Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts

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Contents

• Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
  • Linux Backups
    • TL;DR
    • System Setup
    • Pre-Backup Tasks
    • Backup Tools
    • Backup Reporting
    • Backup Commands
    • Post-Backup Tasks
    • Restores
      • Restore 1 File
      • Restore Directory Structure
      • Full Restore
    • Problems

Linux Backups

2023 Version with rdiff-backup. Install with:

   sudo apt install rdiff-backup

We will NOT backup the entire OS. Doing so wastes storage that is easily put back using a normal installation, which is the 1st step in a restore.

We will show how to perform simple backups, capturing not just the data but basic system information to make recovery from non-disk failures easier.

You are meant to follow along, typing as we go.

TL;DR

Code:

#!/bin/bash

TGT=/Backups
DAYS=120

# Run backups and commands as root to maintain permissions, owners, groups, ACLs

# Ensure directories exist
mkdir -p /root/backups 

# check that backup target storage is mounted; many different methods exist
#  * check the mount for the expected directory
#  * look for a "not-mounted" file that exists under the mount point

# Save list of manually installed packages - to be restored later
# Be certain the redirected file is part of your include backup locations
/usr/bin/apt-mark showmanual > /root/backups/apt-mark.manual

# Local Backups; all backups need to run as root, to capture file metadata
/usr/bin/rdiff-backup \
        --exclude-sockets --exclude-device-files --exclude-fifos \
        --exclude '**/.cache'  --exclude "$TGT" \
        --include /usr/local   --include /etc  \
        --include /root        --include /home \
        --exclude '**'   /       "$TGT"
    
# Trim old backups from long ago
/usr/bin/rdiff-backup  --remove-older-than "$DAYS"  --force "$TGT"

Get the script

The backup tool isn't really THAT important, provided it meets most of the best practices for a backup tool. rdiff-backup is the tool I use.

The Checklist

If your backups meet those requirements, even most of them, then you are doing well. It is possible to find an all-in-one tool that meets most, but not all, of those important characteristics.

System Setup

Pre-Backup Tasks

Backup Tools

Backup Reporting

Backup Commands

Post-Backup Tasks

Restores

I prefer restores that don't require a special tool to accomplish. This explains my choice in backup tool. 90% of the time, you'll need to restore the most recent file(s) in the backup, so having easy access to those is a key goal for my backups.

Restore order matters.

Restore 1 File

To restore 1 file, find it in the backup target storage and copy it back to the primary storage. Simple.

Or (do it the hard way): Code:

 $  sudo rdiff-backup --restore-as-of (timespec) \
       {path-to-backup-file} {path-to-restore-location}

The timespec is very flexible. The rdiff-backup manpage has them all in TIME FORMATS section. A few examples:

• "now" (current backup)
• 3B ... means 3 Backups ago
• 34D (34 days ago)
• 2M (2 months ago, but "a month" is always 30 days)
• 1Y (1 yr ago)
• "YYYY/MM/DD", "YYYY-MM-DD", "MM/DD/YYYY", or "MM-DD-YYYY,"

Restore Directory Structure

To restore a directory structure, I'd use

Code:

  $ sudo rsync -avz {SRC} {DEST}

to restore it. Simple.

Or (do it the hard way), as shown for 1 file. Just have the {SRC} be the top-level directory to be restored.

Full Restore

Problems

Last Update: 2023-02-09