How best to make daily routine backups from netbook to 2 external HD's?

Mon Feb 6 10:20:32 UTC 2012

Hello Loukas and Everybody Else

Thanks everybody for all the useful advise that came in so far in this thread. 

> I've just been CC'd a message of yours but seems like I've missed lots of
> some conversation that's going on.

No problem, I can shortly summarise it.  I am looking for a safe way to make 
daily routine backups within the following limits:
Netbook Eee PC 1001 HA, 250 GB HD, 2 GB RAM, 1,9GHZ processor, Kubuntu 11.04 
(and soon Kubuntu 11.10)
backup to one large external HD meant to stay at home: " WG Elements" 2 TB;
backup to 2nd external HD, meant to always carry with me: "Adata NH92", 500 
GB;
preference for "manual", so NOT automatic backup time schedule.
> 
> I wouldn't like to start guessing, so if you need support about luckybackup
> (or anything within the limits of my knowledge and capabilities) please let
> me know of the backup scenario you wish to achieve, what's been done until
> now and anything that could be used to fill in the gaps of this story.
All the replies that have come in so far, point at the essential role of 
"RSYNC"  - a script which is also being used in  "LuckyBackup".
Another package which uses RSYNC is "KTARDIS". However, this KDE package is 
aimed at automatic time schedule backups to one target external HD only - so 
it became quickly clear that such a package will not work for me. Your 
colleague :-) Mark Greenwood, the developer of KTARDIS, honestly said this 
himself. 

In the mean time, I started experimenting with LuckyBackup. 
I DID manage to apparantly successfully backup the whole HOME directory to the 
big "WG Elements" 2 TB drive - though it is still formatted in NTFS format. 
Mark Greenwood, your colleague :-) who has developed KTARDIS, explained that 
NTFS can handle Linux "deep links": but less efficiently and less safely than 
the native Linux format EXT4.  You can find the report of this backup process 
as follows: 
go to http://viaconsensus.nl/LuckyBackup/
click at the link below "WG Elements 2 TB".....
Problems came up when trying to backup exactly the same directory to the 
"Adata N92" 500 GB HD, formatted as FAT32.  Both the initial backup and the 
synchronisation attempts ended up in exactly the samen results:
about 800 problem reports for the KMAIL EMail directory .kde/share
OK for everything else.
For the detailed report, go again to http://viaconsensus.nl/LuckyBackup/. 
Click at the link below ."...NH92....". 
Now, I come to the question for you, Loukas.
Mark Greenwood advises me to reformat both external hard disks to EXT4  - at 
least, when using RSYNC and/or KTARDIS. Does this advise also apply to  
LuckyBackup? In other words: can I avoid the problems I have had with the NH92 
if I reformat it from FAT32 to EXT4?
For you, Mark: I am happy to reformat both external HD's to EXT4 if necessary. 
A third small sized external HD I have for exchange of data with Windows and 
Mac computers. Question for everybody: which format is best for such a 
purpose: FAT32 or NTFS?
This is it for now. Respectfully yours,
Bas.

> 
> Please excuse me for not directly replying at your questions.
> I don't want any misunderstandings that may lead to false advice with
> whatever the consequences.
> 
> kind regards,
> Loukas
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> On Monday 06 of February 2012 00:20:56 you wrote:
> > *Dear Mark and Everybody Else*
> > 
> > > *ark and Everybody Else*
> > > 
> > >> As the developer of TARDIS ( :) ) I can say yes it probably is. I
> > >> refrained from recommending it to you since it won't quite do what you
> > >> want because it won't back up to 2 different discs - it wasn't ever
> > >> intended to do that.
> > > 
> > > As the developer of TARDIS ( :) ) I can say yes it probably is. I
> > > refrained from recommending it to you since it won't quite do what you
> > > want because it won't back up to 2 different discs - it wasn't ever
> > > intended to do that.
> >  
> >  *This is exactly the reason I hesitate about TARDIS.
> > 
> > On the other hand: backing up and syncing I do with one external HD at a
> > time only anyway.
> > *
> > 
> > > The basic idea of it though is probably what you need; you could use
> > > rsync and a couple of bash scripts to do manual incremental backups in
> > > the style of TARDIS, but without the automatic ageing. I'd be happy to
> > > advise if you like.
> > 
> > *In the meantime, I have been experimenting with "L*uckyBackup" - *which
> > has RSync and some other scripts under the hood. It works both
> > graphically and with command line. It is in the repo as well. More info:
> > *
> > 
> > http://luckybackup.sourceforge.net/
> > 
> > 
> > *My experiences so far can be summarised as follows.*
> > 
> >  http://luckybackup.sourceforge.net/
> > 
> > *I successfully managed to make a complete backup of the WHOLE home
> > directory to the biggest external HD: "WD Elements" , 2 Terabytes. The
> > strange aspect of this experience is the way in which that HD has been
> > formatted: NTFS. But there was not one single error report. **
> > *
> > 
> > *My question is: what best to do with the big external HD? Leaving it as
> > it is now while continuing to use it? Or is it better to reformat it
> > into EXT4 and making a new backup afterwords?*
> > 
> > 
> > *With respect to the other external HD: that one is a "ADATA NH 92" of
> > 500 GB. Although I did format that one as FAT32, more than 800 error
> > reports have been mentioned with respect to my attempt to backup my HOME
> > directory there. The error reports mainly refer to the KMAIL e-mail
> > directories in .kde/share. An attempt to synchronise the HOME directory
> > at the netbook and the NH92 ended up in a similar result. *
> > 
> > *On the other hand, I DID manage to successfully backup all the
> > datafiles, images, etc. to the NH92. Even eg. software and iso images
> > could be transferred without problems.* *The problem is limited to the
> > e-mail directory .kde/share.
> > *
> > 
> > 
> > *My question is: do I need to reformat the NH92? if I need EXT4 for the
> > backup, is it possible to leave 50 or 100 GB as FAT32 by means of
> > partitioning?
> > *
> > 
> > 
> > *Thanks for your replies. Respectfully yours,*
> > 
> > *Bas Roufs.
> > *
> > 
> > 
> > *
> > *
> > 
> > 
> > **
> > 
> > 
> > **
> > 
> > *
> > *
> > 
> > > Nice to see someone recommending it though :)
> > > 
> > > Mark
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Respectfully yours,
> > > Bas.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > --
> > > kubuntu-users mailing list
> > > kubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
> > > Modify settings or unsubscribe at:
> > > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/kubuntu-users
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > --
> > > kubuntu-users mailing list
> > > kubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
> > > Modify settings or unsubscribe at:
> > > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/kubuntu-users

-- 
Drs. Bas G. Roufs
Van 't Hoffstraat 1
NL-3514 VT Utrecht
+31 30 785 20 40
+31 6 446 835 10
BasRoufs at gmail.com
OS: Linux Kubuntu 11.04, kubuntu.org
Internetpagina's in opbouw: 
BasRoufs.eu, Viaconsensus.nl, RainbowGathering.eu. 
Lid GL? Kies Arno Uijlenhoet als nieuwe partijvoorzitter.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kubuntu-users/attachments/20120206/1da402ff/attachment.html>