On 5/16/24 11:15, Steve Litt wrote:
The first time, yes. After that, using rsync for the backups takes only a few minutes, depending on how many files have changed since the last rsync.
I am a big fan of rsync. I particularly like the "--link-dest" feature: files in the source that are unchanged between the source and the "--link-dest" directory do not get copied to the destination, rather corresponding hard links are made in the destination that point to files the "--link-dest" directory.
I use it to do incremental backups where each backup is complete in its own directory tree, and could be mounted and used directly, if desired. My backup's "restore" time can approach nearly zero. And the ability to do a restore (the media holding my old files can be accessed and read) is tested as I do each new backup.
People frequently forget the restore aspect of backups. (How long will it take to spool that tape? And is the tape still good?)
It still takes a fairly long time to create a big directory tree and all those hard links, but it can happen while I'm doing something else. When it finishes I unmount the encrypted backup, unplug it, and keep it separate from my computer itself. And separate from other such backups.
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