Re: [rdiff-backup-users] Removing intermediate snapshot
> On 04/02/2011 12:00, Alex Schuster wrote: > > For my > /home directory, the last backup is most important of course, but I would > also like to be able to restore the very first backup I did make. All other > backups in between are not that important, and I would like to remove some. You could restore that fist version to a different location, back it up on a long term storage media, then use --remove-older-than. You would of course no longer use rdiff-backup to restore that first version. > But rdiff-backup only has a --remove-older-than option, not something > like --remove-between . Is there some workaround, rdiff-backups uses reverse diffs. The most recent file is complete. Historical versions are a chain of dependent reverse diffs. Removing interim backups yet keeping an older version would require restoring the versions on either side of date1 and date2 and repacking a reverse diff of that change and rewriting all the metadata history referring to file during the in between range to pretend it didn't exist or didn't change. Otherwise the versions before the older date may be worthless. > or do I want the impossible? > Seems tricky and may have unintended consequences. (Insert back-to-the-future warning of choice here :) ) The subversion project skirts the issue by requiring you to dump, filter, and re-import. It isn't something I would want to tackle even though I've thought it would be nice once or twice. > I'm expecially concerned about one backup that has very much data in it that > was only temporary and is no longer needed. I read I could remove those > specific files if I am careful, http://www.nongnu.org/rdiff-backup/FAQ.html#remove_dir http://wiki.rdiff-backup.org/wiki/index.php/FAQs#How_do_I_remove_files_from_the_backup_set_.2F_I_didn.27t_like_answer_.238_in_the_official_FAQ Also tricky. Best of luck, -- Jacob ___ rdiff-backup-users mailing list at rdiff-backup-users@nongnu.org http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/rdiff-backup-users Wiki URL: http://rdiff-backup.solutionsfirst.com.au/index.php/RdiffBackupWiki
Re: [rdiff-backup-users] Removing intermediate snapshot
I'm afraid that the short answer is: no In most situations there should be no need to remove an intermediate backup because there would be little space saving. However in some situations it would be very helpful - say if you backed up the wrong stuff into an existing repository on one occasion (and then subsequently corrected it). Still, there is no easy way to fix this. What can be done is to regress a repository day-by-day to get back beyond the 'bad' backup and then start anew from there. If the backup(s) you wish to remove are reasonably recent, and you don't mind losing any changes since then, this might be appropriate, and I have a script which can help (which I posted here a few weeks ago). Dominic On 04/02/2011 12:00, Alex Schuster wrote: Hi there! I'm a happy rdiff-backup user, this utility is really excellent. Great work! But some backup partitions are getting full. Is there a possibility to remove not only the oldest backups(s), but some backups in between? For my /home directory, the last backup is most important of course, but I would also like to be able to restore the very first backup I did make. All other backups in between are not that important, and I would like to remove some. But rdiff-backup only has a --remove-older-than option, not something like --remove-between . Is there some workaround, or do I want the impossible? I'm expecially concerned about one backup that has very much data in it that was only temporary and is no longer needed. I read I could remove those specific files if I am careful, but I still think there is an important feature missing. Wonko ___ rdiff-backup-users mailing list at rdiff-backup-users@nongnu.org http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/rdiff-backup-users Wiki URL: http://rdiff-backup.solutionsfirst.com.au/index.php/RdiffBackupWiki
