Eric Thank you - I have now run rdiff-backup for the first time using
rdiff-backup /home/martin /media/ext3backup/rdiff-backup having decided it would be best to create a mount point for the external drive (ext3backup) and always have it mounted using its UUID, and having created folder rdiff-backup on the drive. The backup ran but with some errors, all of this form, for example: ListError .evolution/tasks/local/system [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/home/martin/.evolution/tasks/local/system' and involving the backup of files associated with evolution or openoffice. Did these occur because, for example, I had evolution open at the time the backup was taking place? I don't necessarily feel the need to backup all of the hidden folders in my home directory, I would be content with my Documents and Pictures folders, my evolution e-mail & settings (although in this case I am unclear which files I need to include), tomboy notes, openoffice dictionary to which I have added words, and the only other file would be /etc/fstab I tried to include /etc/fstab originally, using rdiff-backup --include /etc/fstab --include /home/martin /media/ext3backup/rdiff-backup but this wouldn't run. I think there is something wrong with how I am using the include arguements? With thanks, Martin On Sun, 2007-12-16 at 21:11 -0500, Eric Jensen wrote: > Martin, > > This answer will be fairly schematic, but hopefully will be enough to > get you going. > > To do the backup, you'll want to run something like this, assuming / > home/user/ is your home directory: > > rdiff-backup --exclude /home/user/folder1 --exclude /home/user/ > folder2 /home/user /external_drive/ > > Here folder1 and folder2 are directories you don't want to backup - > repeat as necessary. > > Also, here /external_drive/ is the mount point for your external > drive; after you mount it, if you don't know where it is mounted in > the filesystem, try 'df' and look at the output to see the path to > your external drive. You may want to make a subdirectory on that > drive for your backup; if so, specify it on the command above. > > Run that command once from the command line to do the initial backup; > if it completes successfully, and your directory in /external_drive/ > looks like you want it, then you can set up the hourly backup. > > To do that, you'll use 'cron'. The file cron uses is called crontab, > and you edit it with 'crontab -e'. This should put you into an > editor, and you'll want to add the single line: > > 0 * * * * rdiff-backup --exclude /home/user/folder1 --exclude /home/ > user/folder2 /home/user /external_drive/ > > where the rdiff-backup command is exactly the one you used to do the > initial backup; rdiff-backup will run a full backup the first time > you do that command (from the command line as noted above), and then > make the incremental changes subsequent times you run it. Save the > file and exit the editor, and you should be set. Cron will run your > backup job every hour on the hour. (See 'man crontab' for more > details.) > > The backup directory will keep a current mirror of your home > directory (minus anything you exclude), so you could easily plug it > into another machine to do the restore. > > Hope this helps, > > Eric > > On Dec 16, 2007, at 8:11 AM, Martin Fisher wrote: > > > Hi All > > > > I am a new rdiff-backup user (Ubuntu 7.10) and I wish to use it in a > > relatively simple way: To backup/mirror most, but not all, of the > > folders in my home directory to a folder in an external usb drive, to > > have this run automatically on the hour every hour incrementally > > when my > > computer is switched on, and to be able to move the external drive > > to a > > new computer in the event of computer failure and do a restore. > > > > I have read around a little and obviously rdiff-backup can do this, > > and > > I have installed it, but I don't have a full understanding of how > > to get > > this going (my command line knowledge is very limited). As my > > requirement is relatively simple I'm sure that somebody is doing the > > same as me, or that this question has cropped up before. Does anybody > > have some step-by-step instructions that would help me setup my > > backup? > > I would prefer a graphical front end to manage this but if one does > > not > > exist I would be content to set it running from the command line. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > rdiff-backup-users mailing list at [email protected] > http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/rdiff-backup-users > Wiki URL: http://rdiff-backup.solutionsfirst.com.au/index.php/RdiffBackupWiki > � -- Dr Martin Fisher Editor, Oryx - The International Journal of Conservation Fauna & Flora International, 4th Floor, Jupiter House Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2JD, UK e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] tel +44 (0)20 81238513 skype martin_pescador Oryx online http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ORX Instructions for Contributors http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayMoreInfo?jid=ORX&type=ifc Online submissions http://www.epress.ac.uk/oryx/webforms/author.php Personal subscriptions http://www.fauna-flora.org/membership.php _______________________________________________ rdiff-backup-users mailing list at [email protected] http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/rdiff-backup-users Wiki URL: http://rdiff-backup.solutionsfirst.com.au/index.php/RdiffBackupWiki
