Backing up to DVDs

[Damien Elmes]

Sam Couter <sam at couter.dropbear.id.au> writes:

> Damien Elmes <clug at repose.cx> wrote:
>> ... or better yet, consider why you're backing up the entire system at all?
>> Why not just save a listing of your available packages, and maybe /etc - plus
>> any of your personal files in /home. There doesn't seem to be any reason for
>> backing up binaries when you can just reinstall the packages automatically.
>
> Systems invariably accumulate changes in places other than /etc over
> time. The most significant data that I can think of that you've already
> forgotten is in the /var partition.

In the spirit of looking on the bright side of things, you can see it as a
chance to get rid of all the cruft on your system!

But you are right, there are other areas where important files are located. I
use a program called 'unison' to sync file lists to another machine for backup
purposes - it's also very handy for keeping particular files in sync with a
laptop and desktop machine.

I'd rather invest a bit of my time to work out what does need to be backed up
rather than invest a bit of my money on extra CDs to house all the
non-relevant stuff. It just pays to be careful when determining what needs to
be backed up. Of course, refraining from modifying files in /usr/bin is going
to help you out there, too.

Regards,

-- 
Damien Elmes