No, the previous inclusion of the VM wouldn't cause the later exclusion to be ignored, but it might take a while until it's moved away, due to the delta mechanism. Removing the file using rdiff-backup-delete might be a better option (but then it's completely gone).
On February 23, 2025 7:44:07 PM UTC, Eric Beversluis via Any discussion of rdiff-backup <rdiff-backup-users@nongnu.org> wrote: >Eric, sorry about replying privately. I don't know what made me think you had >replied to me privately. When I look now, I see it was addressed to the list. >Thanks for the suggestions re the command. > >Eric Beversluis >www.ericbeversluis.com >2x Honorable Mention--Writer's Digest Contest > > >On 2/23/25 12:51 PM, EricZolf wrote: >> Hi, >> >> again, please reply to the list and only to the list. >> >> On 23/02/2025 12:54, Eric Beversluis wrote: >>> HI Eric, >>> Maybe I edited too much out of the command to keep it brief. Here's the >>> complete command. It's the one I've been long using with the addition of >>> '--api-version 201' and '--exclude '/home/eric/VirtualBox VMs''. >>> >>> sudo rdiff-backup --api-version 201 backup --exclude '/home/eric/ >>> VirtualBox VMs' --include /home/eric --include /var/www --include /var/ >>> lib/mysql --include /usr/share/fonts --exclude '**' / /run/media/eric/ >>> ec90af29-6371-4399-9f2f-5eaf005af33e/XPS-2024-11-08 >>> >>> The 'VirtualBox VMs' directory has gotten too big, with the new VM in there >>> (that I created from scratch) and the files of the VM I was trying to >>> restore from rdiff-backup. And since VirtualBox didn't like what I restored >>> from rdiff-backup, I decided to leave that whole directory out of the >>> backup. >> >> You didn't say which version of rdiff-backup you're using, but the command >> line looks correct to me. >> You could do 2 things: >> >> 1. add `--verbosity 5` (or more) _before_ backup to list the f\iles >> backed-up and see which files are really listed. Without it, how do you know >> which files are backed up? >I knew it was backing up the \VirtualBox VMs directory when the backup was >taking way too long, and I took a look at what was being written to the backup >disk and the amount of space being used on the disk. At that point I aborted >the backup and have since regressed it to the Feb 18 backup. > >(Using rdiff-backup 2.2.6 on Fedora 40.) > >Since the previous backup included \VirtualBox VMs, would that cause >rdiff-backup to ignore the --exclude argument in the revised command? > >> 2. replace the space through a question mark in '/home/eric/VirtualBox?VMs'; >> it shouldn't be an issue but you never know. >> >> KR, Eric >> >>> >>> Thanks. >>> >>> Eric Beversluis >>> www.ericbeversluis.com >>> 2x Honorable Mention--Writer's Digest Contest >>> >>> >>> On 2/23/25 2:51 AM, EricZolf wrote: >>>> Hi, >>>> are you sure this is the right command? It should have source and target >>>> directory, but this one has only target. Which version of rdiff-backup are >>>> you using? >>>> KR, Eric (too) >>>> >>>> On February 23, 2025 5:13:15 AM UTC, Eric Beversluis via Any discussion of >>>> rdiff-backup <rdiff-backup-users@nongnu.org> wrote: >>>>> I'm trying to back up my home directory while excluding the / VirtualBox >>>>> VMs directory. I came up with this new command that, according to the >>>>> syntax instructions, should mean rdiff-backup would henceforth skip that >>>>> directory. >>>>> >>>>> rdiff-backup --api-version 201 backup --exclude >>>>> '/home/eric/VirtualBox VMs' --include /home/eric >>>>> --exclude '**' /run/media/eric/backup >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Yet, when I ran this command, it proceeded to backup the 'VirtualBox VMs' >>>>> folder. I thought I understood the syntax as saying that the -- exclude >>>>> Folder, coming before the --include /home/eric would take precedence and >>>>> leave Folder out of the /home/eric backup. >>>>> >>>>> What am I getting wrong here? >>> >> >> > >
