Backup with ``rsync`` /SSH
--------------------------

The backup over ``rsync`` was the only available method before 2.0, and
is currently the only backup method that supports the incremental backup
feature. Please consult the “Features in detail” section for more
information.

To take a backup using ``rsync`` you need to put these parameters inside
the Barman server configuration file:

.. code:: ini

   backup_method = rsync
   ssh_command = ssh postgres@pg

The ``backup_method`` option activates the ``rsync`` backup method, and
the ``ssh_command`` option is needed to correctly create an SSH
connection from the Barman server to the PostgreSQL server.

..  IMPORTANT ::
   You will not be able to start a backup if WAL is not being correctly archived to Barman, either through the `archiver`  or the `streaming_archiver` 

To check if the server configuration is valid you can use the
``barman check`` command:

.. code:: bash

   barman@backup$ barman check pg

To take a backup use the ``barman backup`` command:

.. code:: bash

   barman@backup$ barman backup pg