On Sun, Jan 18, 2009 at 11:25:01PM -0800, pos...@basicisp.net wrote: > I have a damaged system on my laptop and am trying to salvage data, > then will likely install a new system (etch or lenny, was sarge). I'd > like to save the home folder and a few useful files gleaned from the > etc folder, keeping permissions. I'll use a live cd to do the salvage > work (lenny live, knoppix, knoppix STD or slax -- I have all > available) and write to a 4GB usb flash drive. > > Is this the proper syntax? I believe the -c must be first and the -f > last. > > tar -chpvf /mnt/sda1/homebackup.tar /mnt/hda2/home > > -c is create a new archive -h is retain symlinks but not the files to > which they point -p is preserve permissions -v is verbose -f is > indicating that the destination file name follows immediately after > > Is -h the best way to handle symlinks? Is having the destination file > on a flash drive a potential problem? > Your input is appreciated. Please cc me as I am not currently > subcribed to the list.
[done] For what it does, yes your tar options look fine. Are you sure that you want to lose other stuff such as /etc, your package choices, etc? I'll attach the script I use. I alter it for each box (since each is slightly diffferent). The script I'm attaching is what I run on the box from which I'm sending this email (plot). It uses a list of directories to backup and a list to exclude. I'll include those files too. Doug.
#!/bin/bash ### special to hostname plot # Backup to /var/local/backup/plot # backing up directories listed in /usr/local/etc/backup/list # and excluding those in /usr/local/etc/backup/excludelist /bin/echo -e "System Backup" /bin/echo -e "=============\n" /bin/echo -e "First: ensure users have saved essential stuff to ~/essential_backup," /bin/echo -e "either as sym-links or actual files; backup will dump links as files." /bin/echo -e "Examples may be: exporting bookmarks list, special docs, etc." /bin/echo -e "Backup will then save those to a separate file before" /bin/echo -e "running the main backup program.\n" /bin/echo -e "\nBackup files will be in /var/local/backup/plot/" /bin/echo -e "and will be done in order of priority to restoring the system." /bin/echo -e "These can then be copied to media-of-choice.\a\n" /bin/echo -e "\nBackup takes around 10 minutes.\n" #read -p "Press <enter> when ready to continue backup" /bin/echo -e "\nSaving grub menu.lst..." /bin/cp -af /boot/grub/menu.lst /var/local/backup/plot /bin/echo -e "Done.\n" /bin/echo -e "\nSaving necessary /etc/files plain text..." mkdir -m 0750 /var/local/backup/plot/etc chown root.adm /var/local/backup/plot/etc /bin/cp -af /etc/fstab /var/local/backup/plot/etc /bin/cp -af /etc/modules /var/local/backup/plot/etc /bin/cp -af /etc/hosts /var/local/backup/plot/etc /bin/cp -af /etc/hosts.allow /var/local/backup/plot/etc /bin/cp -af /etc/hosts.deny /var/local/backup/plot/etc /bin/cp -af /etc/inittab /var/local/backup/plot/etc /bin/cp -af /etc/network/interfaces /var/local/backup/plot/etc /bin/cp -af /etc/hostname /var/local/backup/plot/etc /bin/cp -af /etc/modutils/ /var/local/backup/plot/etc/ /bin/rm -rf /var/local/backup/plot/etc/modutils/arch /bin/cp -af /etc/modprobe.d/ /var/local/backup/plot/etc/ /bin/cp -af /etc/resolv.conf /var/local/backup/plot/etc /bin/cp -af /etc/ppp/ /var/local/backup/plot/etc/ /bin/cp -af /etc/chatscripts/ /var/local/backup/plot/etc/ /bin/echo -e "Done.\n" /bin/echo -e "\nSaving the partition table and disk usage information..." /sbin/fdisk -lu /dev/hda > /var/local/backup/plot/hda_partitions /sbin/sfdisk -d /dev/hda > /var/local/backup/plot/hda_sfdisk.out /sbin/fdisk -lu /dev/hdc > /var/local/backup/plot/hdc_partitions /sbin/sfdisk -d /dev/hdc > /var/local/backup/plot/hdc_sfdisk.out du -c --si --max-depth=1 /* > /var/local/backup/plot/dusummary 2>/dev/null df --si > /var/local/backup/plot/dfsummary /bin/echo -e "Done.\n" /bin/echo -e "\nSaving package selection..." dpkg --get-selections > /var/local/backup/plot/inst_deb.sel aptitude search '~i!~M' > /var/local/backup/plot/apt_inst.sel /bin/echo -e "Done.\n" /bin/echo -e "\nBacking up /root/service/ to /var/local/backup/plot" /bin/cp -af /root/service/ /var/local/backup/plot/ /bin/echo -e "\nSaving etc.tgz.bak" /bin/cp -af /var/local/backup/plot/etc.tgz /var/local/backup/plot/etc.tgz.bak /bin/echo -e "Backing up /etc/ to /var/local/backup/plot/etc.tgz" #/bin/tar -czf /var/local/backup/plot/etc.tgz /etc/ /bin/tar -c /etc/ | gzip --best --rsyncable > /var/local/backup/plot/etc.tgz /bin/echo -e "Done." /bin/echo "Removing saved etc.tgz.bak" /bin/rm -f /var/local/backup/plot/etc.tgz.bak /bin/echo -e "Done.\n" /bin/echo -e "\nSaving es_bk.tgz.bak" /bin/cp -af /var/local/backup/plot/es_bk.tgz /var/local/backup/plot/es_bk.tgz.bak /bin/echo -e "Backing up /var/local/essential_backup/ >" /bin/echo -e " /var/local/backup/plot/es_bk.tgz" #/bin/tar -czhPf /var/local/backup/plot/es_bk.tgz /var/local/essential_backup/ /bin/tar -chP /var/local/essential_backup/ | gzip --best --rsyncable > /var/local/backup/plot/es_bk.tgz # c=create, -h=don't dump symlinks, but files pointed to # P=ablsolute path name so they go back exactly where they belong /bin/echo -e "Done" /bin/echo "Removing saved es_bk.tgz.bak" /bin/rm -f /var/local/backup/plot/es_bk.tgz.bak /bin/echo -e "Done.\n" #/bin/echo "Saving backup.tgz.bak" #/bin/cp -af /var/local/backup/plot/backup.tgz /var/local/backup/plot/backup.tgz.bak #/bin/echo -e "Backing-up complete system: > /var/local/backup/plot/backup.tgz" #/bin/tar -czf /var/local/backup/plot/backup.tgz -T /usr/local/etc/backup/backuplist -X /usr/local/etc/backup/excludelist #/bin/echo "Removing saved backup.tgz.bak" #/bin/rm -f /var/local/backup/plot/backup.tgz.bak #/bin/echo "Done." /bin/echo -e "\n\nBacking-up complete system: > " /bin/echo -e " /var/local/backup/plot/backup.tgz.XX" /bin/rm -f /var/local/backup/plot/backup.t* #/bin/tar -cz -T /usr/local/etc/backup/backuplist -X /usr/local/etc/backup/excludelist | split -b 600m - /var/local/backup/plot/backup.tgz. /bin/tar -c -T /usr/local/etc/backup/backuplist -X /usr/local/etc/backup/excludelist | gzip --best --rsyncable |split -b 500m - /var/local/backup/plot/backup.tgz. /bin/echo -e "Done.\n" #/bin/echo -e "\nSaving uldl.tgz.bak" #/bin/cp -af /var/local/backup/plot/uldl.tgz /var/local/backup/plot/uldl.tgz.bak #/bin/echo -e "Backing up /home/dtutty/uldl > /var/local/backup/plot/uldl.tgz" #/bin/tar -czf /var/local/backup/plot/uldl.tgz /home/dtutty/uldl/ #/bin/tar -c /home/dtutty/uldl/ | gzip --best --rsyncable > /var/local/backup/plot/uldl.tgz #/bin/echo "Removing saved uldl.tgz.bak" #/bin/rm -f /var/local/backup/plot/uldl.tgz.bak #/bin/echo -e "Done.\n" /bin/echo -e "\nChanging oweners and permissions of /var/local/backup/plot" /bin/chown -R root.adm /var/local/backup/plot/* /bin/chmod -R o-rwx /var/local/backup/plot/* /bin/chmod -R g+rw /var/local/backup/plot/* /bin/echo -e "Done.\n" /bin/sync /bin/echo -e "\a\nBackup finished.\n" /bin/echo -e "Remember to copy to appropriate media.\n" # vim: tw=0 :
/etc/ /usr/local/ /root/ /var/local/ /home/
/var/local/backup /var/local/unbackedup /home/dtutty/uldl /root/uldl /home/media
