How should I backup my system?

[francis129]

I like to tinker around with my Linux Mint to set it up just right. I changed the fonts, the Cinnamon bar, changed a couple settings here and there that have to do with the general behavior of the OS, etc.

I have this lingering sense of fear that all of that customization can be easily lost. For me, this loss of data can be due to two types of incidents:

• I mistakenly brick my PC.

• My hardware is damaged or lost.

In the case of the first possible incident, I believe that Timeshift does a good job of mitigating any data loss through the use of daily backups.
However, if the second possible type of incident were to occur and I were to lose my laptop or have it malfunction, I would like to have a mechanism through which I can restore my OS in its entirety to a recent state. I have read that Clonezilla achieves this. However, I would need a physical USB drive (when I would much rather have a file that I can upload to private cloud storage) and the process cannot be automated. I would have to physically and manually spend about an hour weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly to secure an image backup of my OS.

So, here are my questions:

• Are there alternatives to Clonezilla that can achieve the same "image backup" through an automated process and without the need for a physical USB drive? I know that Windows has such options, but I am not sure for Linux.

• If the former option is not possible, would uploading the contents of Timeshift backups to a private cloud, installing the same version of Linux Mint through a standard installation, then using Timeshift of the new installation to restore the previous state of the OS (with the cloud-backed files as reference) serve as a good alternative?

[manyroads]

If you ask Mother Google "How should I backup my Linux system? You receive tons of pointers and suggestions, here are a few pointers:

https://www.howtogeek.com/427480/how-to ... ux-system/
https://linuxhint.com/11_best_backup_tools_linux/

On this Forum you will find a bunch as well, including....
viewtopic.php?t=245350
search.php?keywords=Best+way+to+Backup+and+Restore

[phd21]

Hi francis129,

Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux Mint and its excellent forum!

I just read your post and the good replies to it. Here are my thoughts on this as well.

There are many good posts on backing up your system already in this forum.

Timeshift uses a lot of space and it can take a long time to backup unless you use the btrfs file system which has its own issues or potential issues.

I would highly recommend the Aptik backup application from the makers of Timeshift. It can backup all your Linux customizations and applications including applications sources like PPAs. You can also backup your Home folder through this, but that would add time and space. If you don't backup your home folder, you can quickly and easily put an Aptik backup on a USB stick or external USB drive folder then if something happens, you can simply install a fresh copy of Linux Mint, install Aptik, and restore the aptik backup, and restart your computer (usually less than half an hour total time). Obviously, you would have to create new Aptik backups after adding or making a lot of changes.

There are two versions a paid for version and an older free version. I am not sure if the older free version works with current Linux versions although it does come up and appear to work.

Releases · teejee2008/aptik-gtk · GitHub
https://github.com/teejee2008/aptik-gtk/releases

I think it is important to backup a computer using a disk image application like Clonezilla Live (Foxclone, etc...) when you first get a computer before setting it up or installing Linux Mint. Then, before any major updates or installing anything that might have system-wide ramifications. If you make a lot of changes, make another image backup. You can always restore the disc image if needed. The downside is that it is not easy to extract folders or files from disk images.

You can use a syncing application like FreeFileSync for frequent daily backups of changes like new or changed documents, data, etc... These basically backup your data by copying the new or changed folders and files to a USB drive or larger USB stick. You could use a cloud provider if you have a fast Internet connection and fast cloud provider. After the first run, this is usually a very quick process compared to disk images or timeshift type snapshot apps. You also have the benefit of being able to easily access the folders and files on the backup drive.


Hope this helps ...

[AZgl1800]

the older free version of Aptik is restricted to recreating the existing OS on a new drive that has the same exact OS installed.

worked great.

to go from e.g.; 19.3 to 20.3 using Aptik requires the Paid version.
Well worth it IMO, I donate extra every year to keep him going.

Aptik is only "slow" on spinning drivers.
on SSDs, it runs real fast.
a matter of minutes at best.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I use Timeshift for a quick return to a previous state. It's roughly the equivalent of System Restore in Windows except it actually works. I make a snapshot once a week and just before making any changes to the computer, such as installing or deleting a program or making a possibly dodgy update. I keep only the last few snapshots to keep them from using too much space on the computer.

I keep my data one or more separate drives (or partition, depending on the computer) from the one with Linux installed (the boot drive) to simplify backups. I make an image of the boot drive using Clonezilla on both a data drive and on an external drive. I test the image by restoring it to a separate drive mounted externally, then swapping the restored drive with the one installed in the computer to make sure the image was good. That has the added benefit of giving me a drive that's ready to go if the one in the computer goes south; I can just pop in and go.

Clonezilla is not intuitive to use and can be tricky but it's the only one that would work at all on my laptop that has a stupid NVIDIA graphics card in it. Others have had far better luck using Foxclone, developed by AndyMH here on these forums.

To back up my data drives (or partition, depending on the computer), I use a program called FreeFileSync. It's a folder/file syncing program that works by comparing the source drive (the one I want backed up) with an external destination drive (my backup drive), then copying files to or deleting files from the destination drive, resulting in what is essentially a clone of the source drive. Since only files that have been added, changed, or deleted on the source file are involved, backup updates can happen very quickly, quickly enough, I usually update daily at the end of the day (sooner if new data is critical). I can still use the computer during updates.

FreeFileSync also has a feature called Versioning. when enabled (which I recommend), it will send files deleted from the destination drive to a user designated Versioning folder. This protects data that was accidentally deleted or somehow became corrupted. I check the Versioning folder after each backup update to make sure the files that were deleted were supposed to have been deleted, then I can go ahead and permanently delete them.

My browser (Brave) has provisions for backing up my bookmarks and my passwords. The passwords get backed up only to a small USB thumb drive I keep on my key chain. I backup the bookmarks both to the thumb drive and to a folder on one of my data drives, which then gets backed up when the data drive gets backed up. That way, I can also use my bookmarks and passwords on a different computer when away from home.

I also use Aptik to back up programs and settings that can speed up a clean reinstallation of Linux. I store those backups in a folder on one of my data drives which also gets backed up to external backup drives.

That sounds like a lot of work but, once I got it all set up, I spend an average of five minutes of my time a day on backups.

[mikeflan]

I have read that Clonezilla achieves this. However, I would need a physical USB drive (when I would much rather have a file that I can upload to private cloud storage) and the process cannot be automated.

A physical USB drive is not necessary. I think Clonezilla can send the image to remote locations:

and the process cannot be automated.

Clonezilla can also reportedly be automated. Clonezilla supplies a script at the end of the image settings selection (before the image begins) that automates the settings you select. I'm not sure how you would automate booting into Clonezilla. Perhaps that is not possible or practical.
https://serverfault.com/questions/16888 ... age-on-usb

[Pierre]

since I've worked out, that only an handful of files, do ever get changed,
then those files are copied onto an usb stick, every few weeks, or so.

the main system itself, can now be redone with an standard ISO copy,
of the LinuxMint System, at any time, that is required.