Thanks for the folks who advised me re backing up a running system. I'm just testing mondo at the moment. Looks ideal for my purposes.
What files can safely be omitted from a debian system backup? Obvious ones are /var/cache/apt/archives (if you're like me an hold onto these files) and /var/spool/squid (if you use squid). Is there anything crucial in /var/log that can't be trashed? Is there anything else in /var?
It all depends on how much time you want to invest into restoring your system in the event of a failure. Linus Torvalds says "Real men don't backup. They upload everything to FTP and let the rest of the world mirror it."
That being said, I use two different schemes. For my server I create a systemimager backup. If something goes south on me, I can boot it from the backup image and have it restored in the time it takes to transfer the information across the network. I also create a daily tar of the systemimager image and keep a couple of weeks worth. This way I can revert to a previous state, if necesary.
For my workstation I simply create a tar of /etc /home and /root and of "dpkg-get --get-selections". If something goes wrong, I reinstall with my previously selected packages, untar /etc /home and /root and then I am ready to go. This method takes longer, but is much more space efficient. I don't personally back up anything /var on my workstation, but if you run a website, then /var/www and if you run databases or store email then /var/lib and /var/mail, respectively.
HTH,
-Roberto Sanchez
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