Hi All;
I'm awaiting a new linux laptop that will be my primary work machine. I want to implement a strategy that allows me as easily as possible to revert back to a former state. My primary concern is a scenario where I apply system updates and it breaks something that for me is critical.
I wonder if a simple rsync script would work. If so, here's what I'm thinking:
1) updates are available so I execute the rsync script which pulls any updated files from my laptop to a backup server/drive
2) apply updates
3) if something breaks (even if I can no longer login) I boot the laptop, run the rsync script in the opposite direction (push files from the backup drive to the laptop)
I assume that if I were to execute step 3 above that my system would be in the exact state that it was before I ran the updates. Is this a correct assumption ? Are there better approaches ?
Thanks in advance..
On Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:26:34 -0700 Kevin Kempter kevin@kevinkempterllc.com wrote:
I'm awaiting a new linux laptop that will be my primary work machine. I want to implement a strategy that allows me as easily as possible to revert back to a former state. My primary concern is a scenario where I apply system updates and it breaks something that for me is critical.
Have you looked at this? (I've never used it myself, yet, but it looks interesting.)
Frank Cox wrote:
On Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:26:34 -0700 Kevin Kempter kevin@kevinkempterllc.com wrote:
I'm awaiting a new linux laptop that will be my primary work machine. I want to implement a strategy that allows me as easily as possible to revert back to a former state. My primary concern is a scenario where I apply system updates and it breaks something that for me is critical.
Have you looked at this? (I've never used it myself, yet, but it looks interesting.)
Clonezilla-live would be good for this if you have space on a networked machine to hold a compressed disk image.
http://clonezilla.org/clonezilla-live/
hi les/guys...
assume you had/have a usb/external drive that was connected to the laptop. assume that it was also the same size (2.5") as the laptop drive... couldn't you set up a process to do a complete rsync/backup every x hours.... of everything on the drive in use.
this would give a complete, always available backup that would always be right at your arms ready!!!
ok.. so what would be needed to accomplish this!!
thanks!
-----Original Message----- From: fedora-list-bounces@redhat.com [mailto:fedora-list-bounces@redhat.com]On Behalf Of Les Mikesell Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 2:36 PM To: Community assistance, encouragement,and advice for using Fedora. Subject: Re: Linux backup help
Frank Cox wrote:
On Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:26:34 -0700 Kevin Kempter kevin@kevinkempterllc.com wrote:
I'm awaiting a new linux laptop that will be my primary work machine. I
want
to implement a strategy that allows me as easily as possible to revert
back
to a former state. My primary concern is a scenario where I apply system updates and it breaks something that for me is critical.
Have you looked at this? (I've never used it myself, yet, but it looks interesting.)
Clonezilla-live would be good for this if you have space on a networked machine to hold a compressed disk image.
http://clonezilla.org/clonezilla-live/
-- Les Mikesell lesmikesell@gmail.com
-- fedora-list mailing list fedora-list@redhat.com To unsubscribe: https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicate/MailingListGuidelines
bruce wrote:
hi les/guys...
assume you had/have a usb/external drive that was connected to the laptop. assume that it was also the same size (2.5") as the laptop drive... couldn't you set up a process to do a complete rsync/backup every x hours.... of everything on the drive in use.
Well, yes, but one of the reasons you make backups is to cover the case where you meant to type 'rm -rf something*' when you are in the root directory and accidentally type 'rm -rf something *' instead. Or a software bug that does something like that.
this would give a complete, always available backup that would always be right at your arms ready!!!
Yes - but it would be even better if you rotated 2 such disks - or ran over the network to another box.
ok.. so what would be needed to accomplish this!!
You can either do the obvious script that rsync's each partition and let cron run it, or look up one of the packages that keeps some history, like rdiff-backup.
exactly my thought!!!
and given that usb/laptop drives are cheap... i can always keep one by my side, and rotate it with the working drive in the box...
should work ok...
-----Original Message----- From: fedora-list-bounces@redhat.com [mailto:fedora-list-bounces@redhat.com]On Behalf Of Les Mikesell Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 3:28 PM To: Community assistance, encouragement,and advice for using Fedora. Subject: Re: Linux backup help
bruce wrote:
hi les/guys...
assume you had/have a usb/external drive that was connected to the laptop. assume that it was also the same size (2.5") as the laptop drive...
couldn't
you set up a process to do a complete rsync/backup every x hours.... of everything on the drive in use.
Well, yes, but one of the reasons you make backups is to cover the case where you meant to type 'rm -rf something*' when you are in the root directory and accidentally type 'rm -rf something *' instead. Or a software bug that does something like that.
this would give a complete, always available backup that would always be right at your arms ready!!!
Yes - but it would be even better if you rotated 2 such disks - or ran over the network to another box.
ok.. so what would be needed to accomplish this!!
You can either do the obvious script that rsync's each partition and let cron run it, or look up one of the packages that keeps some history, like rdiff-backup.
-- Les Mikesell lesmikesell@gmail.com
-- fedora-list mailing list fedora-list@redhat.com To unsubscribe: https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicate/MailingListGuidelines
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1
bruce wrote:
and given that usb/laptop drives are cheap... i can always keep one by my side, and rotate it with the working drive in the box...
should work ok...
unless you;
bruce wrote:
Well, yes, but one of the reasons you make backups is to cover the case where you meant to type 'rm -rf something*' when you are in the root directory and accidentally type 'rm -rf something *' instead. Or a software bug that does something like that.
which would take out usb drive
Yes - but it would be even better if you rotated 2 such disks - or ran over the network to another box.
which will cover you up to time that drive was rotated out.
- -- peace out.
tc,hago.
g .
in a free world without fences, who needs gates.
learn linux: 'Rute User's Tutorial and Exposition' http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz 'The Linux Documentation Project' http://www.tldp.org/ 'LDP HOWTO-index' http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/index.html 'HowtoForge' http://howtoforge.com/
Kevin Kempter kevin@kevinkempterllc.com writes:
Hi All;
I'm awaiting a new linux laptop that will be my primary work machine. I want to implement a strategy that allows me as easily as possible to revert back to a former state. My primary concern is a scenario where I apply system updates and it breaks something that for me is critical.
I wonder if a simple rsync script would work. If so, here's what I'm thinking:
- updates are available so I execute the rsync script which pulls any updated
files from my laptop to a backup server/drive
apply updates
if something breaks (even if I can no longer login) I boot the laptop, run
the rsync script in the opposite direction (push files from the backup drive to the laptop)
I assume that if I were to execute step 3 above that my system would be in the exact state that it was before I ran the updates. Is this a correct assumption ? Are there better approaches ?
Thanks in advance..
Look at rsnapshot, which is rsync based and enables hourly, daily, weekly and monthly rotating backups.
This is what I used on my laptop, to an external USB HD. It provides an OSX Time Machine like schema, albeit without the fancy GUI.
HTH,
Marc Schwartz