New version! The development version now replaces the old main version.
Little Backup Box was originally programmed in bash. As the variety of functions increased, this programming language became increasingly unwieldy and the code became more error-prone. Therefore, all core files have now been reprogrammed in python3.
This now allows more flexible handling of source and target data carriers. The new option of automatically backing up several cameras or data carriers one after the other was also created.
The development version has been thoroughly tested. It fixes some security issues and malfunctions in the old version and can therefore be considered at least as stable as its predecessor.
Thanks for the help with debugging and thanks for future support!
Little Backup Box in its 3D printed case
This software turns a single-board computer into a versatile, pocket-sized backup solution.
Especially for digital photography, this is the solution for backing up images and media files on mass storage devices when traveling or at events.
Backups can be made directly from many cameras and smartphones. Of course, USB storages (card reader) can also serve as a source.
Your valuable data can be backed up on cloud storage from numerous providers - even with VPN protection if necessary.
Media content can be viewed and rated for the subsequent process.
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Jump to installation instructions
- 2023/09/17: When backing up from cameras, all connected cameras are backed up. This is restricted to the use of different models! Test carefully! Some smartphones use the same technical identifier even though the model is different. In this case, only one of these devices would be backed up!
- 2023/09/16: View image viewer: Support for tif images added
- 2023/09/16: When backing up from USB, all connected USB partitions (except those of the target drive) are backed up.
- 2023/08/24: Little Backup Box core files are nearly totally rewritten to python. This is a major step and the new version might be not stable yet but final tests have been very successfully. In installation instructions you find how to get this version. Please test and report. Thank you!
- 2023/05/15: There is a printable case now! Look at outdoorbits/case-for-little-backup-box
- 2023/04/14: Introducing support for hardware buttons including a display-menu to control a wide range of lbb's functions. Read more in the Wiki.
- 2023/04/01: Add support for Apple file systems HFS and HFS Plus. Supported file systems now are Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, FAT, vFAT, exFAT, NTFS, HFS and HFS Plus.
- 2023/02/28: Add support for multiple displays, I2C and SPI
- 2023/02/24: Add VPN support for WireGuard and OpenVPN
- 2023/02/15: Remove miniDLNA due to security concerns
- 2023/02/15: Settings: Use global password as WiFi-password in comitup-hotspot-mode
- 2022/12/12: View got magnifying glass-function. This allows quick ratings with improved evidence.
- 2022/12/03: Rating function supports writing of EXIF-data into media-files. This allows to use the ratings in further processing (e.g. in darktable).
- 2022/11/19: Image-viewer "View" now can handle videos and audios!
- 2022/11/14: Image-viewer "View" got a rating function. Images having one star only can be deleted.
- 2022/11/08: Image-viewer mejiro is replaced by a integrated solution offering much faster options to find images.
- 2022/10/14: Add f3probe to tools to test external storages integrity before use.
- 2022/10/09: Rework of the progress-monitoring to save traffic and increase speed.
- 2022/10/03: If checked in settings, thumbnails will be generated after backup.
- 2022/10/03: If checked in settings, the LCD display will be turned off before shutdown.
- 2022/10/01: The Wifi country code can now be set in the settings.
- 2022/09/24: A disk formatting function has been added to the tools.
- 2022/04/03: A secondary default backup mode has been added. This allows you to configure a automatically starting network backup after a local backup.
- 2022/01/16: The Wiki explains now, how to connect a LCD-display.
- 2022/01/12: Camera-backup: Paths to backup can be configured for each device.
- 2022/01/08: Add option to backup only specific directories from cameras or smartphones.
- 2022/01/08: Uploads to the box can be done by the filemanager now.
- 2021/12/31: Add language support for display-messages*1
- 2021/12-27: Add power-off after idle time. Configuration in "Settings".
- 2021/12/21: Add language support to the web-UI for French, Spanisch and German*1
- 2021/12/13: There is a menue based update-function.
- 2021/12/18: Select color-themes and background-images. Design is more colorful now to make orientation easier.
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The display while a backup from camera to usb and from usb to rsync-server. |
... a lot of stuff! Please let me know about problems.
Caution: The translations were carried out by machine and could cause unpleasant feelings in native speakers. Help is particularly welcome here. Technically, working on the language files is extremely easy. Would you help?
The web UI
The web UI on a smartphone. Full function in pocket-size. Little Backup Box is still under construction.
Please test your Installation carefully before productive use!
Little Backup Box has undergone massive development over the past few months. At the moment, no further major innovations are planned. Instead, the focus should now be on finding and correcting any errors and making the system even more reliable.
Hence the request: Test, test, test!
Please give feedback on problems or translation errors but also on the successful use, if possible with details of your equipment.
As there is no manual available anymore, the github-wiki should replace it one day: https://github.com/outdoorbits/little-backup-box/wiki. It's not particularly detailed yet, but it can certainly help with the most common questions.
- Create a bootable SD card with Raspberry Pi OS (Legacy) Lite (version 11, bullseye) for use with Little Backup Box.
An easy way is to use Raspberry Pi Imager. Please select "Raspberry Pi OS (other)" > "Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32-bit)" or "Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)".
In Raspberry Pi Imager you can define options for your image. Shift+Ctrl+x opens the options-dialog. Here you can ...- enable ssh
- change the password for user pi (standard password is "raspberry")
- define wifi settings
- If you couldn't activate ssh in the previous step, just add an empty (text-)file "ssh" to the new boot-partition to enable ssh.
- Do not change any more settings (language!).
- Make sure that your Raspberry Pi is connected to the internet.
- login to your Raspberry Pi. If you are using ssh, there is a report about problems using WINSCP. While WINSCP itself uses putty, it's reported to work with native putty.
-
Run the following command on the Raspberry Pi:
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/outdoorbits/little-backup-box/main/install-little-backup-box.sh | bash -s -- main 2> install-error.log
Errors are reported into ./install-error.log. -
You will be asked for the default backup mode.
This is the action started automatically after boot. -
You will be asked if you want to install comitup.
The comitup service establishes wifi connectivity for a headless Linux system, using wifi as the only access mechanism to the system. Access the box by its own wifi hotspot or connect it to a local wifi access point. -
Don't worry: Please note this in case you installed via wifi/ssh and decided to install comitup. If your installation-screen scrolls down and seems to freeze at something like Setting up python3-networkmanager (2.2-1) ..., this doesn't mean anything went wrong. Comitup is installed at the end of the process and when it's comming up, it changes your wifi-network. Your ssh-session is broken and you will not get any more information. In the background the installation finishes and a few seconds later the pi reboots. What you can't see anymore is a short information, how to access Little Backup Box. In your setting, this would be the information you need:
******************************************************************************************
*** How to proceed:
***
*** Your raspberrys wifi-configuration has been removed by comitup now. Because comitup has no
*** access-data for your wifi yet, it can't connect to it and will start as a wifi-hotspot:
*** ssid=little-backup-box-nnnn (nnnn is a random number).
***
*** Please connect your mobile or notebook to this wifi.
***
*** There are two options now:
***
*** 1. If you want to configure comitup now, navigate to http://10.41.0.1 (http, not https!)
*** and connect your lbb to your wifi.
*** Connect your mobile or notbook to the same wifi. If you use a display on your lbb, it will
*** tell you its new IP. Connect to lbb:
*** https://IP.IN.YOUR.WIFI (secure, certificate can't be verified automatically, please confirm it)
*** http://IP.IN.YOUR.WIFI:8000 (insecure)
***
*** 2. Alternatively can reach the web UI of Little Backup Box when you are connected to its
*** hotspot as follows:
***
*** https://10.41.0.1 (secure, certificate can't be verified automatically, please confirm it)
*** http://10.41.0.1:8000 (insecure)
***
*** Please use the settings of the web UI to optimally adapt the Little Backup Box for you.
***
*** If you have further questions, please check the wiki first:
*** https://github.com/outdoorbits/little-backup-box/wiki
***
*** We are always happy to receive your feedback!
******************************************************************************************
Have fun!
- Updates can be carried out quickly and easily via the WebUI. Just follow the instructions in the wiki.
- Alternatively just login via ssh and execute the installation-command from above. It will run in update-mode.
- If you've found a bug or have suggestions for improvements, open an issue in the Issues section.
- If you could spend a bit of time and add a new language - great, just tell me, it's easy!
- To add new features or fix issues yourself, follow the following steps.
- Open an issue to discuss your idea.
- Fork the project's repository.
- Create a feature branch using the
git checkout -b new-feature
command. - Add your new feature or fix bugs and run the
git commit -am 'Add a new feature'
command to commit changes. - Push changes using the
git push origin new-feature
command. - Submit a pull request (in your fork at github.com).
- Dmitri Popov
- Kerry Staite (STL files)
- munecito (corrections of the Spanish translation)