Simply storing backup data in a series of directories is of limited use. With PostgreSQL especially, it's important to know the WAL positions when the backup started and ended so a backup restore recovers properly.
There are other important and relevant questions as well. How many servers are we managing? How many backups exist for each of these? What are the names and dates for each backup? What about the synchronization status of Barman while retrieving WAL files? What if we need product support and need to provide diagnostic data? Where does Barman store files? What about other settings we didn't specify during installation?
We could go on and on with endless questions like this. Instead, this recipe will focus on a handful of the most useful forensic information commands and explain how they work.