Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2018 12:28:32 -0600 From: Paul Schmehl <pschmehl_lists@tx.rr.com> To: Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de> Cc: FreeBSD Questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Advice on backups Message-ID: <EF539AF0572550873786172C@Pauls-MacBook-Pro.local> In-Reply-To: <20181206025602.8843eb11.freebsd@edvax.de> References: <BE8953A062425223C2B04E31@Pauls-MacBook-Pro.local> <20181206025602.8843eb11.freebsd@edvax.de>
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--On December 6, 2018 at 2:56:02 AM +0100 Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de> wrote: > On Wed, 05 Dec 2018 16:29:28 -0600, Paul Schmehl wrote: >> So, I setup some scripts to create gzipped tarballs and transfer those >> to my Dropbox account. (I have plenty of space there.) I run the >> scripts daily, and the files are named with the date of the backup >> (e.g. 120518.websites.tgz) >> [...] >> I've also created a backup directory in my home directory where I put >> copies of all the scripts I run, plus a text file of crontab and a few >> other things. I then zipped that and copied it to Dropbox as well. I >> don't have a script for it, because those things don't change that >> often. > > A little suggestion that originates from ye olden times > when CVS was common: > > Create a repository for your configuration files, use > directory structures and "common" for the individual > hosts. Keep track of changes you might appy. Make > backups of the CVS directory tree, typically as a > (compressed) tarball. With this method, you can > quickly access any host's configuration from any > (revision) date you need, and CVS commit messages > might help you find what you need, e. g., the reason > why you changed something. And if you deleted your > working copy accidentally, it's no problem to check > out a new instance from the CVS repository. > > Today, people of course use Subversion or probably > Git, on GitHub... ;-) > > > >> Am I missing anything important? I tested untarring one of the tarballs >> into my home directory, and if I understand it correctly, I would need >> to untar these in / if I ever need to restore anything. > > Make sure tar archives restore _all_ file and directory > properties as they are present in the source. The advantage > of a tar archive is that you can also obtain _selected_ > parts from the archive, if you don't need the whole one. > > For an exact 1:1 copy of filesystem content, I still > suggest using dump + restore. Those can also be used > comfortably via SSH. It is neccessary to pay attention > to dumping from live filesystems, i. e, those which are > in a r/w state (and not r/o or unmounted). See "man dump" > and "man restore" for details. :-) Thanks for your suggestions. I use CVS on all conf files, so those are captured in the tarballs since they reside under the conf directories. I'll take a look at dump and restore. One concern I have is that I'm creating the backups on the system, so use of space during the process is a consideration. Paul Schmehl, Retired As if it wasn't already obvious, my opinions are my own and not those of my employer. ******************************************* "It is as useless to argue with those who have renounced the use of reason as to administer medication to the dead." Thomas Jefferson "There are some ideas so wrong that only a very intelligent person could believe in them." George Orwell
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