Utility of --backup

[lisa-asket at perso.be]

From: Charles via rsync <rsync at lists.samba.org>
To: rsync at lists.samba.org
Subject: Re: Utility of --backup
Date: 19/07/2021 14:26:59 Europe/Paris

>IThe --backup option is great for creating "rolling full" backups which 
>look exactly like the backed up tree except for the existence of the 
>backup directory



I am not really understanding the "Rolling Full Backup".  Suppose I have a directory

and use `rsync -av --progress --log-file="$logfl" "$source" "$destin"`



And let me do what you suggest.  What is the difference, and is --backup better than the other ?



Would the command be



rsync --backup -v --progress --log-file="$logfl" "$source" "$destin"



>Here's how a Linux backup directory tree looks as created by backup 
>utility bung's bu_rsync script

+-- bin -> usr/bin
+-- boot
|   +-- grub
+-- _Changed and deleted files
|   +-- 2021
|   +-- Jul
|   |   +-- 01 at 17:45
|   |   |   +-- opt
|   |   |   |   +-- tomcat
|   |   |   +-- root
|   |   |   +-- var
|   |   |   +-- backups
|   |   |   +-- cache
|   |   |   +-- lib
|   |   |   +-- local
|   |   |   +-- log
|   |   |   +-- mail
|   |   |   +-- spool
...
|   |   +-- 17 at 17:46
...
|   |   +-- 18 at 17:45
...
|   +-- Jun
...
|   +-- 29 at 17:45
...
|   +-- 30 at 17:45
...
+-- dev
+-- etc
...

>A "rolling full" backup is great to restore from for small organisations 
>which do not do enough restores to be well practised because the backup 
>looks exactly like the source except for the additional "_Changed and 
>deleted files" directory.

>Perfect point in time restores are not possible but adequate 
>approximations (point in time but with the possibility of some extra 
>files) can be done by restoring the last backup and then each of the 
>changed and deleted files sets until the latest set after the desired 
>point in time


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