linuxmint/mintbackup

mintbackup and backup policy

Opened this issue · 1 comments

MikeNavy commented

Hi,

  1. Mintbackup is a simple backup but suffers of a great defect: it is not a differential backup; it is well adapted to users with a small size home, but not adapted to users with a large size home; as an example, my home has a size of 260 GB; a backup of my home with mintbackup would take hours.
    Suggestion: change mintbackup to a differential backup (1st use: all the files are backed; next uses: only the files that have changed are backed). See an example of such a program with FreeFileSync, https://freefilesync.org/.
  2. Backup policy is not clearly defined and explained in Linux Mint:
  • Timeshift can make system snapshots, is a differential tool; it could also make user home files snapshots. It can be used to recover system crashes in most of cases, but not in all cases.
  • Mintbackup is presented as a user home backup; it could also make system files backup, though it does not backup hidden or empty directories (cache and config directories are not copied).
  • There is no system backup tool such as Foxclone or Clonezilla.
  • The default installation of Linux Mint creates one partition only for '/' and '/home', hampering system backup (as an example, my '/' + '/home' has a size of 272 GB; I can make system backup because '/' and '/home' are in two separate partitions, and the backup of my 12 GB'/' takes a few minutes only).
    Suggestion:
  • Change the default installation to separate '/' and '/home' partitions.
  • Add a system backup tool, such as Foxclone, https://www.foxclone.com/, available when running LinuxMint as a live session from DVD or USB key.
  • Make changes to mintbackup (differential backup, backup of all files and directories in user home) or replace it with a tool such as FreeFileSync.
  • Explain the backup policy:
    a) make a periodic global system backup ('/' partition) on an external disk, using the DVD or USB key in live session, making the backup on an external disk; periodicity: few (2 to 4) weeks.
    b) make a periodic differential system snapshot with Timeshift, from an installed session, making the snapshot on an external disk; periodicity: 2 or 3 days, or at each major change (kernel...); user keeps the two latest snapshots.
    c) make a periodic differential user home backup, from an installed session, making the backup on an external disk: periodicity: 2 or 3 days, or after each new important document / video / photos sets etc.
  • Explain the restore policy:
    a) after a system problem, attempt to restore system with Timeshift, if it can be launched; if it works: OK stop; if not, see below.
    b) after a system crash, or if Timeshift does not succeed in restoring system, boot on live DVD or live USB key and restore the system with the backup / restore tool (Foxclone, Clonezilla...). Then update the system with Timeshift using the latest working system snapshot.
    c) restore user home with the differential tool or with the file manager

NB: Why backups on an external disk? in case of physical crash of system HDD or SSD backup will still be available.

  1. Latest suggestion: add some repair tools on Mint Live session (partition making / repair / resizing; GRUB repair; boot sector repair...). The Mint install DVD or USB key would so become also a backup and repair tool.
    Regards,
    MN
mexsudo commented