I have searched this forum for answer to my problem and could not find a solution.... However, while browsing, I notice that someone posted that 9 snapshots should not take more than maybe 6 or 7gb..... Well, here's my problem... I have 5 snapshots and each one of them, (When i check the properties of each) is about 25GB...... Yep, 25GB each... How is that possible???? I checked the settings and it is set to type RSYNC, and the root and home folder/directories are set to "EXcluded". Don't know what else can be done... HELP...
Not only each snapshot are 25gb but also over 600,000 files (In the folder properties)
However, I just deleted the oldest shapshot and it seems that, although the folder properties was 25gb, the free space on the HD increased only by 1.9GB . ???????
Also, I have to say that I have a 250GB HD but LINUX shows it as 1TB. That may have something to do with this.
UPDATE: I tried to do a snapshot on a 16GB pendrive (Had to be formatted EXT4). Could not..... Said "Not enough space... Need 24.7GB"
(SOLVED) Timeshift setup
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There are no such things as "stupid" questions. However if you think your question is a bit stupid, then this is the right place for you to post it. Stick to easy to-the-point questions that you feel people can answer fast. For long and complicated questions use the other forums in the support section.
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
(SOLVED) Timeshift setup
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Re: Timeshift setup
Timeshift and rsync work magic when backing up to Ext4 partitions because they use Ext4 links. The first snapshot copies all the files. The second snapshot copies only changed files with unchanged files represented by tiny links. The first snapshot should use around 12 GB and the other might be less than a GB.
There is a more technical explanation you can find by searching for inode. A file is stored only once. The file entry you see is just a pointer. Each snapshot is really only a list of pointers. The file manager sees every snapshot as a list of real files and gives you that monstrous size. The best indicator of space used is to display the free space before a snapshot then display the free space after the snapshot.
25 GB in a snapshot suggests you have very full logs or a mass of old kernels or a giant database or ... There are good instructions for cleaning up your computer. Run a snapshot after each cleanup. When your computer has run reliably for a few weeks after the cleanup, you can delete most snapshots. You only need a few. The most you are going to restore is back to before a failed update or a failed cleanup.
There is a more technical explanation you can find by searching for inode. A file is stored only once. The file entry you see is just a pointer. Each snapshot is really only a list of pointers. The file manager sees every snapshot as a list of real files and gives you that monstrous size. The best indicator of space used is to display the free space before a snapshot then display the free space after the snapshot.
25 GB in a snapshot suggests you have very full logs or a mass of old kernels or a giant database or ... There are good instructions for cleaning up your computer. Run a snapshot after each cleanup. When your computer has run reliably for a few weeks after the cleanup, you can delete most snapshots. You only need a few. The most you are going to restore is back to before a failed update or a failed cleanup.
- Pjotr
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Re: Timeshift setup
This is how to tame your Timeshift:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... t.html#ID7
(item 7)
Recommended, because sometimes Timeshift can indeed become a voracious disk space swallower.
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... t.html#ID7
(item 7)
Recommended, because sometimes Timeshift can indeed become a voracious disk space swallower.
Tip: 10 things to do after installing Linux Mint 21.3 Virginia
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All in all, horse sense simply makes sense.
Keep your Linux Mint healthy: Avoid these 10 fatal mistakes
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All in all, horse sense simply makes sense.
Re: Timeshift setup
Hi Pjotr!Pjotr wrote: ⤴Mon Nov 29, 2021 5:59 am This is how to tame your Timeshift:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... t.html#ID7
(item 7)
You are still not believing that this is not true:
Stop telling fairy tales and read this:Removing old snapshots is probably only safe through Timeshift itself.
https://www.magentacloud.de/lnk/enLg24AR
Regards
Manfred
Last edited by MAlfare on Mon Nov 29, 2021 7:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Timeshift setup
To determine the actual space occupied by your snapshots, open your snapshot directory (/timeshift/snapshots/) in a terminal and enter:
Code: Select all
sudo du -h --max-depth=1
Code: Select all
16G ./2021-07-29_20-21-46
6,1G ./2021-11-02_16-04-32
1,8G ./2021-11-09_15-47-35
566M ./2021-11-01_15-27-51
25G .
Re: Timeshift setup
One (good) idea would be to read Timeshift's homepage :
https://teejeetech.com/timeshift/
especially the section User Data is Excluded by Default to understand why TG (acronym for Tony George, timeshift's developer) discourages the use of TS for personal files back-ups.
About size, TS uses 6 tags : Boot, Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Custom, each containing a whole snap of the system in their top directories. You don't have to use all tags. If a daily snap matches your needs, you can disable Boot (done by default if I remember correctly) and Hourly tags and win the space they use. However don't disable Weekly or Monthly. Sometimes, issues need more than one day to show up.
Also, the LM version you use is to be taken in consideration. Looking at my signature, I use LMDE4 and LM19.3 (the old version of the flag distro). Updates are far less frequent than in LM20, so I can afford to disable all tags but Custom and chose the moment of the snap. However, the current version has many more updates and will probably have still more with LM20.3 coming. So, it would be a bad idea only to rely on custom snaps for this one.
Another thing to think about. Default settings include snaps on your system disk (it's the only one TS is sure it will be present). A lot of issues with disk full problem can quickly occur. A safe procedure for the system and the snaps is to set TS to save snaps on another partition or better, drive. So the system and its backups can't be affected simultaneously by a failure.
dual boot LMDE4 (mostly) + LM19.3 Cinnamon (sometimes)
Re: Timeshift setup
Well, thanks to all for the replies....
I have done most of the suggestions in those replies and it was all good. However, I believe that what causes most glitches I have is due to LINUX-MINT 20.2, detecting the 250gb hard drive as 1TB.
Thanks to all...
P.S.: Will keep looking for solutions.
I have done most of the suggestions in those replies and it was all good. However, I believe that what causes most glitches I have is due to LINUX-MINT 20.2, detecting the 250gb hard drive as 1TB.
Thanks to all...
P.S.: Will keep looking for solutions.
- Pjotr
- Level 24
- Posts: 20070
- Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:18 am
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Re: Timeshift setup
I'm not telling any fairy tales, mate. Let me try to make this abundantly clear to you.MAlfare wrote: ⤴Mon Nov 29, 2021 7:37 amHi Pjotr!Pjotr wrote: ⤴Mon Nov 29, 2021 5:59 am This is how to tame your Timeshift:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... t.html#ID7
(item 7)
You are still not believing that this is not true:Stop telling fairy tales and read this:Removing old snapshots is probably only safe through Timeshift itself.
https://www.magentacloud.de/lnk/enLg24AR
Regards
Manfred
What reputation my website has, stems also from the fact that I've written all the how-tos on my website with the "caution principle" in mind: preferably failsafe, usually easily reversible, rather erring on the side of caution than on the side of risk.
It's just a matter of down-to-earth peasant common sense. Use the application that created the snapshots, also for removing snapshots, and you should always be guaranteed a smooth outcome with no disasters. Man kann ja nie wissen.
I fail to see the imperative need for removing Timeshift snapshots by other means. So I leave this totally unnecessary riskier experiment gladly to the cowboys. Yeehaw!
Tip: 10 things to do after installing Linux Mint 21.3 Virginia
Keep your Linux Mint healthy: Avoid these 10 fatal mistakes
Twitter: twitter.com/easylinuxtips
All in all, horse sense simply makes sense.
Keep your Linux Mint healthy: Avoid these 10 fatal mistakes
Twitter: twitter.com/easylinuxtips
All in all, horse sense simply makes sense.
(SOLVED) Timeshift setup
Everything is now good... There was 4 Hourly snapshots, and 2 Daily. I was under the impression that I should have had a total of 4, not 6, since the Hourly was set to 4 only. My mistake.. It's all good not..