Backup Linux system with rsync

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This option might be a lot faster than using tar when the target machine already has some version of Linux installed that you want to override.

Mount the partition where you want to leave the root of your filesystem, cd into it and run the following command:

When using rsync to maintain incremental backups significant space can be saved on the backup server by excluding directories that have non-critical or transient data such as /tmp, /proc, /mnt, /cdrom, object and backup files, and caches.

### transient directories - contents
# ref http://aplawrence.com/Bofcusm/2409.html[]
### transient ###
+ /proc/
- /proc/**
+ /sys/
- /sys/**
+ /dev/
- /dev/**
### tmp ###
+ tmp/
- **/tmp/**
### cache ###
# netscape, mozilla, .opera/cache4/, samba etc
+ Cache/
- **/Cache/**
+ cache/
- **/cache/**
- **/cache[0-9]*/**
+ ccache/
- **/ccache/**
+ .ccache/
- **/.ccache/**
+ xover-cache/
- **/xover-cache/**
### backup ###
- *~
- *.old
- *.org
- *.bak
- *.sav
- *.orig
- *.dpkg-old

References

Making a file-system copy with rsync
http://wiki.freaks-unidos.net/mirror%20a%20linux%20installation#making-a-file-system-copy-with-rsync

excluding directories from rsync
http://aplawrence.com/Bofcusm/2409.html

Copy everything to raid
http://www.linuxhowtos.org/System/raid.htm

rsync nightly mirror script
http://www.webmasterworld.com/linux/3060665.htm

Backup Your Linux Box HowTo
http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/BackupYourLinuxBox

Disk logical backup tools

Newsgroups: gmane.linux.debian.user
Date: 2007-04-05

Is there any tools that can backup disk partitions logically, for both Linux & Windoze partitions?

By logical backup I meant, at least the backup tools don't do blind sector to sector backup. Ideally it would be something like Norton Ghost. I hope I can use it to backup Windoze partitions under Linux, and restore to VmWare virtual drives.

Last time I checked, about a year or two ago, such tools didn't exist under Linux…

Disk logical backup tools

> Today I was also looking for a disk image tool, and came across this
> list of tools:
> http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/backupandimage.shtml[]
>
> I ended up using SystemRescueCD, after trying PiNG (Ping is not Ghost).
> Both were based on partimage, and if I remember correctly claimed to
> support NTFS via captive driver.

I tried Partimage before, when it was v0.6.2. But by then it was not totally a logical backup tool. E.g., it insisted that partition size has to be exactly the same, during back/restore. This is insane. Hope this has been fixed. Anybody has such positive experience with Partimage?

FYI, here is what I have noted when I tried it:

partition size has to be exactly the same

The partition is too small to be restored:
Original partition
size:........2097414144 bytes
Destination partition
size:.....1052803584 bytes

I only have 427M used on it, which should well fit into the 1G destination drive. With this limitation, I think by now partimage is practically useless.