OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical > Utilities

Backup solutions

<< < (2/2)

Doug Bissett:
I ZIP whole drives, then RSYNC those ZIP files to other places (NAS, USB). A typical ZIP command is:

--- Code: ---if exist CDRIVE.ZIP DEL CDRIVE.ZIP
zip.exe -9yrS CDRIVE.ZIP C:\* -x@exclude.list 2>&1 | tee.exe CDRIVE.LOG
--- End code ---
The file exclude.list contains a list of files that I don't need to back up. The ZIP file, and the log file, go into the current (Working) directory.

Andi B.:
LuckyBackup (frontend for rsync) for syncing to other backup drives. Sometimes I even use the 'keep the last xx changed file versions' LuckyBackup offers.

RAR for daily backup of changed files. With RAR there is no problem with >2GB files and I can split the backup files to <2GB chunks. I've packed the parameters in a .cmd (including attrib -a -s) and use the "Terminplaner" properties tab (Scheduler? don't know how it is called in EN versions). Think this comes with Rich Drag Text package. 

ZIP usually for backing up the boot partitions. ZIP is way faster than RAR and my boot partitions are always <2GB.

Edit: Here is a sample rar command line which creates a backup file of changed files named with the current date and excluding some unnecessary files

--- Code: ---REM -ac clear achive bit
REM -ag Generate archive name using the current date
REM -ao Add files with Archive attribute set

mode 80,100

o:
cd \Mufasa\TäglichesBackup
rar a -r -ao -ac -m1 -v2000m -ag+YYYYMMDD-NN -x\delete\* -xE:\Seamonkey\Andreas2\mozilla-media-cache\* -xE:\Mozilla\Andreas\dtadmfoc.slt\Cache\* -xE:\Seamonkey\Andreas\zddd4y2q.slt\OfflineCache\* -xE:\Mozilla\Andreas\dtadmfoc.slt\Cache.Trash\* -xE:\Seamonkey\Andreas\zddd4y2q.slt\startupCache\* _E_AutoBak e:\* 2>AutoBackup_E_error.log 1>AutoBackup_E.log

--- End code ---

Doug Bissett:
ZIP does files greater than 2 GB (in and out), as long as you use the ZIP/UNZIP supplied by RPM/YUM (my biggest ZIP backup file is 27 GB). I did try RAR, years ago, and found that ZIP is more user friendly (and does get updated occasionally). It is important to use the "y" parameter, so it handles symlinks properly, and the "S" parameter for hidden, and system, files. No "special" handling is required for either boot drives (even when you are booted from them), or data drives. The same command does work properly. You can also split it into more than one file, if you want to (the -s <size> parameter). I use the RAMDISK as a temporary storage place, while it is ZIPing, if there is enough room (the -b <temp location> parameter). That eliminates a lot of seek time. It still needs to copy the final result to the final location, but it is faster overall (especially when using spinning disks, but even with a SSD, it is a little faster - NVME can be a little faster than a RAMDISK). I do multiple ZIPs, at the same time (up to 6 of them). Some planning is required, for that to work with minimal interference, but it is always faster than doing them individually.

To restore a drive, or just individual files, I use the Arca Noae Archive Tool (it is also called ZIPPY, I think). For a full drive restore, I format it first, but the tool offers various ways to do a restore, while keeping existing files. I have done restore many times (even for multiple drives, at the same time, and usually not for a failure), with no problems. You still need to manage your backups, and you will still have problems if bad files get into your backups (with no other, older, backup to recover them from), but that has nothing to do with using ZIP as a backup tool.

I gave up trying to manage incremental, and differential, backups. It is always a case of "get it done now", and trying to figure out what needs to be restored, from multiple files, takes a lot longer than just doing a full restore. Of course, I also have a nightly backup (scheduled by the Drag Text Schedule feature), using RSync, where I can recover files that were changed after the full ZIP backup was done. UNZIP can be done using the ArcaOS installer System Management tools, if you don't have another operational (or partly operational) boot system.

Mo:
There has been a discussion for another rsync based solution. Unfortunately the links in the postings seem to be broken.

https://www.os2world.com/forum/index.php?topic=1119.0

Bests

 

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page

Go to full version