Really easy backup program

[Pat D]

Can someone recommend a very very simple to use backup program? I need one that's easy to install also, preferably from a repository or that I can install with Synaptic. I sick of trying to make sense of tarball instructions

[Kendoori]

I use Cloud-based backup Crashplan so I no longer use a local backup program. I periodically image my computer to an external hard drive of the same size for disaster purposes.

I previously liked and used Lucky Backup (http://luckybackup.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html)

[Cosmo.]

I recommend Back In Time. Easy and flexible to use, can do backup jobs automatically.

[Pat D]

Thanks.
In Mint 17.3 Cinnamon, do I want the gnome, KDE, or Qt4 package for Backintime?

[greerd]

+1 on LuckyBackup.

[jimallyn]

In Mint 17.3 Cinnamon, do I want the gnome, KDE, or Qt4 package for Backintime?

I've never used BackInTime, but if I were going to install it, I think I would go with the Qt4 version.

[kukamuumuka]

In Mint 17.3 Cinnamon, do I want the gnome, KDE, or Qt4 package for Backintime?

I've never used BackInTime, but if I were going to install it, I think I would go with the Qt4 version.

Only BackinTime-gnome is available, but it works great.

Code: Select all

dpkg --get-selections | grep backintime

[Cosmo.]

Thanks.
In Mint 17.3 Cinnamon, do I want the gnome, KDE, or Qt4 package for Backintime?

Install backintime-gnome.

[kwisher]

Thanks.
In Mint 17.3 Cinnamon, do I want the gnome, KDE, or Qt4 package for Backintime?

Install backintime-gnome.

+10 for BIT, it has saved my bacon more than once and also makes a fresh install very easy.

[drohm]

The new version of Timeshift works really well.

[Pat D]

Hi.
I've looked at Timeshift, and it sounds really good. But I can't so far figure out how to save it and restore outside the Linux partition and actually use it to restore the system; I presume I haven't yet found the relevant docs. If you can set me straight on this aspect I think Timeshift looks really good.

[kwisher]

Hi.
I've looked at Timeshift, and it sounds really good. But I can't so far figure out how to save it and restore outside the Linux partition and actually use it to restore the system; I presume I haven't yet found the relevant docs. If you can set me straight on this aspect I think Timeshift looks really good.

Please clarify what you mean by "restore the system". Doing a complete o/s restore is different than doing scheduled backups of user data files and key system config files.

[sammiev]

+1 on LuckyBackup.

Use many but the above is the best for my needs.

[Pat D]

re 2 posts above by "kwisher" -
your question makes me wonder if I have been labouring under a misunderstanding all these years. Is it not possible, after installing an OS, and then all your desired programs, to "backup" this in such a way that should the system crash and not be bootable, as my various Mint installs lately have been doing, that one can use that "backup" to replace said OS and programs as good as new? So that a body doesn't have to labouriously reinstall the OS and then have to reinstall all the programs one by one? And can the same program not also back up data incrementally the same way? Am I making sense here?
This is the kind of backup I'm looking for. Of course, after the first backup the ensuing ones should only be incremental backups of changes, not the whole works.
Am I delusional?

[all41]

There is no 'really easy backup' that will work for everyone. We each have to determine what and where.
The need to backup and restore your entire hdd and os was once a Win philosophy--rarely needed with Linux.
Backup your personal files and be happy

[Pierre]

Backup your personal files and be happy

there an argument for doing just that
- in as much, as some will say that a re-install from a usb stick / DvD - is just as quick,
the thing is, that neither way, will update your system - you still have to manually do that bit.

[kwisher]

re 2 posts above by "kwisher" -
your question makes me wonder if I have been labouring under a misunderstanding all these years. Is it not possible, after installing an OS, and then all your desired programs, to "backup" this in such a way that should the system crash and not be bootable, as my various Mint installs lately have been doing, that one can use that "backup" to replace said OS and programs as good as new? So that a body doesn't have to labouriously reinstall the OS and then have to reinstall all the programs one by one? And can the same program not also back up data incrementally the same way? Am I making sense here?
This is the kind of backup I'm looking for. Of course, after the first backup the ensuing ones should only be incremental backups of changes, not the whole works.
Am I delusional?

Here is my disaster recovery plan:
1) Manually clone my "/" partition to my server using Clonezilla. This is not an automated process and I do not know of any such process for Linux. I do the manual clone whenever I think about it but this not much as a concern to me because I do BIT daily backups. For me it takes very little time to reinstall a Linux O/S and get back up running with good backups of your /home and some key system config files.

2) Daily/weekly/monthly, your choice, but setup an automated backup program as described above.

3) Test your backup plan to make sure you can restore your data.

4) Optional. I use the free CrashPlan app to do offsite backups to another PC I keep at my workplace.

5) Optional. I do not trust single drives for a backup device, but they are better than noting at all. All my backups are stored on a multi-disk Raid array in case of a drive failure, both local and offsite.

[NChewie]

kwisher stated

3) Test your backup plan to make sure you can restore your data.

Speaking as an ex sys-admin, this is the most critical part of any backup strategy.

Ideally, try to restore your critical data to another machine, so that you can prove to yourself that you can recover, should you suffer a software or hardware failure...

My plan is:
back it up locally (full snapshot of critical files once per month, incremental backups frequently)
encryption of local copy
copy of encrypted files to remote location/cloud/other pc with plaintext file explaining which encryption method was used.

The remote location/machine needs to have the required software to decrypt the backups if needed.
In my case, I pgp encrypt using my own public key, knowing that I have the private key securely stored for future use.