7. Backing Up and Restoring your Files

Resumo

This tool allows you to back up data present on your computer on different media and on a remote machine over the network. Once the parameters are set, you can run the backup periodically. Then, you can forget about it until you wish to restore some files.

The backup parameters must be defined so that the tool knows what, where and when to perform the backup. We will guide you step-by-step with a back up-and-restore example using the wizard. Then we will introduce you to automation of periodic backups.

7.1. A Practical Example Using the Wizard

You can access this tool by clicking on the Backups icon in Mandriva Linux Control Center's System section. Click on the Wizard Configuration button to start the wizard. After making your choices in each step click on Next.

7.1.1. First Step: What to Backup

Figura 16.13. Selecting What to Backup

Selecting What to Backup

Select Backup System to include the /etc directory where all your current system configuration files lie. This allows you to “transport” your system to a different computer with little effort: only hardware-dependent configuration will have to be revised.

[Nota]Nota

The “system” backup does not include applications themselves (i.e. executable files, libraries). A priori this makes sense because it is likely that you will have access to the system's installation media from which applications can be easily installed again on the target computer.

Select Backup Users to include all the files included in all of your users' /home directories. Clicking on the Select user manually button lets you select individual users and give you the following options:

  • Do not include the browser cache. Selecting this option is recommended due to the very nature of the ever-changing browser's cache.

  • Use Incremental/Differential Backups. Selecting this will preserve old backups. Choosing Use Incremental Backups will only save files which have been changed or added since the last backup operation. Choosing Use Differential Backups will only save files which have been changed or added since the first backup operation (also known as the “base” backup). This last option takes more space than the first one, but allows you to restore the system “as it was” at any given point in time for which a differential backup was made.

7.1.2. Second Step: Where to Store the Backup

Figura 16.14. Selecting Where to Store the Backup

Selecting Where to Store the Backup

All possible backup media are listed, along with a Configure button to change media-dependent options:

Hard Disk Drive

The local hard disk drive is used to prepare backups for all media except NFS and direct to tape. You should not perform backups on your local hard disk anyway, you should always backup on remote or removable media. You can set the directory for storage and the limit of storage space. You can also set how many days to keep incremental or differential backups in order to save disk space.

Across the Network

To store the backup on a remote computer accessible using different methods. You can set the connection parameters as well as the access method and its options (if applicable). Please note that NFS backups are considered to be local disk backups, even if they are effectively stored on a remote system.

On Tape

To store the backup on a tape drive. You can set the tape device if it's not detected automatically, and tape parameters such as writing directly on tape, whether or not to rewind, erase and eject the tape.

Optical Media (CD-R)

To store the backup on optical media: (re)writable CD or DVD. This is our preferred media for the example, so click on its Configure button to set the required parameters (see Figura 16.15, “Setting Optical Media Parameters”).

Figura 16.15. Setting Optical Media Parameters

Setting Optical Media Parameters

If it isn't done automatically, use the Choose your CD/DVD device combo box to set the CD/DVD device. Set the medium's type and size, multisession and erasing options.

For multisession recordings, please have in mind that the option to erase the medium is only effective for the 1st session and also that session-related information recording takes some space out (20 to 30 MB) for each session, so the “real data” storage space will actually be less than the medium's size.

7.1.3. Third Step: Review and Store the Configuration

Figura 16.16. Review Configuration Parameters

Review Configuration Parameters

The last wizard step shows a summary of the configuration parameters. Use the Previous button to change any parameter you are not satisfied with. Click on Save to store them. The backup set is now ready to be performed.

7.1.4. Performing the Backup

Click on Backup Now, make sure the corresponding media is ready (the recordable CDs in our example), and then on Backup Now from configuration file to perform the backup.

[Atenção]Atenção

If the backup set size exceeds the medium's available capacity, the backup operation might just fail. This is a known issue and it's being worked on. As a work-around, please try to remove files from the backup set so its size never exceeds the medium's available capacity.

A dialog will display the current progress of the operation. Please be patient: the time it takes to back up depends on many factors such as the size of the backup file set, the speed of the storage option selected, and so on. Once the operation is finished a report is shown: look for possible errors on it and take corrective measures if needed.

7.2. Restoring Backups

Figura 16.17. Choosing the Restore Type to Perform

Choosing the Restore Type to Perform

Make sure the media you want to restore the backup from is accessible and ready and click on the Restore button. In our example we will restore the whole backup so on the restore dialog (Figura 16.17, “Choosing the Restore Type to Perform”) click on Restore all backups and then on the Restore button to start the restoration process.

[Atenção]Atenção

Existing files in the target restoration directory (same location where the backup was made from, by default) will be overwritten.

Feel free to investigate the other restore options if you want to restore part of a backup instead of the full file set.

7.3. Automating Periodic Backups

In the tool's main window, click on Advanced Configuration and then on the When button. In The backup scheduling window (see Figura 16.18, “Daemon Options Window”) select Use daemon to define the schedule.

Figura 16.18. Daemon Options Window

Daemon Options Window

You are then asked to specify the interval (or period) between each backup operation and the storage media. In our example we set up a customized calendar (custom period selected) to perform a backup every Friday at a quarter to midnight and store it on CD.

7.4. Advanced Drakbackup Configuration

Click on Advanced Configuration and then on the More Options button to set more backup options (see Figura 16.19, “Miscellaneous Options Window”).

Figura 16.19. Miscellaneous Options Window

Miscellaneous Options Window

Use the Please choose the compression type pull down list to select the compression used for your backups among tar (no compression), tar.gz (gzip compression) and tar.bz2 (bzip2 compression: better but slower).

Select the Use .backupignore files option to have certain files excluded from the backup. The .backupignore file should be present in every directory of the backup file set where files are to be excluded. Its syntax is very easy: a one-file-per-line list of the names of the files to exclude.

[Dica]Dica

You can use the star (* = “matches any string”) and the question mark (? = “matches one and only one character, regardless of what that character is”) in the .backupignore file to exclude sets of files. For example, somename* matches all files whose names start with somename, and image00?.jpg matches files named image001.jpg, image009.jpg, image00a.jpg, image00h.jpg, etc.

Select the Send mail report after each backup to option and fill the e-mail address so the tool knows to whom to mail the backup operation report. Please bear in mind that the system needs to have a working MTA (Mail Transport Agent) for this option to be effective.

Select the Delete Hard Drive tar files after backup to other media option to free that space after performing the backup.