BookWorm - Backup procedure.

[soniabu]

Hi everyone. I hope you are well. I'm fine.
I'll show you how I backup my BookWorm as I haven't found any other method.
If someone can suggest something else (pupsavebackup for example ?) I will evaluate it carefully.
I do this now. (premise: the usb stick(sda)= 30GB.)
a) with 'dd' I create an image (photo a) by BookWorm;

b) the image ... (photo b) I mount it and with "gparted" I resize it; after with "truncate" I restrict to actual data;

c) then compact with 'lrzip' before uploading the backups to Mega.
Do you think there is a simpler method?
Thank in advance.
sonia

[ljlj]

dear sonia
i use debiandog and i use
quickremaster in 10 seconds
for me it is backup
greetings

[dancytron]

I use rsync to back up the whole debian dog directory to a usb drive.

viewtopic.php?p=61656#p61656

[backi]

@dancytron @soniabu
Why not just copy the Debian-Dog Directory mainly the "live" Folder to a save Location.Your personal Data (Videos,Documents,Music...etc.) should anyway be stored separately.
So just the "live" Folder is copied to a save second Location as a Backup of your whole Debian Dog Operating System (remastered or not).

Doing a Quick-remaster and rebooting before copying it to a save second Location is a fast and fine Method to also merge your Sytemmodifications "changes"(Folder)into the 01.filesystem.squashfs .

The so (Quick-remastered) 01.filesystem.squashfs now contains the whole Debian-Dog OP System including content of your"changes" Folder which will be emptied after Quick-remastered and Rebooted.....cause "changes" are merged into 01.filesystem.squashfs .

[soniabu]

Well. Thanks everyone for the replies.
I think it's better to use 'grsync' (also because quickremaster doesn't master it completely).
Personal folders are clear to me what they are. It's not so bright though - and I'm ashamed to write it -
what the 'debiandog directory' is. I am attaching two imgs of my Bookworm USB stick.
Where is the ' Debiandog directory ' on sda1 or sda2 ?
And which folders should be saved (only live?) to have a backup of the operating system?
thank you for your patience and kindness.
sonia
(click to enlarge)

[backi]

hi@soniabu !
The "live" Folder contains your whole Debian-Dog OP System....(including your "changes" Folder....... which contains all your saved Changes).

The whole "live" Folder can simply be copied and stored to a save Location as a Backup of your Debian-Dog OP System.

I really do not understand why your whole Op System is scattered over 2 Partitions (Partition sda1(labeled BOOKWORM) and sda2 (Folder B_worm formatted fat32)......why not just simply stored on one single Partition....on the Partition sda1 labeled BOOKWORM...... formatted as ext4.....this Partition should contain the "live" Folder...(..inside a B_worm Folder?) .

I am rather confused.
Maybe anybody else can help to enlighten you and me further.

Also maybe posting your menu.lst could bring some Light into the whole Shebang.

You also wrote

I think it's better to use 'grsync' (also because quickremaster doesn't master it completely).

....i doubt it ......but maybe @fredx181 or anybody else is more skilled than me to explain.

[fredx181]

I really do not understand why your whole Op System is scattered over 2 Partitions (Partition sda1(labeled BOOKWORM) and sda2 (Folder B_worm formatted fat32)......why not just simply stored on one single Partition....on the Partition sda1 labeled BOOKWORM...... formatted as ext4.....this Partition should contain the "live" Folder...(..inside a B_worm Folder?) .

If I remember well I once advised Sonia to use a save-folder, and therefore needed a ext (Linux) partition for the changes, which became sda2.

@soniabu Perhaps the best/easiest is to create same setup on a new USB, but better don't use a file manager to copy the changes folder, so let's say you have created on your new USB the same two partitions, sdb1 (FAT) and sdb2 (ext4) then:
- copy 'live', 'boot' and 'EFI' folders and grub.cfg from sda1 to sdb1 (not sure if you have UEFI bios, but I think, tell me if not), that's the copying of the DD system (and boot stuff for uefi) to sdb1 (FAT32),
but then the changes:
- copy (but use cp from terminal) the folder containing the changes (in your case "B_worm") to sdb2 (ext4)
If mountpoint of sdb2 is /mnt/sdb2 then: cp -a /mnt/sda1/B_worm /mnt/sdb2/

Perhaps you get the picture of how to basically do it, the way @dancytron mentioned may work too (using rsync), but don't know if it's UEFI supported (should be FAT 1st partition for UEFI / grub).
Anyway do NOT copy the changes with a file-manager, it may become incomplete then.
EDIT: And if you use GRUB as bootloader (on UEFI) then possibly grub.cfg needs editing for to work with the new USB, not sure though.

[soniabu]

Well Fred I will do as you explained.
thanks a lot to all.
s

[fredx181]

Hi Sonia, if it appears that you're having trouble realizing it, best to give more info, e.g. is your computer with UEFI , post the contents of the grub.cfg (or menu.lst if you have legacy BIOS).

[soniabu]

Fred, I did everything.
Now I have a new USB stick with the operating system working - I use it right now here on the forum.
here is the grub. img (I don't know how to get the menu.lst)

UEFI;

[dancytron]

hi@soniabu !
The "live" Folder contains your whole Debian-Dog OP System....(including your "changes" Folder....... which contains all your saved Changes).

The whole "live" Folder can simply be copied and stored to a save Location as a Backup of your Debian-Dog OP System.

I really do not understand why your whole Op System is scattered over 2 Partitions (Partition sda1(labeled BOOKWORM) and sda2 (Folder B_worm formatted fat32)......why not just simply stored on one single Partition....on the Partition sda1 labeled BOOKWORM...... formatted as ext4.....this Partition should contain the "live" Folder...(..inside a B_worm Folder?) .

I am rather confused.
Maybe anybody else can help to enlighten you and me further.

Also maybe posting your menu.lst could bring some Light into the whole Shebang.

You also wrote

I think it's better to use 'grsync' (also because quickremaster doesn't master it completely).

....i doubt it ......but maybe @fredx181 or anybody else is more skilled than me to explain.

I don't actually do it anymore, but I had it set up where I did the rsync to a bootable drive with a manually written menu.1st so I had a bootable copy of my desktop OS, then if something happened I could literally just boot up with the usb drive to any computer and be right back in business.

[fredx181]

Fred, I did everything.
Now I have a new USB stick with the operating system working - I use it right now here on the forum.
here is the grub. img (I don't know how to get the menu.lst)

Ok, fine that it works for you.
I see in your grub.cfg changes=EXIT:/mnt/sda2/B_worm
It could be that your new USB is also recognized as sda , then it's fine.
But note that you shouldn't have both USB sticks plugged in (right before booting), needs to be just one, otherwise there's a chance of conflict (as both have the same setup, e.g. same name B_worm for the save-folder).