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Is there such a thing as a differential or incremental backup where you don't need a specific program - just a file browser - to view (the most recent/the least recent/any version of) backed-up files?

Also, is there any list of backup software/methods online where each entry says whether it saves the backup in a way that it can be easily viewed in a file browser? (or how specifically it saves the backup)

enderforce
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1 Answers1

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Two good references for different backup methods:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/jmburgess/Backup

How to backup settings and list of installed packages

I use the 'rsync' method myself, because I can simply view the backup files in a file browser.

The script I use for backup is as follows:

#!/bin/bash
dpkg --get-selections > ~/backupData/Package.list
sudo cp -R /etc/apt/sources.list* ~/backupData/
sudo apt-key exportall > ~/backupData/Repo.keys
rsync --progress --delete -a /home/chick/ /media/chick/Lbck/backup

This has the possibly questionable advantage of also backing up the list of installed packages, and everything in my home directory, onto a USB HDD.

Please note that this is not an exclusive list of how to do backups, but a pretty good list of inexpensive methods. What is important here is that you have a backup to prevent those little times in life when everything goes south.

If you have the resources available, multiple backups using different backup methods is a great idea.

Community
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Charles Green
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  • @karel Thanks! I'll expound upon my answer shortly... – Charles Green Jul 27 '14 at 04:06
  • "can simply view the backup files in a file browser" - This is exactly what I wanted. The links are useful, but do you know of any lists that mention if each one saves the backup in a way that it can be easily viewed in a file browser? – enderforce Jul 29 '14 at 01:19
  • @enderforce Been out of town for a week. The rsync method that I use is a step above making a brute force copy of the directory structure, and can be viewed with a file browser because it is literally a copy of the files on my drive. – Charles Green Aug 03 '14 at 14:45
  • I see. So it is kind of what I wanted, but I was hoping to have multiple versions of changed files available. (that part does not necessarily have to be viewable in a file browser) – enderforce Aug 04 '14 at 20:33
  • You might check the jmburgess link in my original answer - The simplest version of versioned backups is rdiff-backup, followed by duplicity. Graphical based versions include deja-dup, which is a front-end for duplicity – Charles Green Aug 04 '14 at 21:30