undefined | Better HN

0 pointsnathants9mo ago0 comments

How do you version your rsync backups?

0 comments

I use rsyncs --link-dest

abridged example:

    rsync --archive --link-dest 2025-06-06 backup_role@backup_host:backup_path/ 2025-06-07/

Actual invocation is this huge hairy furball of an rsync command that appears to use every single feature of rsync as I worked on my backup script over the years.

    rsync_cmd = [
      '/usr/bin/rsync',
      '--archive',
      '--numeric-ids',
      '--owner',
      '--delete',
      '--delete-excluded',
      '--no-specials',
      '--no-devices',
      '--filter=merge backup/{backup_host}/filter.composed'.format(**rsync_param),
      '--link-dest={cwd}/backup/{backup_host}/current/{backup_path}'.format(**rsync_param),
      '--rsh=ssh -i {ssh_ident}'.format(**rsync_param),
      '--rsync-path={rsync_path}'.format(**rsync_params),
      '--log-file={cwd}/log/{backup_id}'.format(**rsync_params),
      '{remote_role}@{backup_host}:/{backup_path}'.format(**rsync_params),
      'backup/{backup_host}/work/{backup_path}'.format(**rsync_params) ]

nathantsOP9mo ago

This is cool. Do you always --link-dest to the last directory, and that traverses links all the way back as far as needed?

somat9mo ago

Yes, this adds a couple of nice features, it is easy to go back to any version using only normal filesysem access and because they are hard links it only uses space for changed files and you can cull old versions without worrying about loosing the backing store for the diff.

I think it sort of works like apples time-machine but I have never used that product so... (shrugs)

Note that it is not, in the strictest sense, a very good "backup" mainly because it is too "online", to solve that I have a set of removable drives that I rotate through, so with three drives, each ends up with every third day.

1 more reply

iforgotpassword9mo ago

Dirvish

nathantsOP9mo ago

Perl still exists?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

somat9mo ago

I use rsyncs --link-dest

abridged example:

    rsync --archive --link-dest 2025-06-06 backup_role@backup_host:backup_path/ 2025-06-07/

Actual invocation is this huge hairy furball of an rsync command that appears to use every single feature of rsync as I worked on my backup script over the years.

    rsync_cmd = [
      '/usr/bin/rsync',
      '--archive',
      '--numeric-ids',
      '--owner',
      '--delete',
      '--delete-excluded',
      '--no-specials',
      '--no-devices',
      '--filter=merge backup/{backup_host}/filter.composed'.format(**rsync_param),
      '--link-dest={cwd}/backup/{backup_host}/current/{backup_path}'.format(**rsync_param),
      '--rsh=ssh -i {ssh_ident}'.format(**rsync_param),
      '--rsync-path={rsync_path}'.format(**rsync_params),
      '--log-file={cwd}/log/{backup_id}'.format(**rsync_params),
      '{remote_role}@{backup_host}:/{backup_path}'.format(**rsync_params),
      'backup/{backup_host}/work/{backup_path}'.format(**rsync_params) ]

nathantsOP9mo ago

This is cool. Do you always --link-dest to the last directory, and that traverses links all the way back as far as needed?

somat9mo ago

I think it sort of works like apples time-machine but I have never used that product so... (shrugs)

1 more reply

iforgotpassword9mo ago

Dirvish

nathantsOP9mo ago

Perl still exists?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse