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Since it backups the home dir, often it does it when I have files in used, for example file containers that are mounted as HDDs. I find it hard to believe it can copy them correctly but it just does and doesn't report any errors?

user240891
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1 Answers1

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A file lock is only of interest when making changes to a file (ie. write, delete, move, rename; things like that).

Deja dup needs to read a file. (simplified:) It copies the contents of a file that it needs to backup over to a compressed container. So there is no need for the system to complain about the file being locked.

1 extra comment: if a file is in use the one stored on disk will be backupped. Changes made to the file after the backup finished will not be stored to that backup.

Rinzwind
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  • what if the file copies is truecrypt encrypted file container? – user240891 Sep 08 '14 at 17:52
  • Is the backup also inside the container? If so: individual file can be backupped. Otherwise it will pick up the whole container. – Rinzwind Sep 08 '14 at 18:36
  • no the container is in the home dir, which is backedup by deja dup What I'm asking is basically can it properly back-up the container while it's mounted? – user240891 Sep 09 '14 at 10:46
  • Ofcourse; When the container is NOT mounted it will not pick it up. – Rinzwind Sep 09 '14 at 11:01
  • When the container is not mounted it just sites there as a file in the home dir. When it's mounted it's seen as a HDD which is not part of the back-up paths. The real question is can it actually copy the file sitting in the home dir while it's mounted as a HDD. – user240891 Sep 10 '14 at 10:13
  • If there is a difference between file already on the backup and the original file on disk it will pick it up (I always assumed that those files are in the backup paths otherwise the discussion is moot: not in the path = no backup). "The real question is can it actually copy the file sitting in the home dir while it's mounted as a HDD" Yes it can (see previous assumption: if you create the backup paths with the container mounted it will pick the files up if the backup is done while the container is mounted; – Rinzwind Sep 10 '14 at 10:20
  • ... Otherwise: if the container was not mounted when you made the backup path the container will be backupped when the backup is done and the container is NOT mounted (the system will do a "diff" on the containers and see that they are different and backup the whole container). – Rinzwind Sep 10 '14 at 10:21
  • My only concern is if it can copy the container file while it's in use. Since when in use it's contents will be changing in real time. – user240891 Sep 10 '14 at 13:58