[AuckLUG] Backup

[Howard]

Alaric said on 12/06/08 12:17:
> Can anyone point me to a backup
> programme?  I tried the internet but all I could find were programmes
> for large networks or requiring more programming than I can do.  I run
> Mandriva 2008 courtesy of Linux Magazine. 

I'll mention
http://www.mondorescue.org/
again... ;)

Features:
- curses based (i.e a graphical interface of sorts) or command line
- backs up entire box onto a bootable set of disks if you like, or just 
partitions/files etc
- now well maintained (went through a while with poor maintenance)
- easy for one off backups with curses i/f or easy to script for regular 
backups using cron
- not really meant for simple backups (e.g. a copy of /home to a 
removeable drive)...

With mandrake command line enter:
urpmi mondo

Read the quickstart: 
http://www.mondorescue.org/docs/mondorescue-howto.html#QUICKSTART

All other docs here: http://www.mondorescue.org/docs.shtml

I backup a couple of servers to a remote machine as an .iso DVD set.  In 
the event of a failure I can burn the disks and rebuild the server from 
scratch with a set of bootable disks.

Other useful things mondo can do:
- Clone a linux install
- backup on one format (e.g. non-RAID) restore to a RAID set
- use it as a safe(r) way to restructure partitions
- backup linux/windows dual boot systems incl boot sectors


WRT the other thread here about backups, mondo excludes /sys & /proc by 
default, but includes everything else unless you tell it not to...

cheers
H