Issues installing SNAPPER

[Cattivello]

Greetings,
while trying to use timeshift, I realized that it does not support saving over the LAN (my network).
Reading I found out that big buzz about Snapper. At first I installed the one from Software application.
I than removed it as it did not launch. I figure I would install following the direction in the owner website https://software.opensuse.org/download/ ... ge=snapper
And followed the instructions:

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echo 'deb http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/filesystems:/snapper/xUbuntu_20.10/ /' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/filesystems:snapper.list
curl -fsSL https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/filesystems:snapper/xUbuntu_20.10/Release.key | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/filesystems_snapper.gpg > /dev/null
sudo apt update
sudo apt install snapper

Thank I get this error message: napper : Depends: libjson-c5 (>= 0.15) but it is not installable
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
Gave up and went back to SOFTWARE... got same error... rebooted.. and now it says installing but hangs on it forever.

2 questions:
1) how can I solve this issue?
2) can you suggest a sort of timeshift program that works over the LAN?
PS I am using BTRFS on my disk file system.
Thanks

[mikeflan]

2) can you suggest a sort of timeshift program that works over the LAN?

I wonder if it would make sense to run Timeshift to your hard drives and then use Syncthing, or something like that to sync across the LAN. Just an idea. I have not used Syncthing.

[ajgringo619]

Can you be more specific on what "...snapper didn't start" means? I use the version from the repos and everything I've tried works - hourly/boot/pre-post, cloning to another btrfs partition (local, not networked).

[Cattivello]

2) can you suggest a sort of timeshift program that works over the LAN?

I wonder if it would make sense to run Timeshift to your hard drives and then use Syncthing, or something like that to sync across the LAN. Just an idea. I have not used Syncthing.

that is a very nice idea. I made extensive use of syncthing and is amazing.
Only issue here is that my NAS is OMV5 and I am not sure i can find a plugin for it. Maybe a docker version.
Second issue is the space that the image will take on my local SSD at the expenses of the disk storage size.
But its an idea

[Cattivello]

Can you be more specific on what "...snapper didn't start" means? I use the version from the repos and everything I've tried works - hourly/boot/pre-post, cloning to another btrfs partition (local, not networked).

No much more to say; when installed the first time (successfully), when running the command snapper... simply nothing happen . No error, no program...

And now I can just not install it at all.
On CLI I get the same error: The following packages have unmet dependencies:
snapper : Depends: libjson-c5 (>= 0.15) but it is not installable
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

The Software program in Linuxmint simply stays in the Install... mode forever. It does not even ask for my sudo password

[ajgringo619]

This is the website I used to get snapper going (obviously ignoring the Arch-specific install/config commands): https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Snapper.

Did you completely remove the PPA (and run sudo apt update afterwards) before trying to reinstall?

[Cattivello]

This is the website I used to get snapper going (obviously ignoring the Arch-specific install/config commands): https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Snapper.

Did you completely remove the PPA (and run sudo apt update afterwards) before trying to reinstall?

YEP! Thanks ajgringo619
Delete the PPA did the trick.
After that I was able to install Snapper using Software application.
HOWEVER, as it happen on the very forst installation (using Software application), when I click on Launch, nothing happens at all.
I also installed the GUI for it. But the GUI shown in the Software application is quite different and I dont know how to use Snapper .
Any suggestions?
Thanks

[ajgringo619]

That's what the link is for. Ditch the GUI - it's way easier to configure from the terminal. Until you've created a config for one of your BTRFS partitions, running snapper (or the GUI) won't do anything. For example, to create a config for your root partition, you'd run this:

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sudo snapper create-config /

Configs are stored in /etc/snapper/configs. Once you get this started, I'd be more than happy to help you tweak your setup.

[ajgringo619]

One more thing: if you expected the Mint GUI to be anything like the Yast Snapper plugin for openSUSE, you will be greatly disappointed. I wish that someone up the Debian/Ubuntu food chain would look into this.

[Cattivello]

One more thing: if you expected the Mint GUI to be anything like the Yast Snapper plugin for openSUSE, you will be greatly disappointed. I wish that someone up the Debian/Ubuntu food chain would look into this.

Hii, sorry for late reply... life get to slow me down! hahaha
Yes, I must say I saw a lot of tutorials and video about openSUSE Snapper Gui.
I was really expecting the same.
I will try the CLI suggestion you mentioned.
Alternatively, if you know some SNAPSHOT software for BTRFS and that can save on a network location, please suggest.
Thanks

[ajgringo619]

Try this: https://ownyourbits.com/2018/03/09/easy ... trfs-sync/
Here's the link to the repo: https://github.com/nachoparker/btrfs-snp

I wrote my own script to manage back-up/sync of my snapshots, but I'm only using an external USB drive (never tried it with a network share).

[Cattivello]

Try this: https://ownyourbits.com/2018/03/09/easy ... trfs-sync/
Here's the link to the repo: https://github.com/nachoparker/btrfs-snp

I wrote my own script to manage back-up/sync of my snapshots, but I'm only using an external USB drive (never tried it with a network share).

Thanks, I will look at it.
Do you have experience in restoring the image in the event of real life catastrophe?
Can I rely on it?

[ajgringo619]

So far, no. I switched to Snapper (from Timeshift) about 4 months ago and haven't had a situation yet that required a complete recovery. I have used extensive file recovery from my home directory when needed. I like the hourly snapshots that Snapper uses, so I'm never more than an hour behind if I really screw something up.

Here's my current setup, with many subvolumes to segregate data from the root partition. The ones on /media/backups are where I store my cloned copies of the current snapshot states:

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# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/               		btrfs   defaults,subvol=@ 		0       1
UUID=E436-4155  				/boot/efi      			vfat   	umask=0022			0       1
UUID=02aa2549-5b6c-44c7-85d8-aa9f81f8ea1a 	none            		swap    sw              		0       0

# separated from root filesystem
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/opt            		btrfs   defaults,subvol=@opt 		0       1
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/var            		btrfs   defaults,subvol=@var 		0       1
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/var/lib/systemd/coredump	btrfs   defaults,subvol=@cores 		0       1

# for the BOINC client
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/var/lib/boinc-client 		btrfs   defaults,subvol=@boinc 		0       1

# encrypted partitions
UUID=5f4508f9-c5f5-4db0-b1f2-48cec30ffafa	/home				btrfs	defaults,subvol=@home		0	2
UUID=c3fdacd2-b891-45b4-8365-69020b42ea87	/media/backups			btrfs   defaults,subvol=@backups	0       2

# For snapshots
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/.snapshots     		btrfs   defaults,subvol=@snapshots	0       1
UUID=c3fdacd2-b891-45b4-8365-69020b42ea87	/media/backups/snapshots/@home	btrfs   defaults,subvol=@home-back	0       2
UUID=c3fdacd2-b891-45b4-8365-69020b42ea87	/media/backups/snapshots/@opt	btrfs   defaults,subvol=@opt-back	0       2
UUID=c3fdacd2-b891-45b4-8365-69020b42ea87	/media/backups/snapshots/@root	btrfs   defaults,subvol=@root-back	0       2
UUID=c3fdacd2-b891-45b4-8365-69020b42ea87	/media/backups/snapshots/@var	btrfs   defaults,subvol=@var-back	0       2

[Cattivello]

So far, no. I switched to Snapper (from Timeshift) about 4 months ago and haven't had a situation yet that required a complete recovery. I have used extensive file recovery from my home directory when needed. I like the hourly snapshots that Snapper uses, so I'm never more than an hour behind if I really screw something up.

Here's my current setup, with many subvolumes to segregate data from the root partition. The ones on /media/backups are where I store my cloned copies of the current snapshot states:

Code: Select all

# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/               		btrfs   defaults,subvol=@ 		0       1
UUID=E436-4155  				/boot/efi      			vfat   	umask=0022			0       1
UUID=02aa2549-5b6c-44c7-85d8-aa9f81f8ea1a 	none            		swap    sw              		0       0

# separated from root filesystem
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/opt            		btrfs   defaults,subvol=@opt 		0       1
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/var            		btrfs   defaults,subvol=@var 		0       1
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/var/lib/systemd/coredump	btrfs   defaults,subvol=@cores 		0       1

# for the BOINC client
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/var/lib/boinc-client 		btrfs   defaults,subvol=@boinc 		0       1

# encrypted partitions
UUID=5f4508f9-c5f5-4db0-b1f2-48cec30ffafa	/home				btrfs	defaults,subvol=@home		0	2
UUID=c3fdacd2-b891-45b4-8365-69020b42ea87	/media/backups			btrfs   defaults,subvol=@backups	0       2

# For snapshots
UUID=8cf228a4-f1d8-47d2-b6c2-7d5add23d923 	/.snapshots     		btrfs   defaults,subvol=@snapshots	0       1
UUID=c3fdacd2-b891-45b4-8365-69020b42ea87	/media/backups/snapshots/@home	btrfs   defaults,subvol=@home-back	0       2
UUID=c3fdacd2-b891-45b4-8365-69020b42ea87	/media/backups/snapshots/@opt	btrfs   defaults,subvol=@opt-back	0       2
UUID=c3fdacd2-b891-45b4-8365-69020b42ea87	/media/backups/snapshots/@root	btrfs   defaults,subvol=@root-back	0       2
UUID=c3fdacd2-b891-45b4-8365-69020b42ea87	/media/backups/snapshots/@var	btrfs   defaults,subvol=@var-back	0       2

Thanks.
with this method, is the amount of space a 1 to 1 or is compressed?
And the hourly snapshot would them not take too much space?
(I do use BTRFS, that should be a bonus!)

[ajgringo619]

I've found that the hourly snapshots don't take up much space, unless you're making some huge filesystem changes. The snapshots are also created read-only, so the only way to delete them is to use snapper or btrfs. I've got mine configured to purge them once a day, keeping only the ones I need.

If you're referring to the backups, the space of the parent snapshot is 1-to-1, but the others are the diffs between the new snapshot and the parent. You'll need to read up on btrfs snapshot clones (not part of the snapper tools).

Here's an example of my config for root:

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$ snapper -c root get-config
Key                    | Value
-----------------------+------
ALLOW_GROUPS           | sudo 
ALLOW_USERS            |      
BACKGROUND_COMPARISON  | yes  
EMPTY_PRE_POST_CLEANUP | yes  
EMPTY_PRE_POST_MIN_AGE | 3600 
FREE_LIMIT             | 0.2  
FSTYPE                 | btrfs
NUMBER_CLEANUP         | yes  
NUMBER_LIMIT           | 5    
NUMBER_LIMIT_IMPORTANT | 3    
NUMBER_MIN_AGE         | 3600 
QGROUP                 | 1/0  
SPACE_LIMIT            | 0.5  
SUBVOLUME              | /    
SYNC_ACL               | yes  
TIMELINE_CLEANUP       | yes  
TIMELINE_CREATE        | yes  
TIMELINE_LIMIT_DAILY   | 7    
TIMELINE_LIMIT_HOURLY  | 0    
TIMELINE_LIMIT_MONTHLY | 2    
TIMELINE_LIMIT_WEEKLY  | 4    
TIMELINE_LIMIT_YEARLY  | 0    
TIMELINE_MIN_AGE       | 3600