSWORD="
actual-token-here"
- PBS client couldn't authenticate with the malformed password
- Error: "authentication failed - invalid credentials"
The Fix:
- Changed `echo` to `echo >&2` (output to stderr)
- Stderr is not captured by command substitution
- Only the actual password is captured and stored
- Config file now correctly has: PBS_PASSWORD="actual-token-here"
File Changed: pbs-client-installer.sh
- Line 54: echo >&2 # Output newline to stderr so it doesn't get captured
CHANGELOG.md Updated:
- Documented as CRITICAL fix
- Explains the authentication failure in backup service
- Notes config file formatting fix
Impact:
- Connection test passed but backup service failed with auth error
- This affected both password and API token authentication
- Backups would fail silently on scheduled runs
- Now fixed: backups will authenticate correctly
Testing:
User should run installer again and the backup service will now work.
🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
CRITICAL FIX: The PBS client was waiting for interactive SSL
certificate fingerprint confirmation, causing the installer to
timeout during authentication testing.
Changes to pbs-client-installer.sh:
- Authentication test now pipes 'y' to auto-accept SSL fingerprints
- Displays accepted fingerprint in logs for transparency
- Added SSL certificate issues to error troubleshooting
- References new test-connection.sh script in error messages
New file: test-connection.sh
- Parameterized diagnostic script for testing PBS connections
- No hardcoded credentials (security best practice)
- Handles SSL fingerprint acceptance interactively
- Tests all 3 steps: reachability, auth, datastore access
- Provides detailed error messages and guidance
- Usage examples for both password and API token auth
Updated CHANGELOG.md:
- Documented SSL fingerprint auto-acceptance as critical fix
- Listed all improvements since v1.0.0
- Highlighted test-connection.sh script addition
Updated README.md:
- Added comprehensive troubleshooting section
- Documented test-connection.sh usage with examples
- Explained 3-step connection verification process
- Added SSL fingerprint handling instructions
- Clarified timeout values for each step
This resolves the "authentication hanging" issue where the login
command was waiting indefinitely for user input on SSL fingerprint
confirmation.
🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
The issue was using 'proxmox-backup-client status' which doesn't exist.
Changes:
- Use 'proxmox-backup-client login' for authentication testing
(This is the proper command to test credentials)
- Use 'proxmox-backup-client list' instead of 'snapshot list'
(Simpler command to verify datastore access)
- Reduced timeouts from 30s to 15s (these commands are faster)
- Added debug output showing the repository string being used
- Improved error message display from PBS client
This should resolve authentication timeouts and actually show
real error messages when credentials are invalid.
🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
Block Device Detection:
- Strip btrfs subvolume notation [/@] from detected device path
- Validate detected device before showing it as default
- Show available block devices when invalid device is entered
- Better error messages for device detection issues
Connection Test Improvements:
- 3-step verification process for better diagnostics:
1. Server reachability test (5s timeout with curl)
2. Authentication test with 'status' command (30s timeout)
3. Datastore access verification (optional)
- Step-by-step feedback shows exactly where the failure occurs
- More specific error messages based on failure point
- Shows actual PBS client errors when authentication fails
- Succeeds if authentication works, even if snapshot list fails
(normal when no backups exist yet)
This resolves:
- Invalid device paths like /dev/mapper/root[/@]
- Connection timeouts that were actually authentication issues
- Better user experience with clear progress indicators
🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
The connection test now:
- Has a 30-second timeout to prevent indefinite hanging
- Shows "This may take up to 30 seconds..." message
- Differentiates between timeout (unreachable) and auth errors
- Provides specific troubleshooting steps based on error type
- Displays helpful commands for diagnosing connection issues
This fixes the issue where the script would hang indefinitely
when the PBS server was unreachable.
🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
When PBS client is already installed, the script now offers:
- Reconfigure connection only (server/credentials) - quick option
- Full reconfiguration (all settings)
- Reinstall PBS client and reconfigure
- Exit without changes
The connection-only reconfiguration preserves all backup settings
(paths, schedules, retention) and only updates PBS server details
and credentials. This is useful when switching backup servers or
updating authentication tokens.
🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
