Problem: You have all your data in ubuntu in ext3 file format. Using standard rsync tools do not work effectively because permissions of files/folders cannot be carried over to ntfs systems. Also ntfs systems have various "glitches" that cause backing up an ext3 system a problem. I have managed to find the ideal solution to backup:
a) COMPLETE hard drive to NTFS
b) COMPLETE hard drive (minus massive music folder) to EXT3
c) Essential documents to NTFS (pendrive)
For this tutorial I will show you the essential elements of backing up for a)
Rsync basically can check the destination data and see if any changes have been made in the source data so that ONLY the source data that has been changed is updated. VERY useful.
BackUp all folders to external NTFS Hard Drive.
For the purposes of this tutorial I assume the following:
1. User name: bob (so home folder is /home/bob/)
2. External hard drive is mounted at: /media/harddrive/
So, first of all its always a good idea to create a folder inside of your external hard drive before backing up:
Code:
mkdir /media/harddrive/backup
So, now we are going to be making the backup bash script. I prefer making a script as the command is quite long. First we need to make a folder to store the script in (so it is easier to access).
Then we must create the bash script:
Code:
cd bash
gedit backupBIG.sh
I call it backupBIG.sh so as to differentiate it from another backup for c)
In this text file put the following in:
Code:
#!/bin/bash
sudo rsync -rltDvu --modify-window=1 --progress --delete --delete-excluded --exclude-from=/home/bob/Bash/BackupBigExclude.txt / /media/harddrive/backup
Explanation of commands:
rsync:this is the program used to sync the data. Rsync basically can check the destination data and see if any changes have been made in the source data so that ONLY the source data that has been changed is updated. VERY useful.
-r: copies directories recursively
-l: copies symlinks as symlinks
-t: preserves modification times
-D: preserves device and special files
-v: shows output (verbose)
-u: skips files that are newer at the destination
--modify-window=1: this is ESSENTIAL. Basically in windows filesystems time is kept in even numbers (or some such problem). This command tells rsync to ignore filechanges that are only 1 second in difference from the original. It is almost impossible that you will create a file, sync it, and in ONE second make a change and want to sync it again. So it is safe to use this option and it means that rsync will not back up everything every time simply because of a one second change.
--progress: simply shows the progress
--delete: this is important. Basically rsync syncs files that have been changed. But what if you delete a file from the source directory? This command deletes it from your backed up hard drive as well.
--delete-excluded: this deletes folder/files that you have specifically excluded.
--exclude-from=/home/bob/Bash/BackupBigExclude.txt: this is the other crucial command. This basically tells rsync to exclude the files/folders found in the list BackupBigExlude.txt. To create this list do the following:
Code:
gedit /home/bob/Bash/BackupBigExclude.txt
Now in the text editor it is ENTIRELY upto you what you want to exlcude.
This is my list:
Code:
/home/bob/MyDownloads
/home/bob/.VirtualBox
/lost+found
/media
/mnt
/proc
/sys
/tmp
Since I am backing up from my root directory, I am not backing up the transient or temporary folders (/media, /mnt, /proc, /tmp, /sys, /lost+found). I am not backing up my /MyDownloads directory as I download a lot of files/data some of which I do not want to backup. and I am not backing up my .VirtualbBox directory as its a massive 2gb file that will update every time I log into VB, a waste of time/resources.
Here are some other hints/tips for the exclude command file:
1. To exclude hidden directories (all the directories that start with .) do: /home/bob/.*/
2. To exclude hidden files (all the files that start with .) do: /home/bob/.*
3. If you are only backing up from your home directory (that is, /home/bob/) and NOT as we are backing up here from the root directory (that is, /), the exclude command files must start from the /home/bob/. So for example to exclude the MyDownloads folder you would simply put this in the exclude file: MyDownloads. (WITHOUT the complete link /home/bob/MyDownloads). This is complicated but if you need further assistance please comment.
I am no expert with the exclude command but these settings worked to exclude those files for me.
locations: finally the / and /media/harddrive/backup tells the script where to backup from (/) and where to backup to.
There are numerous other settings/commands you can use, including compression, etc. My method is simply to have a place where I can access all my data with minimal hassle (I find uncompressing a hassle, especially if I have enough space for full data backup).
Suffice to say these commands are quite technical, but they all work for me. Notice nowhere here do I tell it to preserve permissions as these will not work if you are copying to an ntfs system.
For more information on rsync commands see http://www.samba.org/ftp/rsync/rsync.html.
Save the files.
Now open a terminal and type the following:
Code:
cd /home/bob/Bash
sh BackupBig.sh
This should run the backup, it may take a long time depending on how much data you have.
NB: Make sure you take care when changing any settings. If you are unsure please ask. In fact don't even change the location without first confirming.
For example, You want to backup /home/bob/ to backup /media/harddrive/ and you have lets say data x.txt, y.txt, z.txt on /media/harddrive/. If you do not create a separate folder all data on /media/harddrive will be erased. SO BE CAREFUL!
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Originally Posted by sanus|art
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