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Step 2Take a `dump`
<lame joke here>
Let's backup our stuffs. There are a few ways to do this. Dump and Tar are probably the two most common, and both have their own strengths and weaknesses. Dump is hands-down the most reliable way to backup your system; however, it can only backup entire partitions. Tar is quick and easy to use on individual folders, but takes some time to backup larger volumes. Tar also compresses the files, adding a layer of complexity to potentially corrupt your backups. Read this page for more information
I decided to use dump because of the reliablity. Storage space wasn't an issue, and since I have cron performing backups for me automatically while I sleep, I don't have to worry about timeframes. One of dump's quirks is that it backups up entire partitions. This means that you have to dump each partition individually (eg. the /usr, /var, and /tmp partitions, as well as the / partition). Dump lets you specify the "level" of backup as well. I'll be performing weekly and nightly backups. For my weekly backups, I use level 0, and for my nightly backups, I use level 2. If you're using a tape drive, or if you want to conserve storage space, consider using a Tower of Hanoi backup scheme (Google it.
(Remember, /backup is where I have my external HD mounted)
The commands I used for weekly dumps are:
dump -0Lna -C 100 -f /backup/weekly/usr/`date "+%Y-%B-%d"` /usr
Of course, you will need to create any appropriate backup destination directories before running the dump command, but you should be able to figure that out.
And now you should have a snapshot of your system, or atleast know how to create one.
The next step is how to use restore and how to make "fixit" floppies. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP or you're wasting your time.
Let's backup our stuffs. There are a few ways to do this. Dump and Tar are probably the two most common, and both have their own strengths and weaknesses. Dump is hands-down the most reliable way to backup your system; however, it can only backup entire partitions. Tar is quick and easy to use on individual folders, but takes some time to backup larger volumes. Tar also compresses the files, adding a layer of complexity to potentially corrupt your backups. Read this page for more information
I decided to use dump because of the reliablity. Storage space wasn't an issue, and since I have cron performing backups for me automatically while I sleep, I don't have to worry about timeframes. One of dump's quirks is that it backups up entire partitions. This means that you have to dump each partition individually (eg. the /usr, /var, and /tmp partitions, as well as the / partition). Dump lets you specify the "level" of backup as well. I'll be performing weekly and nightly backups. For my weekly backups, I use level 0, and for my nightly backups, I use level 2. If you're using a tape drive, or if you want to conserve storage space, consider using a Tower of Hanoi backup scheme (Google it.
(Remember, /backup is where I have my external HD mounted)
The commands I used for weekly dumps are:
- dump -0Lna -C 100 -f /backup/weekly/root /
- dump -0Lna -C 100 -f /backup/weekly/usr /usr
- dump -0Lna -C 100 -f /backup/weekly/var /var
- dump -0Lna -C 100 -f /backup/weekly/tmp /tmp
- dump -2Lna -C 100 -f /backup/nightly/root /
- dump -2Lna -C 100 -f /backup/nightly/usr /usr
- dump -2Lna -C 100 -f /backup/nightly/var /var
- dump -2Lna -C 100 -f /backup/nightly/tmp /tmp
dump -0Lna -C 100 -f /backup/weekly/usr/`date "+%Y-%B-%d"` /usr
Of course, you will need to create any appropriate backup destination directories before running the dump command, but you should be able to figure that out.
And now you should have a snapshot of your system, or atleast know how to create one.
The next step is how to use restore and how to make "fixit" floppies. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP or you're wasting your time.
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