Package: backuppc
Version: 3.1.0-3
Severity: normal
(I'm basing my conclusions of how backuppc communicates with the rsync
server, based on my observations, so I might be misinterpreting things
badly here)
backuppc doesn't appear to make use of any of the smarts of the rsync
algorithm, such that when I'm backing up my mum's computer over her
ADSL line back to mine, using the rsync method, and the connection
dies, it has to start transferring her 650MB mailbox from scratch
again:
-rw-r----- 1 backuppc backuppc 275990254 Sep 5 14:45
/pcbackups/pc/denman/new/f%2fwindows/fDocuments and
Settings/fAdministrator/fApplication
Data/fThunderbird/fProfiles/f5a5c3e4f.default/fMail/fLocal Folders/fSent
It would be very nice if the backuppc client communicated as a regular
rsync client back to the rsync server, and didn't wipe the tree that
had already been partially trasferred. So when 400MB of a 600MB file
has been successfully transferred, only the delta gets transmitted the
next time. Yes, of course, this behaviour should be configurable so
machines on a fast local LAN with fast disks and slow CPUs could use
the whole-file method, but lots of backup patterns would benefit from
an analagous behaviour to rsync --inplace.
Furthermore, if it's not running the delta algorithm over an
interrupted backup, I'm guessing that a regular incremental backup run
involves the backuppc server transferring whole files corresponding to
those files that had changed compared to a previous version, and then
running the comparison against the pool to work out which files can be
linked. It would be an obvious extension on the above to simply take
a previous version of that file if it exists, determine whether a
delta ratio is sufficiently small (configurable - depending on the
ratio of disk to network speed), and then again use the rsync
--inplace algorithm. So a slowly growing 600MB email in/outbox
doesn't end up getting transferred in full each time, but just the
delta.
Yes, I am using the --checksum-seed=32761 option to rsync:
$Conf{RsyncArgs} = [
'--numeric-ids',
'--perms',
'--owner',
'--group',
'-D',
'--links',
'--hard-links',
'--times',
'--block-size=2048',
'--recursive',
'--one-file-system',
'--checksum-seed=32761'
];
-- System Information:
Debian Release: lenny/sid
APT prefers unstable
APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing'), (500, 'stable'), (1,
'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.26-1-686 (SMP w/1 CPU core)
Locale: LANG=en_AU.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_AU.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Versions of packages backuppc depends on:
ii adduser 3.110 add and remove users and groups
ii apache2-mpm-worker [httpd] 2.2.9-7 Apache HTTP Server - high speed th
ii bzip2 1.0.5-1 high-quality block-sorting file co
ii debconf [debconf-2.0] 1.5.23 Debian configuration management sy
ii dpkg 1.14.21 Debian package management system
ii libarchive-zip-perl 1.18-1 Module for manipulation of ZIP arc
ii libcompress-zlib-perl 2.012-1 Perl module for creation and manip
ii perl [libdigest-md5-perl] 5.10.0-13 Larry Wall's Practical Extraction
ii perl-suid 5.10.0-13 Runs setuid Perl scripts
ii samba-common 2:3.2.3-1 Samba common files used by both th
ii smbclient 2:3.2.3-1 a LanManager-like simple client fo
ii tar 1.20-1 GNU version of the tar archiving u
Versions of packages backuppc recommends:
ii exim4 4.69-6 metapackage to ease Exim MTA (v4)
ii exim4-daemon-light [mail-tra 4.69-6 lightweight Exim MTA (v4) daemon
ii libfile-rsyncp-perl 0.68-1.1+b1 A perl based implementation of an
ii openssh-client [ssh-client] 1:5.1p1-2 secure shell client, an rlogin/rsh
ii rrdtool 1.3.1-3 Time-series data storage and displ
ii rsync 3.0.3-2 fast remote file copy program (lik
Versions of packages backuppc suggests:
ii dillo [www-browser] 0.8.6-3 Small and fast web browser
ii elinks [www-browser] 0.11.4-2 advanced text-mode WWW browser
ii elvis [www-browser] 2.2.0-10 powerful clone of the vi/ex text e
ii iceweasel [www-browse 3.0.1-1 lightweight web browser based on M
ii links [www-browser] 2.1pre37-1.1 Web browser running in text mode
ii links2 [www-browser] 2.1pre37-1.1 Web browser running in both graphi
ii lynx-cur [www-browser 2.8.7dev9-1.2 Text-mode WWW Browser with NLS sup
ii opera [www-browser] 9.52.2091.gcc4.qt3 The Opera Web Browser
ii par2 0.4-10 Parity Archive Volume Set, for che
ii xemacs21-mule [www-br 21.4.21-4 highly customizable text editor --
-- debconf information:
backuppc/restart-webserver: true
* backuppc/configuration-note:
* backuppc/reconfigure-webserver: apache2
--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
