Home > Admin > Backup Tool

[FenderGuy]

Guys, I just noticed a new app in Linux Mint 21: Backup Tool, found at Menu > Administration > Backup Tool.

When you hover over the link, the corresponding narrative reads, "Make a backup of your home directory".

Does it work? I am considering using it in conjunction with Timeshift, to back up my laptop installation.

Thanks, guys.

[AZgl1800]

it works,
but the archive is NOT readable with NEMO

I won't use it

I prefer LuckyBackup because I can use NEMO to go find a Single File easily, if I messed up the one on my pc

[FenderGuy]

it works,
but the archive is NOT readable with NEMO

I won't use it

I prefer LuckyBackup because I can use NEMO to go find a Single File easily, if I messed up the one on my pc

The only folder that I use in Home is the Documents folder. I have no need for the other folders.

I'm currently backing up my OS with Rescuezilla, which works quite well. I then backup my Documents folder, separately.

[motoryzen]

it works,
but the archive is NOT readable with NEMO

wtc? Why would Clem and the team ( if they were directly involved in creating and/or maintaining the " Backup" tool) not make it compatible with Nemo file manager? Am I missing something here or does that not make sense at all.

Personally..I use an rysnc command + do a Foxclone system clone ( after I confirm basically everything is working as it should) + Timeshift snapshot creation.....all targeting ( each backup method ) separate drives..so 3 separate drives.

[AndyMH]

This is the standard backup tool that's been around for a while. It creates a compressed archive (.tar.gz) of your home folder.

[linux-rox]

... new app in Linux Mint 21: Backup Tool ...

Not new and not a backup app in the ordinary sense of the word. All it does is copy the specified files and folders to a tarball. Thing is, if you want to update the archive next month, you have to do the same thing and copy everything again. Same thing the month after that, and so on. IOW, the Backup Tool does not do incremental backup, where only new and changed files are copied. Not a big deal perhaps, if you don't have many files, but horribly inefficient if you do. There are several proper backup apps, most of which are based on rsync (a very good backup utility, but CLI only).

The only scenario where Backup Tool makes sense, IMHO, is where you are reinstalling or migrating to a new computer and need a convenient way to move data files. Even then, it only makes sense if you don't already have data file backups. I've always assumed the app is included in the operating system (Ubuntu has something similar) just to check a box.

[RIH]

I use Backup Tool regularly.

It has two parts - Applications & Data.

Applications gives a small text list listing all Applications on your system.
That can then be restored on a new installation to add back in your current Applications automatically.
There are caveats to what is actually automatically restored but it is a great & simple way of doing that.

Data backs up your /Home Folder but you have to tell it to add hidden files to that.
It is a good tool to use if you store most of your personal data elsewhere than in /Home & use another method of backing that up.
The Restore is an easy way of re-installing configuration files to a new install.

I certainly wouldn't consider using the Backup Tool to create a regular backup of my personal data (I actually use FreeFileSync for that) but, for me, it does have significant uses not covered by other Applications..

[FenderGuy]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I suppose I'll carry on using Rescuezilla 2.3.1 for my OS backups, then copying my Home folder, separately, for my personal file backups.

[AndyMH]

Have a look at backintime (install from software manager). It takes incremental backups, so quick. First time it copies everything, thereafter only what has changed. Each snapshot is complete, it uses hard links to point at the original backup file where there is no change so snapshots must be saved to a partition formatted ext4. It is a front end for rsync. You can restore individual files or the whole lot. Default is to backup your home folder only.

My backup drive is internal/removable so I have backintime running automatically every day.

This is what the settings look like:

/media/ultrabay is where I mount the ext4 partition on my backup drive.

[Moem]

The only folder that I use in Home is the Documents folder. I have no need for the other folders.

You don't use the other visible folders, but I can assure you you have lots of hidden folders in /home. They contain your user settings.

[AZgl1800]

Andy,
I pointed BackInTime at /backup and it says it "can't write to that location"

[MaxFlax]

@ Andy MH
QQ about back in time
if a file is deleted under home, is it removed from the backup as well?
I had a very recent problem with a machine used for homeschool, kids were playing around and deleted some files
found and restored before they emptied trash
wondering if back in time can accumulate all files but not synch and remove deleted files from the backup location
Thanks for sharing this tool, should be very useful

[AndyMH]

@ Andy MH
QQ about back in time
if a file is deleted under home, is it removed from the backup as well?
I had a very recent problem with a machine used for homeschool, kids were playing around and deleted some files
found and restored before they emptied trash
wondering if back in time can accumulate all files but not synch and remove deleted files from the backup location
Thanks for sharing this tool, should be very useful

Short answer, no, longer...
It will not be present in the next snapshot you take, but it will be present in all the snapshots you took prior to the deletion. Not for nothing is it called backintime.

[AndyMH]

Andy,
I pointed BackInTime at /backup and it says it "can't write to that location"

Sounds like a permissions issue, /backup probably owned by root. To fix:

Code: Select all

sudo chown $USER:$USER /backup

Changes ownership to you.
This assumes the partition you are mounting at /backup is formatted ext4. Different fix if formatted ntfs or any win filesystem, but you shouldn't use a win filesystem as a backintime (or timeshift) destination. You need ext4 for support for hard links.

[MaxFlax]

@ Andy MH
got it, snapshots

follow up question
If BinT is scheduled from user1 (admin), does user1 have to be logged on for it to run, or will it run per schedule if the machine is logged on from any other account, but not from user1.
Assume that I've scheduled it from my admin account, but machine is usually logged on from another account (child1)
thanks again for sharing

[Moem]

follow up question

Your follow up question should be posted as a separate topic, not in someone elses topic. That's how we roll here, so please keep that in mind.
AZgl1800, the same goes for you.

This is FenderGuy's topic. Everyone else, please post your questions in topics of your own. It's now gotten too messy to cleanly split all these questions off, or I would do so. But it's time to stop burying FenderGuy's question under other people's questions.