Re: Backup media; comments would be appreciated.

From: Richard Steven Hack (richardhack_at_prontomail.com)
Date: 12/27/03

  • Next message: erik: "Re: Some information" 
    Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2003 02:28:16 GMT

    On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 09:31:13 -0500, Gaetan Martineau
    <gmartiPASDESPAM@mediom.qc.ca> wrote:

    >Chuck Bridgeland wrote:
    >
    > > Not really. Look into the cdbackup package. It allows you to
    > > pipe the output of a traditional backup utility like tar directly
    > > to CDR. It works, and media is _way_ cheaper than Zip disks.
    >
    >Just simply; wow. I read the above maybe 30 minutes ago, did a search,
    >downloaded, compiled, installed, then
    >
    >tar -cvf - /home | cdbackup -d /dev/scd0 -r 0,0 -l 700 -a "/home backup"
    >
    >and voilą, I apparently made my first backup on CD with Linux ever...
    >Just plainly terrific and simple.

    I am currently reviewing Linux backup methods in preparation for my
    first Linux system backup.

    I am concerned about using any form of archive on CD media because the
    media is NOT reliable and a single bad read error can abort your
    restore by corrupting the archive.

    I believe the absolute safest way to backup systems on CD media
    (although not space efficient) is to backup files without putting them
    in an archive and without compressing them AS an archive (individual
    file compression is okay). Then you can mount the CD and retrieve the
    files using standard file utilities and a CD read error will only
    screw up at most one or two files - and if you make two copies of the
    backup, it is unlikely that the same error will occur on both copies,
    enabling you to retrieve the corrupted file from the second copy.

    Another option which is used with the Dar (Disk ARchive) program is to
    make PAR files (using parchive) of the segments of the archive being
    backed up. Dar has a utility called dar_cp which can copy a Dar
    archive from a damaged CD by ignoring and skipping over read errors.
    If you get a read error, you copy the archive from the CD to hard
    disk, repair it with PAR files, and then make links to the remaining
    segments (because Dar needs to find all segments of the archive in the
    same place)(unless you reburn the archive).

    Dar can be found here: http://dar.linux.free.fr/

    Another tool which I think meets my needs (as an alternative to Dar)
    is Sitback. From the Specifications page of the home page:
    ====================================================
    Sitback can do many types of backup and archiving..

        - Make a backup archive on tape
        - Make a backup archive on disc (fixed as well as removeable)
        - Make a backup archive on a remote host
        - Make a backup archive on cd-r or cd-rw (dvd is underway)
        - You can do backup/archiving to multiple discs or tapes
        - Run sitback as a daemon, running a scheduled backup.
        - After a backup, you can get a report on disc, by mail or printed

    Sitback can backup files from almost any location..

        - Local filesystems
        - NFS volumes mounted on the local VFS
        - SMB shares mounted on the local VFS
        - FLoppy, Zip, Jazz, LS, etc..

    Sitback can backup to almost any location..

        - Local filesystems
        - NFS volumes mounted on the local VFS
        - SMB shares mounted on the local VFS
        - Floppy, Zip, Jazz, LS, etc..
        - Any standard SCSI tape
        - Any tapedrive supported by ftape
        - Pipes or sockets, so that you can use sitback from scripts or
    other programs.
        - Remote devices (devices or filesystems on other unix boxes)
        - CD/DVD writers
        - DVD writers (work in progress. 0.4.0 release will support this)

    Sitback only requires Gnu Tar for basic operations, and it will run on
    almost any version and flavour of Gnu Linux and other Unices supported
    by Gnu automake/autoconf and gcc
    =====================================================

    The advantage of SitBack is that you can make TAR archives, OR no
    archives at all, and you can make them on CD, Zip, hard disk or
    wherever. Best of all, it allows specifying the burn speed that
    cdrecord will burn the disk at - which is vital since not all CD
    drives and media work well at the highest burn speed of the drive and
    leaving it to software to determine the best burn speed is iffy.

    SitBack's home page is here:
    http://www.mrbean.dk/index.php?menu=Projects&submenu=Sitback 

    -- 
Richard Steven Hack
"Whatever does not kill me makes me stronger" - 
and YOU have not killed me!
  • Next message: erik: "Re: Some information"

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