Backup with Grsync

[Ocky]

It's a front-end for the command line tool rsync and makes
backing up very easy and convenient for recent linux converts
like me. You can backup to another hard drive, a partition or
to removable media. I have chosen to backup to my /backup
partition. I made a folder named Grsync backups.
For directories that one wants to exclude from backup, you can
simply create a text file called for eg. 'exclude' in ~/.grsync
(Select 'Show Hidden Files' from the menu to see it), and type in the
directories to be excluded.
For example:-
.rnd
.dbus
.VirtualBox
Videos
Music

Then save the file. In the 'Additional Options' field under the
'Advanced Options' tab of Grsync enter:-
--exclude-from=".grsync/exclude" in order for the exclude file
created earlier to be referenced by Grsync.
The other options are sort of self-explanatory, although I must
admit never having bothered with the 'Extra Options' tab.
The 'Basic Options' tab is the important one. My gif shows the
boxes I have ticked.
When ready run a simulation backup and if all's OK run the actual
backup. Grsync is in Ubuntu's Synaptic - make sure you install
rsync as well-it is needed by Grsync.

All this can of course be found by a bit of googling, but I thought
I'd put it in a nutshell.

[Mrkvonic]

You're on the right path
Mrk

[tlu]

Alternatively just enter

rsync -avP /target_directory /destination_directory

This includes hidden files and maintaines permissions

[Pedro]

Nice touch Ocky
I usually look for what the program does to the backups though, like what directory structure, what does it do with old deleted files, changed files, same files.

For instance, rsync can create directories with the date of the backup as its name, and it's structure is the same as what you're backing up (mirror). It saves space by creating hardlinks, so that the same file across snapshots isn't duplicated. It's easy to retrieve files from whatever snapshot, using a file browser. However if a file is changed, the new version is backed up, keeping the old one on the previous snapshots, saving no space. This may or may not be a big deal depending on usage.
rdiff-backup creates a mirror for the latest backup, but previous snapshots are kept as "deltas" (the reverse of what you'd expect from a differential backup), which contain information for rdiff-backup to rebuild the old file. This saves data, at the cost of a little more complexity, since you can't browse the old snapshots easily with a file browser, only with special tools or rdiff-backup itself.
Then there's rsync GUI's galore. Tools such as Back In Time or Flyback, modeled after Apple's Time Machine (like Ubuntu's TimeVault - unrelated to rsync i think). No nice ones for rdiff-backup though.
And there's storebackup too, but i don't know that much about it.

Anyway, i just think the most important information for me, regarding backup tools, is what happens to the data, what file structure, how can i browse it and retrieve files / restore backups.

A few interesting links in my huge bookmarks list..

http://www.backupcentral.com/compone...p/Rdiff-backup
(expains how rdiff-backup works comparing it to rsync)
[Backup] Integrate an easy backup tool
(thread from KDE's forum. They discuss and compare quit a few programs, while aiming for an idea for a KDE backup program)

[GlobalForce]

Like many other power-apps, and with familiarity, not difficult to employ from a shell.

[Ocky]

Originally Posted by GlobalForce

Like many other power-apps, and with familiarity, not difficult to employ from a shell.

Thanks - I like the xargs command.

Originally Posted by Pedro

http://www.backupcentral.com/compone...p/Rdiff-backup
(expains how rdiff-backup works comparing it to rsync)
[Backup] Integrate an easy backup tool
(thread from KDE's forum. They discuss and compare quit a few programs, while aiming for an idea for a KDE backup program)

Will have a look at those - thanks for the links.