Automated pfSense Backup to Google Drive | Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step :01 (Prepare the Linux Environment)

• Install and update Linux (e.g., Linux Mint).

apt update && apt upgrade -y

• Install rclone using the command line

curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash 

Step :02 (Configure rclone with Google Drive)

• Run rclone config and create a new remote (e.g., named “Gdrive”).
• Select Google Drive (option 22 in the video) and follow the prompts for full access.
• Use the web browser on the Linux machine to authenticate rclone with your Google account.

Step :03 (Configure pfSense Backup User)

• In pfSense, go to System > User Manager and create a dedicated backup user.
• Assign the privilege “WebCfg – Diagnostics: Backup & Restore” to this user so the script can access the configuration files.

Step: 04 (Create and Run the Backup Script)

• Create a shell script on the Linux machine.

pfsense_backup.sh

• Input the pfSense IP, port, backup username, password, and the rclone destination folder into the script.
• Make the script executable with chmod +x and run it to verify the backup appears in Google Drive.

Step : 05 (Schedule the Backup Cron Job)

• Set up a cron job using crontab -e to run the script automatically at a specific time.
• After running the script, the pfSense configuration file (.xml) is successfully uploaded to the specified Google Drive folder.