On 18 August 2010 14:59, William Kenworthy <billk@iinet.net.au> wrote:

> On Wed, 2010-08-18 at 14:09 +0300, Nganon wrote:
> >
> >
> > On 17 August 2010 22:34, Enrico Weigelt <weigelt@metux.de> wrote:
> >         For things I'd like to keep an history (eg. /etc) I'm using
> >         git, and
> >         pushing the repo to a remote server (denying non-fastfoward
> >         updates
> >         there, so an theorectical highjacker cannot destroy my
> >         history)
> >
> >
> > Using git for /etc is a great idea.
> > Thanks.
> >
> Another option is:
> *  app-backup/dirvish
>      Latest version available: 1.2.1
>      Latest version installed: 1.2.1
>      Size of downloaded files: 47 kB
>      Homepage:    http://www.dirvish.org/
>      Description: Dirvish is a fast, disk based, rotating network
> backup system.
>      License:     OSL-2.0
>
>
> Works by first creating a copy (--init) and then hard-linking subsequent
> versions of files/directories back to the original original if its
> identical.  If a file is changed/new, it is copied instead of linked so
> actual space usage quickly stabilises even with a varying number of
> versions.  Backup over the network (this is how I have configured mine)
> uses rsync over ssh with keys and is "pull" from a cron job on the
> backup server or manual on demand (i.e., server initiated).
>
> Version management is by a reasonably sophisticated date of version
> scheme where by running "dirvish-expire" deletes out of date versions
> (runs in a cron job).  The smart part is that once the last hard link to
> file is deleted, its gone, otherwise its kept in the remaining
> versions :)
>
> Restore is a simple matter of identifying the version you want and
> copying it back - Ive restored individual files through to complete
> systems after total disk failure.
>
> Can do includes/excludes, whole systems or just directories such as /etc
> and can be easily automated.
>
> Doesnt use compression, but most backup regimes (every day for a weekly
> rota + a Sunday kept for 6 months) stabilise at about 2x the original
> (gross) copy size, no matter how many copies with average changes
> between versions.  Though large scale changes such as an "emerge -e
> world" will take more as it will generate new copies of most files.
>
> Downside is it will hammer the destination file system - reiserfs3 works
> well, ext2/ext3 have been hopeless everytime I've tried - mass
> corruption.  The file system will need a large number of inodes (for
> links) if there are an excessive number of files x versions - again
> reiserfs3 scores well here.
>
> Highly recommended!
>
> BillK
>
>
>
>
Thanks. It sound just it is made just for this. It even call itself 'time
machine'.
Obviously compression is left out by using links but it sounds kind of
overwhelming to me. I don't have a reiserfs partition and cannot afford to
have one at the mo..