Using the Terminal to Backup Home Dir.

[chazb]

I really would like to get some experience using the Command Line, and this looks a good place to start. I have explored it on the web and not fond much Mostly Using the tar command, but I think I read somewhere that tar doesn't work well in Linux Mint. Is there there anybody out there that know how to do a backup using the Terminal?

[Sir Charles]

Have a look atrsync.

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man rsync

https://www.linux.com/learn/how-backup- ... mmand-line

[Mute Ant]

My preference is the mksquashfs command.
sudo mksquashfs /home /media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs ### Duplicate /home as a compressed read-only mountable file image.
+ Needs no options at all to do the job.
+ Perfect since 2012.
+ Every live session Debian or Ubuntu or Mint etc etc keeps it perfect as new kernels are released... no squashfs... no live session.

[chazb]

My preference is the mksquashfs command.
sudo mksquashfs /home /media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs ### Duplicate /home as a compressed read-only mountable file image.
+ Needs no options at all to do the job.
+ Perfect since 2012.
+ Every live session Debian or Ubuntu or Mint etc etc keeps it perfect as new kernels are released... no squashfs... no live session.

Copied your code into my terminal, and this was the response...

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sudo: mksquashfs: command not found

[chrisuk]

More than what you asked for, but:

Here's a couple of pages worth reading... both are the same, but one has a few more details about hard links. It's basically what Timeshift does, but you'll maybe learn something useful in the process

Rsync Date Stamped, Snapshot Style, Incremental Backups

Time Machine for every Unix out there

[catweazel]

My preference is the mksquashfs command.
sudo mksquashfs /home /media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs ### Duplicate /home as a compressed read-only mountable file image.
+ Needs no options at all to do the job.
+ Perfect since 2012.
+ Every live session Debian or Ubuntu or Mint etc etc keeps it perfect as new kernels are released... no squashfs... no live session.

Parallel mksquashfs: Using 16 processors

Cool!

sudo mount -o loop /media/catweazel/HWRAID10-0/Working/Archives/2018-05-04-home.sfs /mnt -t squashfs

Brilliant! Too easy.

Thanks, it's really appreciated. You've saved me a lot of work when I start writing my backup program...

[Mute Ant]

The sudo ensures all the objects in /home can be duplicated, but it's hiding a helpful message...
mute@kermes ~ $ mksquashfs -----> The program 'mksquashfs' is currently not installed. You can install it by typing: sudo apt install squashfs-tools
...that's just normal build-your-own-GNU... add the commands that a distribution has left out.

[chazb]

My preference is the mksquashfs command.
sudo mksquashfs /home /media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs ### Duplicate /home as a compressed read-only mountable file image.
+ Needs no options at all to do the job.
+ Perfect since 2012.
+ Every live session Debian or Ubuntu or Mint etc etc keeps it perfect as new kernels are released... no squashfs... no live session.

Where does it put the "compressed read-only mountable file image"? Or what additional code would I use to mount it on a usb stick?

[catweazel]

Where does it put the "compressed read-only mountable file image"?

/media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs

Or what additional code would I use to mount it on a usb stick?

sudo mount -o loop /media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs /mnt -t squashfs

It's in the posts up there. All you need do is read.

[chazb]

/media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs

Or what additional code would I use to mount it on a usb stick?

sudo mount -o loop /media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs /mnt -t squashfs

It's in the posts up there. All you need do is read.

I should use the current date in the code? Correct?

Ok so once I got on the usb stick, what code do I use to get ot off the stick and installed on to 18.3.

I am not just going to copy and paste all this code, I want to know what I am doing and why, like what does "toshipod" do, and why it is followed by "-e".

On the other hand and after searching on line for a bit, I challenge anybody to tell me what "toshipod" does.

[catweazel]

I should use the current date in the code? Correct?

Ok so once I got on the usb stick, what code do I use to get ot off the stick and installed on to 18.3.

I am not just going to copy and paste all this code, I want to know what I am doing and why, like what does "toshipod" do, and why it is followed by "-e".

On the other hand and after searching on line for a bit, I challenge anybody to tell me what "toshipod" does.

/media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs is @Mute Ant's line based on their local machine. You need to modify it to suit your local machine's environment and your personal preferences. It's a unix path and file name. Simply copying it and pasting it into your machine will not work.

If you look at @Mute Ant's instructions and my reply here, you will see that I modified the unix path for my local machine.

[chazb]

I should use the current date in the code? Correct?

Ok so once I got on the usb stick, what code do I use to get ot off the stick and installed on to 18.3.

I am not just going to copy and paste all this code, I want to know what I am doing and why, like what does "toshipod" do, and why it is followed by "-e".

On the other hand and after searching on line for a bit, I challenge anybody to tell me what "toshipod" does.

/media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs is @Mute Ant's line based on their local machine. You need to modify it to suit your local machine's environment and your personal preferences. It's a unix path and file name. Simply copying it and pasting it into your machine will not work.

If you look at @Mute Ant's instructions and my reply here, you will see that I modified the unix path for my local machine.

charles is the name of my computer, so it should look something like this?,,,,,,,,,,,

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sudo mksquashfs /home /media/charles/2018-06-23-home.sfs

or

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sudo mount -o loop /media/charles/2018-06-23-home.sfs /mnt -t squashfs

for puttting on a usb stick.

I notice you all use some options like -o, -e, -t etc. should I have an option after ,,,charles,,,?

[catweazel]

charles is the name of my computer, so it should look something like this?,,,,,,,,,,,

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sudo mksquashfs /home /media/charles/2018-06-23-home.sfs

or

/home is your home directory, the directory you want to backup.

2018-06-23-home.sfs is the name of the file you want to back up to.

/media/charles/ is the path to the file. That path must exist already, and because it's on another partition, it needs to be mounted.

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sudo mount -o loop /media/charles/2018-06-23-home.sfs /mnt -t squashfs

for puttting on a usb stick.

No. That is to mount the file so you can recover files from it.

What I don't understand is, given you're struggling with command line syntax and unix paths, why you want to backup using the command line when there are enough GUI applications out there that will do the job reasonably well. Next to flying to wherever you live and typing in the correctly modified command for you, I don't know what else to tell you.

[Sir Charles]

@catweazel

I might be mistaken, but wouldn't

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sudo mksquashfs /home /media/charles/2018-06-23-home.sfs

just create the file in /media/charles/ and not on the USB stick which seems to be the intention of the OP?

... Or what additional code would I use to mount it on a usb stick?

Compare to:

sudo mksquashfs /home /media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs ### Duplicate /home as a compressed read-only mountable file image.

Edit: Of course, if charles is the name of the medium mounted at /media, then it's alright, ...I guess

[Boca]

My preference is the mksquashfs command.
sudo mksquashfs /home /media/mute/toshipod-e/2018-05-03-home.sfs ### Duplicate /home as a compressed read-only mountable file image.
+ Needs no options at all to do the job.
+ Perfect since 2012.
+ Every live session Debian or Ubuntu or Mint etc etc keeps it perfect as new kernels are released... no squashfs... no live session.

Neat !

Tried it out and it's working fine first time.

Thanks, Tony

[chazb]

What I don't understand is, given you're struggling with command line syntax and unix paths, why you want to backup using the command line when there are enough GUI applications out there that will do the job reasonably well. Next to flying to wherever you live and typing in the correctly modified command for you, I don't know what else to tell you.

Please forgive me for picking your brain, your are right there are lots of GUI ways to do this. Though I learned a long time ago that if I am going to use a Linux OS I best learn how to use the Terminal. But now I am starting to realize that I may be into something that is a little over my head, or at least beyond me for the moment and is not so cut and dried as, copy and paste this to do that. Thank You for your input, you have been a great help, and I have learned much from you, not only in this thread but others as well.

[catweazel]

Thank You for your input, you have been a great help, and I have learned much from you, not only in this thread but others as well.

You're most welcome.

[chazb]

Thank You for your input, you have been a great help, and I have learned much from you, not only in this thread but others as well.

You're most welcome.

In the name of simplicity the thought occurred to me, forget this whole backup business, and just copy the Home folder to my usb stick, and then after I have installed LM 18.3, copy it back to 18.3's Home folder? But first deleting 18.3's Firefox.

[catweazel]

In the name of simplicity the thought occurred to me, forget this whole backup business, and just copy the Home folder to my usb stick, and then after I have installed LM 18.3, copy it back to 18.3's Home folder? But first deleting 18.3's Firefox.

Just make sure you show hidden files before you do the copy, assuming you want to retain your settings.

[chazb]

Just make sure you show hidden files before you do the copy, assuming you want to retain your settings.

I unhide all hidden files as a matter of course with in a day or to of installing any OS. In AA they say "Keep it simple, stupid", and that is what I am going to do.

Again Thank You.